Korkeasaari Zoo

Korkeasaari Zoo occupies an entire rocky island just off central Helsinki, and it has done so since 1889, making it one of the oldest zoos in the world. Its Swedish name, Högholmen, appears on signs alongside the Finnish. The island's granite outcrops, pine woods and shoreline paths shape the zoo's layout, so a visit involves a fair amount of uphill walking between enclosures.

The zoo concentrates on animals from cold and mountainous regions, many of them endangered. Snow leopards, Amur tigers, Pallas's cats, wolverines and brown bears are among the species visitors come to see, and the zoo takes part in international breeding programmes for several of them. Two tropical houses, Amazonia and Africasia, offer a warm contrast, with reptiles, primates and other species from rainforest and savanna habitats.

The island connects by bridge to neighbouring Mustikkamaa. More than half a million people visit each year, many of them families, and seeing most of the island takes a good part of a day.