Places to go in Helsinki: Korkeasaari
So this past weekend we saw the emergence of the sun for a little bit, which meant that I had to go outside and soak up the "warmth."
So I decided that it was the perfect time to go to the zoo! I had only been once before (about 3 years ago when I first came to Finland), and I thought I was due for another visit.
Korkeasaari (korkea- high; saari- island) is located a couple miles off the coast of the harbor, in the city, and became a zoo in 1889. One of the cool things about it is (as its name suggests) that it is on an island. Now the very first thought I had when I heard this was: Wasn't Jurassic Park also on an island? Look how that turned out...
BUT Korkeasaari is actually pretty different from Isla Sorna in the sense that it's a pretty cool (and safe) place to spend a sunny day. You can access it two ways: by bus or by boat.
If you have a normal bus ticket for Helsinki (Region 1), then you can use that to get to the zoo. You just have to take bus 16 from the main railway station (Rautientori). You will recognize it because it will literally say "Zoo Bus" and have pictures of animals on it.
The other way (the cooler way...) is via boat. This is only an option in summer (despite the fact that the zoo is open year-round), but it's still a pretty cool way to travel there. (I've compiled the costs of each option in the table below.)
Once you arrive, you are pretty much free to go wherever guests are allowed to go. There are plenty of benches around the park if you just want to sit and relax, and there are even places to grill out if you want to have a nice picnic/bbq. There are also some restaurants and cafes if you'd prefer to eat there. Like I said before, it is an island so you can always sit by the sea and relax.
Here is a picture of one of the cafes "Cafe Billy Goat", a beautiful restaurant on the island.
There is even an observation tower located on the island, which you can climb and see the view of the sea/city landscape.
As for the attractions, there are around 150 different types of animal and 1000 types of plant species, and they are located in pretty big spaces. The zoo also has small hide-aways for the animals, so that they are given some privacy when they want.
The zoo does a pretty good job with the information it provides for each animal. The signs are in Finnish, Swedish and English, and give detailed information about each of the animals.
I've included a few pictures in the gallery below, but I realize that I really didn't take that many pictures of the animals!
There are maps located throughout the park so that you don't get lost. Be cautious though, there are some animals that they allow to walk about the zoo unattended (namely peacocks and other birds).
If you are lucky, you will be here during one of the zoo's famous "Night Walk" events. This is a night the zoo stays open late to let visitors come and see the cats/other nocturnal animals during their normal waking hours. Click the picture of the tiger at the bottom of this page to check out the website and schedule of the next Night Walk. (As of now, it's only in Finnish...sorry!)
Out of all of the tourist attractions in Helsinki, Korkeasaari is one of my favorite places and well worth the money. It is open year round, has a fair price and gives you a lot of information. They maintain their zoo very well and the animals' well-being is their top priority.
FOR MORE INFO CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
