I woke up early on Sunday for a ‘risk assessment’ visit to The Living Rainforest for a science school trip I am planning to take some of my pupils on. It was also a chance for me to get some photos of some exotic animals and plants.

It is a fairly small attraction in the middle of the countryside. The journey made for a nice Sunday drive through some picturesque villages and fun roads.

There were a few animals that stole the show for me. The bright blue Poison Dart Frogs looked stunning against their dull, rainforest floor habitat.

The Goeldis Monkeys proved almost impossible to capture on my camera. The dark conditions, coupled with the fact that they were running/jumping everywhere made these shots really difficult to take!

Nearby the Goeldis Monkeys was the Living Rainforest’s resident Two toed sloth ‘Cinnamon’. Cinnamon had nestled herself high up in the canopy and didn’t feel like moving into a good sight line on our visit.

This Water Dragon really stole the show for me though. He was so photogenic!

…and this Emerald Tree Boa really ‘pops’ in its shady enclosure.

All of these animals were found within an immersive rainforest, humid hot house environment. My camera wasn’t a huge fan of this as it acclimatised, fogging up lenses, eye pieces but thankfully not sensors!

The Living Rainforest was also home to a range of free-roaming birds which I didn’t manage to capture many decent shots of.

All in all it was a pleasant visit to a small attraction. It got me out of the house on a Sunday and I’m sure my pupils will love the trip!