The Living Rainforest
The Living Rainforest is a live, growing rainforest under glass in Newbury, Berkshire. Run by a non-profit charity, it’s one of the first such projects in Europe and brings together animals and plants, using them to educate children and adults about humanity’s impact on the environment.
At the Living Rainforest you’ll find yourself immersed in real rainforest experiences. You can walk through the live rainforests, which grow under 20,000 sq ft of glass, looking out for butterflies and live lizards which roam around freely.
But lizards and butterflies aren’t the only animals you’ll see at the Living Rainforest – the exciting exhibits include Dwarf Crocodiles and Goeldi’s monkeys. Don’t miss Courtney, the West African Dwarf Crocodile as she basks on her island waiting for unsuspecting prey.
The Dwarf Crocodile is one of the smallest species of crocodile alive today, growing to only 1.5m. Watch the beautiful and endangered Goeldi’s monkeys as they leap from branch to branch. The monkeys were one of the last species to be discovered by western explorers.
The Giant Waterlilly is another popular exhibition at the Living Rainforest. The leaves of this amazing plant reach 6 feet across and can support the weight of an adult human. The beautiful white flowers of the waterlilly grow to 12”, and the petals change colour to a deep purple.
In other Living Rainforest exhibitions, you can find out about the rainforest plants that you eat and drink (like bananas and coffee), discover more beautiful rainforest flowers and explore the worlds of rainforest snakes and butterflies.
The Living Rainforest is open every day except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day from 10:00 – 17:15. For more information, visit The Living Rainforest (www.livingrainforest.org/).