This article is from Sydney WeekendNotes for Monday the 29th of December 2008

Zoos are fun places but once you've been a couple of times they start to lose their novelty.

One way to see something new is to camp out at a zoo overnight to discover what all the animals get up to after dusk and early in the morning when they are most active. When you think about it most animals are quite lazy during a zoo's regular opening hours, not a very good arrangement.

Putting on a ski mask and breaking into a zoo for your overnight jaunt is probably not a good idea. What if you accidentally stumble into the tiger cage?

The safer option is to go on a guided night (and early morning) tour of Taronga Zoo called Roar and Snore, which includes safari-like tent accommodation for you and yours to catch some zzzzzz inbetween.

Roar and Snore is run every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as well as weekdays during the school holidays while the weather is fine. Check here for the latest available dates.

The night starts at 6.15pm and is followed by your first tour, some time to settle into your tent, and then a buffet dinner followed by a longer 2 hour night tour. Then it's up with the birds at 6.15am followed by breakfast and another behind-the-scenes tour to see the animals rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. See this page for a detailed timetable.

At roughly $216 per adult it's not cheap, but still good value considering it includes accommodation with some of the best views in Sydney, two meals, and some 3-4 hours of guided tours by qualified zoo staff. You can book tickets using Ticketek.


Why? A very different zoo experience.