London is famous all over the world for its vibrant city life and urban attractions, however, this summer, the city is offering something a little different. London is looking beyond its city boundaries to present activities aimed specifically at wildlife lovers. Here is a round up of some of the most popular taking place in June and early summer.

Mammoths: Ice Age Giants
The Natural History Museum on Cromwell Road in SW7 is home to some of history’s largest mammals – the ice age mammoths. Visitors can discover pre-historic giants, such as the mastodon, sabre-toothed cat and giant short-faced bear. They can see how these fascinating creatures evolved and how their environment directly affected their behaviour.

The exhibition runs until 7 September and opens daily with late night admission on the last Friday of the month. Tickets can be booked online and start at £10 for adults and £6 for children. Concessions are available. http://www.nhm.ac.uk.

Sensational Butterflies
Not content with exhibiting some of the largest mammals ever to walk the earth, the Natural history Museum delights visitors with another exhibition, this time the perennially popular ‘Sensational Butterflies’. Housed in an outside covered enclosure near the museum’s entrance until 14 September, these exotic species will charm visitors of all ages as they fly around, feed from nectar and fruit and sometimes land on visitors if they remain still. Over thirty species of tropical butterflies are present in the exhibition, along with their eggs, caterpillars and pupae.

Tickets are available online at http://www.nhmshop.co.uk or ca,n be bought on the door. The exhibition opens daily until 5.30pm.

Dino Snores
Completing the Natural History trio of wildlife events, the exciting Dino Snores event sees participants spending a night at the museum, enjoying food and drink, science, stand up comedy, gallery tours, drawing classes and cinema throughout the night. The event takes place on 20 June and again on 22 August, starting at 7.30pm and ending with a hot breakfast the following morning.

Places cost £175 per person and participants must be over 18. Tickets can be booked online: http://www.nhm.ac.uk .

London Zoo Lates
Another late night wildlife extravaganza takes place at London Zoo in Regent’s Park, where over 750 species of animals are on display. Special after-hours openings are planned for every Friday in June and July (until 10pm) when guests can enjoy live music, stand up comedy, wine tastings, food stalls and, of course, after-dark tours of the animal enclosures. Tickets are available for adults only and must be booked online, in advance, at http://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/whats-on/zoo-lates-0.

Both the Natural History Museum and London Zoo are perfectly placed for easy access, wherever you arrive from or are staying in London. A number of hotels and self catering apartments, including, Collingham Serviced Apartments, Montana Hotel and Crown Plaza are very close by, each offering good quality accommodation at reasonable prices.