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Wonderful wildlife

an animal handling session with a Bearded Dragon at Five Sisters Zoo, West Lothian

an animal handling session at Five Sisters Zoo

an iguana at Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World near Lasswade, Midlothian

an iguana at Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World

visitors arriving at the Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick, East Lothian

Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick, East Lothian

the Penguin Parade at Edinburgh Zoo

Penguin Parade at Edinburgh Zoo © Kenny Lam

Enjoy fantastic family trips to brilliant wildlife centres and zoos in Edinburgh and the Lothians. From seabirds to glow-in-the-dark scorpions and indoor tropical rainforests to penguin parades, you will have a blast discovering some wonderful wildlife.

Scottish Seabird Centre

Visit the Scottish Seabird Centre for a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the seabirds nesting nearby. State of the art cameras located on Craigleith, Bass Rock and the Isle of May mean you can enjoy a unique wildlife experience from the warmth of the Discovery Centre. Have family fun with interactive displays and learn more about the intriguing animals with entertaining films throughout the day before watching the kids enjoy the soft play area.

Butterfly & Insect World

Spend an afternoon at Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World and enjoy a daring, hands-on wildlife experience. Wander through the amazing indoor rainforest and see how many of the brightly-coloured butterflies you can spot - you may even experience a tropical rainstorm on your adventure! Keep your eyes peeled for giant ants and glow-in-the-dark scorpions before testing your bravery at the daily animal handling sessions. Will you dare hold a slithering snake, giant millipede or a hairy tarantula?

Edinburgh Zoo

Have a great family day out at Edinburgh Zoo with hundreds of exciting animals to discover and interactive events to take part in. Explore the zoo’s fascinating animal collection with a walk around the park or take an informative hilltop safari ride to the top of the park. Meet some of the zoo’s most unusual inhabitants at the animal encounter session and enjoy the unique chance to get up close to the loveable penguins as they waddle past during the penguin parade.

Five Sisters Zoo

Enjoy an exciting day in West Lothian at the Five Sisters Zoo, home to a variety of unique animals such as pygmy marmosets, the world’s smallest monkeys, and west African dwarf crocodiles. You can even become a zoo keeper for the day to find out more about the zoo’s animals with an interactive behind the scenes experience. After meeting the animals, the kids can have a go on the children’s rides and bouncy castle before the whole family takes a tractor ride around the zoo park.