Randers Rainforest

Randers Regnskov puts a rainforest under glass domes on the bank of the Gudena river in the middle of Randers. It opened in 1996 with two domes and has grown to three, each planted as a different tropical region, South American, African and Asian, and kept warm and humid all year. Much of the collection is not caged: birds fly overhead, sloths hang above the path, and monkeys move through the canopy while you walk beneath them. Below the domes are aquariums and terrariums, including tanks for sharks and rays and displays of what lives on a rainforest floor. The whole visit is indoors.

History

Randers Regnskov first opened with two domes, for Africa and Asia, and a third, for South America, was built later; their climate is computer-controlled, since daylight in Denmark varies far more than in the tropics. Most of the animals live freely in the domes, some 200 species there and 75 more in the saltwater aquarium: the South American dome of 2,000 m² holds tapirs, manatees, small monkeys and macaws, the African dome of 500 m² lemurs, and the Asian dome of 700 m² gibbons and Komodo dragons. A jaguar exhibit, the first outside the domes, opened in 2015 (Wikipedia, Randers Tropical Zoo).

What you'll find

• The three domes - South American, African and Asian jungle under glass, warm and humid.
• Free-roaming animals - birds, sloths and monkeys above the visitor paths.
• The aquariums - reef and river tanks, with sharks and rays on the lower level.
• The terrariums - snakes, crocodiles and frogs in the halls beneath the domes.

When to go

Any time of year; this is the classic wet-day answer in east Jutland, which means it is busiest exactly when the weather is worst. Weekday mornings and the last two hours before closing are calmest. Danish school holidays fill it. Dress in layers you can strip off, because the domes are kept tropical.

What to expect

The heat and humidity are real and can be uncomfortable with a coat and a pushchair, and camera lenses fog on the way in. The site is compact, so two or three hours covers it and the ticket price feels steep for that. Free-roaming animals hide when it is busy, and holiday crowds make the narrow jungle paths slow going.

Nearby

Randers town centre is a short walk; the Gudena river and Djursland are close by.

Key facts