The Welsh Mountain Zoo climbs the wooded slopes of Flagstaff Hill above Colwyn Bay, with an unusually steep layout that has you puffing between the chimpanzees, snow leopards and Sumatran tigers. The setting is the best thing about it: paths wind through mature trees and there are sudden gaps with views across the bay to the Great Orme.
The headline attraction is the free-flying bird display, held twice daily in summer. Bald eagles, vultures and Andean condors are released from a clifftop perch and swoop low over the seated audience before returning for food. The chimpanzee enclosure, the Californian sea lions and the otter feed are also worth timing your visit around. A free shuttle bus runs up from Colwyn Bay railway station in summer — the climb on foot is a steep 20 minutes.