IT is the seasonal spectacular that will make you see nature, quite literally, in a new light – a trail more than a mile long through the world’s wildest places, where beautiful animals await around every twist and turn.

And it’s right here in the Midlands.

Twycross Zoo last night opened Lanterns of the Wild, a festive foray through the award-winning conservation zoo’s grounds lit by no fewer than 2,000 wildlife lanterns, 25,000 lightbulbs and 70,000 metres of strip lighting.

Each animal, fish, insect, reptile and plant – some 100 times larger than life – has been hand-crafted and painted by expert artisans from Zigong, the lantern capital of China. In all, more than 500 species are depicted along the trail.

Visitors walk through ten habitats, nine of them real-life, and the tenth a recreation of Gruffalo Wood, where Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler’s classic children’s tale is played out in lanterns, lights, sound effects, narration and music.

Starting in Gruffalo Wood, you explore the North American Wilds, Polar Realms, Desert Lands, Asian Jungle, Amazonian Jungle, Arctic Seas, Tropical Reef, African Forests, and African Savannah, each populated by appropriately placed creatures.

There are stops, too, at Santa’s Grotto, a Christmas Show stage on which family fun is acted out, with bench seating, and a snack stop halfway round where you can toast marshmallows over an open fire, indulge in decadent doughnuts and take a drink.

The trail ends in the Food Village, where there’s a traditional double-decker carousel, a smaller roundabout for younger guests, and stalls selling festive food and drinks, including apple crumble, mulled wine and hot chocolate.

But it’s the journey that makes this one of the best light trails I have ever seen. It’s not traditionally ‘Christmassy’ as such – don’t expect fake snow, candy canes, Christmas carols and Noddy Holder – but the lanterns are beautiful, sometimes breathtakingly so.

And each time you think ‘It can’t get any better than that!’, it does. Did I mention Mount Rushmore?

I’m told that it took the team of Chinese craftsmen 99,000 hours to create the lanterns along the trail – the equivalent of one artisan working eight hours per day for 34 years – and their work is brilliant in every way. Attention to detail is remarkable.

I particularly loved the Polar Bears and the whales, and the way in which continually shifting ground lighting recreated the swirling currents of the seas and the ocean floor. The elephants, lions, hippo and giant octopus were among other stars of the show.

I guarantee it’ll be the first time you’ve seen trees full of glowing jellyfish, too.

The real-life animals at the zoo, I should mention, are protected from the festive lights by careful planning of the trail’s progress through the grounds, shading of windows and caging, and constant CCTV monitoring and wellbeing checks on the animals.

General zoo admission times have been reduced, too, so that the inhabitants can be suitably settled before each night’s Lanterns trail, and later opening introduced in the mornings after each event.

There’s thoughtful care for humans, too. Dedicated SEN-friendly evenings are scheduled, offering a quieter, more relaxed experience designed to ensure that all guests feel welcome, safe, and inspired.

Lanterns of the Wild runs at Twycross until February 22, 2026 so there’s plenty of chance to see the spectacle but beware that, on the evidence of opening night, it’s going to be hugely popular so booking in advance is advisable to avoid disappointment.

You won’t want to miss this one.

NEED TO KNOW

It is important to note that Lanterns of the Wild admission does not include access to the zoo’s daytime animal habitats. If you want to see the real-life animals, packages including both daytime and evening admission are available. See twycrosszoo.org for full details.

Lanterns of the Wild tickets start from £19 for adults and £13.95 for children on off-peak dates but check the website carefully as admission rises at peak periods, with ‘super peak’ prices £26 and £19 respectively. There are discounts for Twycross Zoo Pass Plus holders and members.

In addition, tickets for Santa’s Magical Christmas Show and Grotto Experience are priced £10 for children, £5 for adults, and free for infants under six months old.

We spent around two hours on the trail, including a break to toast marshmallows. First admission is at 4.30pm so plan accordingly, especially if you have younger children.

Twycross Zoo is a registered charity which supports conservation, education and research to protect some of the most endangered species on the planet. It cares for hundreds of animals from some 70 different species, and welcomes 700,000 visitors a year to its 100-acre site. All images © Paul & Sheila Cole