ZSL London Zoo

The Sumatran Tiger, Jae Jae, cuddles his mate, Melati, in Tiger Territory.

ZSL London Zoo is one of the best zoos in the country, if not the world. It is a place that is constantly evolving, which offers something new on each visit. It is a place that all of my children love, regardless of their age on each visit.

With the Snowdon Aviary being the next big regeneration project, I cannot wait to see what happens after its completion.

Walking with family: London Zoo

Asim, a Sumatran Tiger, cuddles his mate.

Wednesday August 20, 2014.

We had been planning to take the girls to ZSL London Zoo for a few weeks and, finally, the day was here.

Erin knew that something was going on, as we had packed all the supplies and were heading towards the station to get the train. Keilyn, meanwhile, was just happy to be in the battlewagon, because she knows that we could be going anywhere.

We arrived at Baker Street station and made our way along Baker Street, and into The Regent's Park. Erin and Keilyn were soon out of the battlewagon and running along the pathway, looking at all of the ducks and geese. We passed the boating lake and followed the path towards Prince Albert Road and the entrance to ZSL London Zoo.

Fortunately, for us, Emma had booked fast-track tickets, so we were able to go straight in, rather than joining the long queue, which was stretching along the road.

On entering we were immediately taken to a green-screen booth, where I photograph was taken which, we were told, would be available at the exit, should we wish to purchase it.

We began our tour by heading through the tunnel and up into the Into Africa zone, where the first animals that the we saw were the Pygmy Hippos and Giraffes, followed by Zebra and Okapi. I had packed Erin's camera and she was quite happy snapping pictures, as we walked around. We decided to sit down and have a bite to eat, while the zoo was still quiet, before continuing on.

We followed the path and passed the African Hunting Dogs before crossing the Regent's Canal and heading into the Snowdon Aviary. We saw Sacred Ibises and Peacocks, before heading off to see the Owls.

From here we crossed back to the zoo proper and went to see the Otters, Reindeer and Meerkats.

This was followed by a trip in to Rainforest Life, where we saw Two-Toed Sloth, Golden Lion Tamarinds, Southern Tamandua and much more. We then headed downstairs, in to the darkness, where we discovered the Grey Slender Loris, the Naked Mole Rat and lots of Seba's Short-Tailed Bats.

After another bite to eat, we headed to the off to the Outback to see the Red Kangaroos, before seeing the Komodo Dragons and Dirk, the Galapagos Tortoise, and his family.

Then we headed into the Gorilla Kingdom, where we saw Diana Monkeys, Colobos Monkeys and the Western Lowland Gorillas, amongst others.

Then we went off to see the King Vultures, Caracaras and other birds of prey.

Then it was time to see the Humboldt Penguins at Penguin Beach.

Then it was on to the Macaws and Toucans, in the Blackburn Pavilion, before heading in to the Animal Adventure, where we saw Coatis, Meerkats (again) and Aadvarks.

Since the weather had turned quite hot, we bought the girls an ice cream each, before heading off to see the Llamas, Camels and Tapirs. This led us quite pleasantly to Tiger Territory, where the Sumatran Tigers were basking in the sun.

Cheetahs, Gibbons, Macaques, Servals, Flamingos were seen, but the Lions remained elusive to us, as we made our way towards the zoo shop.

We spent what seemed like an eternity looking around, before Erin and Keilyn chose a Peruvian drum each and, since Erin had been fascinated with the Giraffe, we purchased her a stuffed one, too.

Passing toward the exit we noticed the Magic Memories Photo Stall, so popped in to see how our photo had come out. The lady showed us all our photographs, with the green-screen replaced by Meerkats, Gorillas, Penguins and Tigers. These came in a glossy album, which also contained six smaller photos and a key ring and fridge magnet kit. All ours for just £20. So, we bought them.

Leaving ZSL London Zoo we headed through The Regent's Park, making our way through the Avenue Gardens and back to Baker Street station.

We managed to catch a semi-fast train home and arrived just after 6 o'clock. Surprisingly, considering how long we had been out, the girls were still wide awake, whereas Emma and I were both exhausted. Once the girls were in bed, though, they were soon snoring in unison, leaving Emma and myself to have some dinner, before having an early night.

It was a fantastic if long day, but well worth it. We will be visiting ZSL London Zoo again, next year, to see all the things that we missed out on this trip; The Aquarium, Reptile House, Butterfly Paradise, Bugs and Meet the Monkeys.