Chester Zoo wanted to increase its appeal and add 1.5 hours to visitors’ stay time with the new attraction, as well as strengthen the off-season. Since the opening in summer 2015, orangutans and macaques, hornbills, Sumatran tigers and a crocodile have lived on the six islands of Panay, Papua, Bali, Sumatra, Sumba and Sulawesi, which have been designed to be as authentic as possible. All 22 species in the theme world, some of which are part of Chester Zoo’s real world conservation programs, have been organized according to their real geographic habitats. Centered around a team of conservationists and focused on Southeast Asia, the storyline provides an immediate connection to Chester Zoo’s conservation programs. On their expedition across the islands, visitors discover the uniqueness of the flora and fauna of this region and learn a lot about their fragility. The visitors are not only on foot, the islands can also be explored on a 450m long boat tour. On the 14 individually designed Southeast Asian-style boats, 238 people can observe the animals at the same time and take in the islands for 15 minutes.

There are a total of 14 individually designed buildings in Indo-Pacific style and different construction methods, including stables, visitor buildings and the boat station.

This attractive leisure destination was awarded the INCA Award 2016.