Days Out

Twycross Zoo for World Orangutan Day

August 19th marks World Orangutan Day and on this day last year we visited Twycross Zoo. To mark the occasion, Twycross Zoo were allowing all those with red hair Free Entry!

Red Heads Go Free!

We were unaware of this before we went, but, as we already have a red head in the family, we got Molly in for free on the day. Even if you are not blessed with the ginger gene, Twycross were still allowing entry for all those in dyed red hair or wigs.

We parked up and made our way to the entrance which was actually a long walk. We must have parked in the overflow and walked through the Nature Reserve to get to the entrance. It was a lovely walk past reed beds and ponds that are hopefully home to a number of insects and small animals. Even though it was very busy we got in fairly quickly and grabbed a map to navigate our way around.

Monkeying Around

As we walked in, we headed straight to the monkeys. Set behind large glass screens, many monkeys were lounging around and playing. We saw marmosets and howlers, spider monkeys and tamarins. Along with the smaller monkeys, there also live gorillas, chimps and of course, the famed Orangutan. There was actually an infant orangutan called Molly!

The monkeys take up quite a large area of the zoo, with the gibbons having an enclosure all to themselves. It is a walk through enclosure where the gibbons swing around freely while you gawp from underneath. There were a few baby gibbons which were a pleasure to watch.

Interactive Exhibits

The butterfly forest was next in our path, and is a great interactive exhibit. Inside the enclosure you stand and marvel at the colours and sizes of the beautiful butterflies. They flap around you, sometimes stopping to perch on a head or an arm, if you’re lucky.

Further on, the small farm animals appear, with a goat walk through and pet houses with aviary.

The highlight of our visit was when the kids got to drive a Safari Car. For £10 per car, the kids got full* control over a vehicle and drove it around the course before them. Oliver had a car to himself while Finley and Molly shared the experience. They absolutely loved it!

(*we walked beside them with a remote control that could shut the car off if they got into trouble!)

Over the other side of the map are rhinos and giraffes. Are they always so smelly?! We watched them for a while and then explored the smaller mammals and the penguins. How cute are they!

The kids spotted a large playground so we let them run free and have a play for a while. Normally, in busy crowds, I can always spot Molly with her red hair. Today however, I couldn’t single her out for all the other red headed children! I’ve never seen so many red heads in one place! The playground is big and open, set in the middle of the enclosures with a good amount of picnic benches around.

As a last activity before we left, we fed the Lorikeets in their enclosure. With our little pots of nectar we walked in and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, as it was heading towards the afternoon, the birds were full and the onslaught of new people had lost their appeal. We have managed to feed them at other Zoo’s, so the kids weren’t too disappointed.

Cafe and Carnivores

We popped in to the Himalaya Cafe on the way out to grab a drink and also to try and catch a sight of the Snow Leopard. Their home sits on the side of the cafe, to be watched as you enjoy a sit down and a cake.

We had an absolutely lovely day at Twycross Zoo, and enjoyed saving ourselves some money with the Orangutan Day deal. Head on over to their website and enjoy money off their tickets this summer. You can also become a TZ member and enjoy many perks including free entry, discounts off the Safari Cars and much more.

Don’t miss out on seeing the new Sumatran Tigers that have found a home at Twycross Zoo as well as numerous baby animals. They contribute to the 500 animals already living at Twycross Zoo spread over 125 different species. With so many interactive experiences, Twycross Zoo is definitely a day out to remember.

18 Comments

  1. I love the idea of having a free entry day for people with red head! Very cool! We have been at Twycross Zoo a couple of times. It is great! Lots of fun activities to do. Glad you all had a fab day! 🙂

  2. Aww, that was so cute. It was a fun and a great experience for your daughter. I can see how happy she is.

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