Pairi Daiza

These photos were all taken at Pairi Daiza (formerly known as Parc Paradisio) in Brugelette, Belgium. I had visited the park several times before, but hadn't returned since it was renovated last year. To preserve the authentic feel, the temples and decorations were made from materials imported from the portrayed countries. Since its renovation, Pairi Daiza has been called one of Europe's most beautiful zoos. It's not the best zoo in terms of animals, but it certainly makes for a memorable day trip. Unlike most other zoos, the food in Pairi Daiza was pretty impressive too. We lunched in the Chinese restaurant Le Temple des Délices, followed by tea in La Maison de Thé.

Other posts about zoos: Antwerp Zoo / Parc animalier de Bouillon / Lisbon Zoo.

Antwerp Zoo

As you may remember, visiting the Antwerp Zoo was part of my to do-list for this year. I'm at my happiest when I am in a zoo; I could go every single day and never feel bored. The last time I've been to the Antwerp Zoo was fifteen years ago though. I was there for a press conference and it was raining cats and dogs, so I didn't see many animals. Before that, I only visited this zoo when I was a child. So after our visit to the Parc animalier de Bouillon in May, Gilles and I decided this past Tuesday to indulge ourselves once more in our passion for animals. Here are a few snapshots of our visit.

From top to bottom: tiger, Antwerp Zoo, pink flamingos, red-billed curassow, crested caraca, penguins, white-lipped tree frog, golden poison frog, rhinoceros iguana, spectacled owls, okapi, giraffes and zebras.

 

What is your favorite zoo?

Parc Animalier de Bouillon

Below are photos of some of the animals at the Parc Animalier de Bouillon, the zoo I visited during my romantic weekend in Chassepierre. The zoo was rather small, but cosy and some animals really remarkable - such as the maned wolf (whose urine smells like cannabis, so much that the police searched the Rotterdam Zoo for cannabis smokers), the white lions (that exist only in Bouillon) or the snow monkey (who managed to communicate his wish to get him some grass to eat because it was out of his reach).

Top to bottom: (1) zebra, (2) maned wolf, (3) white lion, (4) snow monkey, (5) rhesus monkey, (6) night monkey, (7) snowy owl, (8) Siberian tiger, (9) highland cattle, (10) Patagonian mara, (11) Patagonian mara babies, (12) wild boar, (13) Canadian lynx, (14) emu.

What's the last zoo you've been too? Do you have a favorite animal?