London Zoo's most theatrical habitat, built to recreate the streets of a Gujarati village on the edge of India's Gir Forest. Walk raised pathways directly over the Asiatic lion enclosure and look down on one of the rarest big cats on the planet — fewer than 700 survive in the wild. Most visitors spend longer here than anywhere else in the zoo, so give yourself at least 20 minutes.

Floor-to-ceiling glass puts you almost nose-to-nose with Sumatran tigers in an enclosure planted with authentic Indonesian vegetation. The zoo's current residents — male Asim, female Gaysha, and their two cubs Zac and Crispin — are most active in the morning, so it's worth making this one of your first stops.

A family of seven western lowland gorillas lives on a moated island at the centre of this African rainforest habitat. The surrounding area is easy to rush through, but the walk-through aviary and smaller enclosures for mangabeys, macaques and Diana monkeys are genuinely worth the extra time.

England's biggest penguin pool is home to a large and energetic Humboldt colony, with an underwater viewing area where you can watch them dart and dive. Feeding sessions happen twice daily and pull in the biggest crowds of the day, so get there five minutes early if you want a front-row view.

An indoor walk-through South American rainforest where sloths, golden lion tamarins, red titi monkeys, tamanduas and flying foxes move freely around you. Head downstairs into Night Life and the lights drop — bushbabies, slender lorises, naked mole-rats and Malagasy giant rats come to life in the dark. Allow at least 30 minutes for both levels together.

The former Snowdon Aviary has been transformed into the UK's first colobus monkey walkthrough, rising 80 feet above the canal with 360-degree views of the troop leaping between trees. The walkthrough runs on a timed schedule — 11am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 3.30pm — so it's worth checking before you head over.

Giraffes, zebras, okapis, pygmy hippos, warthogs and African wild dogs all share this sprawling zone. The Giraffe House at its heart dates to 1837 and is the oldest zoo building in the world still used for its original purpose, which makes it as interesting for the architecture as for the animals inside.

Opened in 2024, this is the zoo's newest major habitat and one of the best reasons to visit. King cobras, Philippine crocodiles, Chinese giant salamanders, vipers and emerald tree boas are all here, across more than 33 species. It tends to be quieter than the big mammal enclosures, and it rewards the time most people don't give it.

A journey through the habitats of some of the planet's smallest and most overlooked creatures, from a coral reef aquarium to a spider walk-through. It's a good one to do with children, who tend to find the minibeasts just as compelling as the lions and tigers.

This Victorian building, originally constructed in 1883, now houses more than 50 species of exotic birds in a free-flight tropical walkthrough. The elaborate clock outside by artist Tim Hunkin puts on a bird-themed display every 30 minutes, and it's worth timing your visit around it.

A walk-through enclosure where ring-tailed lemurs roam freely at eye level, with no barriers between you and them. It's one of the shorter experiences at the zoo, but the closeness of it makes it one of the more memorable ones.