Sofia’s zoo park, Bulgaria’s oldest and largest zoo, is about six km south of Sofia's city centre, with bus routes 83, 88 and 120 stopping right outside the entrance.

I visited there in May and was surprised at the low entrance fee of two leva. London zoo, by contrast, will set you back 19 pounds sterling. Zoo park, however, still retained the feel of a zoo from a bygone era; unfortunately, it still has to catch up with London's progressive approach towards housing animals. I have read, however, that zoo park is in the process of upgrading its facilities to meet current European standards in order to become a full member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The first animals I saw were the bears, of which there were brown, grizzly and American. They each had a large concrete enclosure and it was a real revelation to get close to these animals.

Nearby were two hyenas who were playing roughly and running around their sizeable concrete enclosure, leading onto an extensive collection of big cats, the first of which were two Servals, dozing in their sunny cage. Next was a jungle cat, a jaguar and a Persian leopard. Although the bears and big cats appeared well physically, they displayed signs of poor mental health, pacing back and forth in one corner of their cage or enclosure. I also felt that these big cats were being housed in cramped cages, less than three metres in width.

The lions, however, had a very large concrete enclosure. Then they can head off into smaller rooms at the rear, affording us a closer look when in the insect and reptile enclosure. Also on display are hippos, elephants and a good range of primates. The primates were in cages similar in size to those of the big cats which again made me uneasy. Having said that, I did see some signs of an upgrade during my visit.

On the day I was there the press were present to film the unveiling of an interactive touch screen map. I am not sure at the time of writing if this is fully functional. The older map is a large pictorial plan of the zoo in the centre of the park. Although basic, it was fairly easy to understand, the pictures making it straightforward for speakers of any language and/or children.

Most of the information about each animal was in Bulgarian, with some English and Latin to tell you the species of animal. A map of the world highlighted where each animal was from.

The zoo seemed popular with families who had young children. Food and drink is available from a cafe, and there are items for children on sale. The nearby mountains also give it an extra feel of being close to nature. Overall, a worthwhile trip.

Address: 1 Srebarna Str.
Hladilnika, Sofia
Tel: 02 / 962 04 48
Open: summer 9am to 7pm, winter 9am to 5pm