Not this trip, but I certainly hope to return sometime and next time I would definitely do two days, and probably stay at one of the zoo's hotels for a night so I wouldn't need to make a second journey over there.
There's been a lot more travel delays this week and a lot more trouble figuring out logistics, and these last two days pushed me over budget.
Realm of the Red Ape worked out okay enough for me (my real issue was finding it more than the building itself; in fact, by the time I reached it, my phone was dead, so I have no photos!) but it's tragic Monsoon Forest, being such a recent development isn't more crowd-friendly.
For a recent exhibit I think some of Monsoon Forest indoor areas are badly designed, particularly the very restricted viewing areas in front of the Sumatran orangs, always likely to be the most popular exhibit in the whole house. Ridiculously small area. There seems a trend for this sort of thing nowadays, another example is Twycross' new Chimp exhibit with its too-narrow visitor area and restricted viewing at the windows( but not as bad as Chester Monsoon forest). In Monsoon Forest at Chester the nearby Sulawesi macaques have ample inside viewing but of course far less people stop there...the Gharial is another pinch point...
Due to last minute changes, Yorkshire Wildlife Park was the final stop on my tour. A fantastic facility although the visit was not ideal with a lot of misses. Went with some friends and we were all a little fatigued which slowed down progression. But a fantastic facility still, even if I ended up experiencing a chunk of it while being herded out...
I think I know exactly the spot you mean -- and yeah, had a particularly awkward, uncomfortable moment there. I thought I had missed the Javan gibbons, but then one of them was playing and swinging very actively by a narrow window and the same family was stuck there covering almost the whole thing for a good few minutes. I did get a good look at the same gibbons later, but they were cuddle piling by then. I did not get to see an active gibbon otherwise on this entire trip. The gharial pinch point drove me crazy especially as it was crowded when the animal was not visible yet..
Trip thread should start soon -- I returned to the US today and got a start on the first post. Yorkshire was my final park on Thursday -- a lovely day out with people I care about immensely, but not a completely ideal day at the park itself. The last branch of the trip was a lot more prone to bad luck - for a smaller, more petty example, my map from YWP blew out of my pocket somewhere. I would love to know what most people's usual route around Yorkshire is!
Baringogiraffe12
Well-Known Member
Glad you enjoyed your visit to the UK and would most interested to hear your thoughts on the collections you visited whilst over here.
In terms of Yorkshire, many of us would recall when the entrance was near the lions, which when visiting by public transport was quite a relief. The entry to the new entrance from the nearest bus stop is a tad further
- I believe all must now go through the new expansion (Point Lobos, Himalayan Pass, Atlantic Forest etc). Once through this part of the collection, I normally tend to go right at the tiger heading over towards the okapi, Roloways and Project Polar, thankfully on busy days even the latter doesn't feel *too* crowded. On my most recent visit (Nov 2023) it was a nice pleasant day with not too many crowds aside from at the entrance/exit. Lion Country at the time had just the two remaining elderly females so that was in part one of the quieter areas of the zoo.
Working on the trip thread, look forward to sharing!
Quick question, potentially dumb - I'd like to upload my photos from the trip somewhere in neat albums that can be browsed, to share with some friends who may be less able to sit through a slideshow. There are a couple hundred per zoo although I would be willing to cut some down. Is there a good site where I can do this? Ideally not somewhere that minds photos taken on a cell phone. I assume some of the photographers around here probably know better.
Quick question, potentially dumb - I'd like to upload my photos from the trip somewhere in neat albums that can be browsed, to share with some friends who may be less able to sit through a slideshow. There are a couple hundred per zoo although I would be willing to cut some down. Is there a good site where I can do this? Ideally not somewhere that minds photos taken on a cell phone. I assume some of the photographers around here probably know better.
