YOU’VE heard of The Tiger That Came to Tea – but how about bedding down where the lions sleep tonight?
For a truly roar-some short break, London Zoo is offering a once-in-a-lifetime overnight experience, including a night-time zoo tour, gourmet dining and a sleepover in the famous Land of the Lions.
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But don’t worry – it’s not as scary as it sounds!
Guests will sleep (very) safe and sound in one of nine Scandi-style log cabins nestled right next to the world-famous lion enclosure.
While the lodges have everything you need for a winter getaway, including welcome drinks of hot chocolate and mulled wine, and an open fire for toasting marshmallows – the calls of the gibbons, monkeys and macaws make it seem closer to the rainforest than chilly central London.
On arrival at dusk, my 12-year-old son and I were greeted by the zoo’s own Lion King called Banu roaring a welcome, ensuring he was very much the mane attraction.
After settling into the cosy en-suite lodge, we began our VIP evening zoo tour.
This access-all-areas experience allowed us to see some of the amazing after-dark activities which keep the zoo functioning – and we got up close to the nocturnal animals too.
We also prepared some tasty treats in the Zookeeper’s Kitchen including a hamper of nuts, which my son hand-fed to the prickly porcupines, while the cinnamon-soaked winter wreaths proved irresistible to the mongooses.
Our knowledgeable guides were on hand to answer questions and tell us about life behind the scenes as a conservationist and animal expert.
They also acted as waiters for our delicious gourmet dinner, served in the zoo’s restaurant.
A visit to the Spider House might not be everyone’s idea of the ideal after-dinner activity but it certainly kept all the guests attentive and awake, plus we were treated to an exclusive visit to the Night Life Habitat to see beautiful bush babies, endangered pottos and the pygmy slow loris – the world’s only venomous primate.
The tour finished at 10pm but forget roaring fires in the log cabins.
We drifted off to sleep with Banu still roaring long into the night.
One of the many perks of lodge life is exclusive access into Land Of The Lions from 7am, so we explored the Indian-style town which is home to the endangered Asiatic lions before heading for a hearty breakfast.
Our final tour took in some of the zoo’s most popular animals, before the gates opened to the public at 10am.
We watched the keepers get every enclosure ready for the day, including the giant tortoises in their new home, father and son gibbons Jimmy and Yoda, plus the fearsome Komodo dragon, which can eat eighty per cent of its own body weight in one sitting – much like my cheeky son.
Another highlight was the private visit to the much-loved Penguin Beach, where the inquisitive birds waddled up to meet us all.
But the fun didn’t stop there.
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As a parting gift, every child was given a cuddly toy lion and all the guests received a free pass for the Zoo’s sister park, Whipsnade.
A purr-fect sleepover.
