An African safari is a bucket list adventure for anyone with even a fleeting interest in travel, but perhaps you can have a really wild experience closer to home. London Zoo is now taking bookings for its upcoming safari experience that lets visitors get up close with a breeding group of endangered Asiatic lions.
Launching in spring 2016, Gir Lion Lodge will run six nights a week from May until December, with designated family-friendly nights and adult only nights to ensure each stay is specially tailored to its guests. The Land of the Lions exhibit is due to open next year with stays costing between $567 and $837 for two people, including a drink and two-course dinner, breakfast, an overnight stay in a lodge and a tour before the zoo opens.
“Within roaring distance of the lions, Gir Lion Lodge is hidden away within ZSL London Zoo’s upcoming Land of the Lions development,” reads the description on London Zoo’s website. “Guests will bed down for the night in beautifully decorated lodges inspired by the welcoming charm of hotels in the lion’s native Gir Forest home in India.”
The accommodation design is inspired by guest houses close to the lions’ native habitat in the Gir Forest, a protected area of western India which is a safari destination and the only place where Asiatic lions remain in the wild, according to AFPRelaxnews. Asiatic lions are smaller than African lions and are close to extinction due to hunting. Their numbers are estimated to be around 500 in the wild.
