The all new Land of the Lions at London Zoo

Last week the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh officially opened the new Asiatic lion exhibit, Land of the Lions, at London Zoo and this week we were lucky enough to be one of the first to visit.

We entered Land of the Lions through a grand stone archway and was immediately in awe of what was ahead of us which included colourful murals, authentic looking signage, rickshaws, bicycles, sacks of spices, rangers’ huts, and even a life-size truck which left us feeling as if we had left the bright lights of London and transported to India’s vibrant Sasan Gir.

A great exhibit for me is one where it captures your imagination and the Land of the Lions did just that, with a “WOW” moment around every corner. The children were each given a challenge sheet upon entering by a ranger, which challenged them to the find items on it and cross them off when they did, which included a Lioness, Lion, monkey etc. There was a chance to ride a static bike and see if you could out-run a Lion – sadly not in my case and Isaac could only cycle as fast as an elephant.

Three walkways which cover the 2,500sqm exhibit include a train station, crumbling temple clearing, high street and guard hut whilst giving a great view over the huge enclosure. We were stood above the enclosure whilst a ranger was throwing lumps of meat over the fence for lionesses Indi, Rubi and Heidi to find, which gave us a great view of them.

There is also a spectacular 360° Temple Clearing where the big cats roam just metres away, separated only by fine wires.

London Zoo is a fantastic day out that is fun for all the family, young or old as there is so much to see and do. If big cats are your thing there is also Tiger Territory where you can see them lazing around, or you can whoop and cheer as you watch the penguins zoom through the water at Penguin Beach. I highly recommend you check out their twice daily feed to watch the birds diving for their food.