Egypt's national zoo, opened in 1891, sprawls across 80 acres beside the Nile in northern Giza. It is one of the oldest zoos in Africa and still has several buildings from its Victorian foundation. The collection is large and eclectic: big cats, elephants, hippos, and a range of African wildlife, plus an extensive bird house and aquarium. The grounds are heavily treed and pleasant to walk in, with a lake and bridge in the centre.
The zoo is primarily a local family destination rather than a tourist attraction, which gives it a genuinely Egyptian atmosphere: families picnicking on the grass, children feeding the animals through bars in a way that would alarm safety officers in northern Europe, vendors selling roasted corn and sugarcane juice. The animal welfare standards are variable, as they are at most zoos in the developing world. But as an experience of how Cairene families spend a Friday afternoon — the main family day of the Egyptian weekend — it is vivid and cheerful. Entry costs almost nothing.