Lanterns of the Wild at Twycross Zoo: A magical winter experience!
If there is one thing I love, it’s spending time somewhere with beautiful scenery. Admittedly, I don’t usually expect that scenery to be handmade, illuminated and populated by enormous glowing animals, but Twycross Zoo’s Lanterns of the Wild was a truly magical experience.
I will confess that I’ve never been to a lantern trail before and didn’t know what to expect. Having seen this one, I already believe it will be hard to top.
As darkness falls, the zoo grounds are transformed into an incredible illuminated wonderland. The trail winds its way around the zoo (you completely lose your bearings!), with over 2,000 colourful lantern creations appearing along the pathways. There are 10 different themed zones along the way, each depicting something different in the natural world, from Underwater Odyssey to the Lost World of South America.
Julia Donaldson fans (myself included!) will be pleased to know that the Lanterns of the Wild also includes the world’s first Stick Man lanterns, as well as the much loved Gruffalo.
Immersive music accompanies the trail and really adds to the atmosphere, helping to make the whole experience feel rather magical.
We visited during opening weekend, when it was particularly busy, and it took us around 1.5-2hours to complete the full trail (admittedly, I was also stopping every few yards with my camera!).
A few things worth knowing before you visit:
- If you visit the zoo during the day, before the Lantern Trail, the zoo shuts before the Lantern Trail opens. During this time, the soft play is still open, plus there is a big observation wheel and a food village just outside the main entrance.
- The food village included Burgers, Indian, Mexican and churros and doughnuts. Prices are not cheap! So if you’re watching the pennies, I would suggest bringing your own. We took a big flask of hot chocolate and a tub of marshmallows to keep us going too!
- There were other opportunities to buy snacks and drinks along the trail – including delicious warm cookies!
- The trail was pretty busy when we visited, maybe a later time slot would be quieter?
- The trail is over a mile long, so little legs may well get tired. We took a lightweight pushchair (that’s pretty much on its last legs!) for Alfie, just in case it got too much for him at 5 yrs old…we did end up using it.
- I might be late to the party on this one, but just inside the zoo before the ticket barriers but outside the main building there is a machine where you can refill your water bottles. I think 1 litre of water was 25p. I thought this was worth knowing.
- There are 3 SEN friendly evenings available to book for a quieter more relaxed experience.
- Wrap up warm!
I genuinely think Lanterns of the Wild is a really special experience, and definitely worth a visit this winter. I already want to go back and this isn’t something I say very often!
Alex x
Lanterns of the Wild at Twycross Zoo runs until 21 February 2027.
For tickets, sessions and further information, visit the Twycross Zoo website.
