Animals enjoy the arrival of summer - plan your family trip to see them today

With the UK seeing a mini heat-wave this week, temperatures topped 34 degrees in the South East - summer has arrived in style! Here at Noah's Ark Zoo in Bristol we had to settle for 32 degrees, a scorching day still for visitors and animals, who each found novel ways to cool down. Always keen to enrich our animals, our Keepers made the most of the warm weather for our Spectacled bears by giving them tasty treats in their Andean river to help them cool off!

Tupa and Sonco had great fun seeking out bits of fish frozen in ice, some floating in the water, others more cleverly hidden among their rocky habitat...they soon smelt them out! With the sun shining and schools beginning to break up, the summer holiday season is well and truly underway. If you haven't visited us before, here are a few good reasons to do so this summer, with some helpful advice for planning your visit. We love welcoming first-time visitors to the park!

Exciting Events

We have some great family entertainment for you this summer, including:

• Elephant Trail. Download a trail map from our website and redeem £2 off your admission at the Ticket Office before heading off round the 100 acre park to find 10 specially-decorated elephant models. Part of the world's biggest elephant art exhibition, we're delighted to be working with Elephant Parade in support of their important conservation message. Running from 18th July - 3rd September, don't miss out!
• Reptile Fortnight. Meet a range of amazing snakes and reptiles, courtesy of the Reptile Zone in Bristol. Including some of the most deadly venomous snakes in the world like Black Mambas and King Cobras, daily educational shows are expertly performed from within the safety of a bullet-proof perspex presentation room. From 1st - 13th August only at Noah's Ark, find out more here.

Home of the big zoo animals

Simply put, where else in Bristol and Somerset can you see elephants, white rhino, big cats and giraffes during your day out? We're proud to have established a now internationally-recognised collection of exotic speciesand some of nature's most impressive beasts.

• With the recent arrival of Andean bears in our specially-landscaped Andean Adventure habitat, we're sure you'll enjoy seeing them as part a relaxed stroll around our spacious 100 acre park.
• En route to the bears, stop past our 20 acre Elephant Eden complex and watch elephants Janu and M'Changa as they explore and play in the largest, most modern elephant habitat in Europe.
• Grab a spot on our large picnic lawns and watch our White rhinos Rumbull and Rumba take a mud-bath in their field. What better way to spend lunchtime?!

Great facilities, to make your day easier

Having welcomed over 1.8 million people to our park since opening, we know from listening to our visitors that some of the most important aspects making a good day out great are the simple things: easy parking, plentiful toilets, a good cafe and well-stocked shop. We've worked hard tobuild these features and more into our park to ensure you have a relaxed, well-served day out in beautiful surroundings - taking the stress out of what should be a fully enjoyable day. We offer free parking, 5 sets of toilets around the park, an easily accessible cafe offering great lunches and refreshments, and a good-value shop filled with everything a child (and adult!) could want as a souvenir of a day at the zoo.

...so, what are you waiting for..?!

We'd love to see you at Bristol and Somerset's award-winning zoo this summer. Book your tickets online for a 5% discount and simply show your Booking Reference on a mobile device or print-off to redeem for a quick, easy start to your visit. We hope to see you soon.