In Scandinavian Animal Park on Djursland, you can see more than 20 different Nordic animal species romp around in huge nature reserves. You walk through "landscapes" with among others wolves, elks, brown bears and polar bears – the latter are obviously enjoying themselves immensely in their own big pool. And in the Mammoth Activity Centre, there is a skeleton of a real mammoth.

Givskud Zoo in the middle of Jutland is the closest you get to a proper safari in Denmark. Driving your own car or riding along in the park's safari bus, you will pass through the safari area and this gives excellent opportunity to get close to the different animals. At the savannah, you can e.g. experience wild lions, massive rhinos, cheeky monkeys and many other exciting animals from several continents. However, you can also pay a visit to the somewhat more relaxed Danish farm and the animals that live there.

Other opportunities to experience the "wild life" in Denmark are Ree Park – Ebeltoft Safari on Djursland featuring animals from several continents, Knuthenborg Park and Safari on the island of Lolland, where there is a monkey island and forest, giraffes, a tiger forest and many other great experiences. In Næstved Zoo you can for instance see something as seldom as white tigers among many other species. Moreover, there are large, modern zoological gardens in the cities of Copenhagen, Odense and Aalborg.

In Randers Rain forest, the focus is on the animals and plants living in the rain forests of the world. In the very realistic environment, you can experience not only animals and plants, but also the sounds of the rain forest – and for those who are not keen on creeping snakes - they all live in a snake hall!

AQUA in Silkeborg is a very exciting centre where you can study animals and plants from the Danish lakes and streams in a fun and untraditional way. In the large aquarium lakes, which are almost a kind of inverted aquariums, you can get eye contact with the ferocious pikes and other fish, enjoy the otters' happy play, see the quacking ducks, and much more. If you dare, there are also "touch basins", and outside, there are lovely animal installations.

In Hirtshals, you find The North Sea Museum with Northern Europe's larges aquarium, Oceanariet, where you can experience the characteristic fish of the North Sea in large numbers, e.g. herring, garfish and mackerel. Remember to check when they are fed because at that time a diver enters the aquarium. Through the museum's realistic exhibitions, you can learn about and experience life under the surface of the North Sea, and in the Sælariet (the Sealarium) there are always 8-10 cheerful seals to look at. Here, it is also worth seeing the daily feeding times.

In Denmark's Aquarium, in Charlottenlund North of Copenhagen, there are colourful fish and exciting animals of the sea from all over the world, including greedy piranhas, turtles and poisonous sea snakes. In the Øresund Aquarium in Elsinore, the pools and aquariums are full of fish and animals primarily from Øresund and Kattegat, two of them are special touch pools, where you can clap a crab or touch a ray fish.

The Kattegat Centre in Grenaa portrays life below the surface in Kattegat, and it allows you to get up close to enormous sharks which swim right past your noses. In the experience centre Fjord & Belt in Kerteminde on Funen, you get very good information about life in the sea round Denmark and you can experience elegant porpoises, one of the World's smallest whales, as well as playful seals.

Search for animal parks, zoological gardens and aquariums on www.visitdenmark.com

It is often a good idea to enquire about possible family tickets when you want to visit animal parks and zoological gardens – you might save a lot of money.

Some animal parks are only open part of the year, while the zoological gardens usually are open year round. Check with the individual places – see above, or ask at the local tourist offices.