For centuries, the only way to see an arctic wolf and a giraffe on the same day was to ride a saddled giraffe all the way to the Arctic Circle. Now, with today's Groupon, these climatological opposites can coexist and hopefully team up to raise each other's babies at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, located in Aldergrove: for $20, you get two adult admissions (a $39.98 total value, including HST).

The Greater Vancouver Zoo celebrates the immense variety and vitality of wildlife with 120 acres of parkland, large outdoor enclosures to emulate life in the wild, and an austere dedication to environmental conservation. Waltz through the front gate and make a slinky beeline to the vivarium where snakes charm other reptiles, such as lizards, caimans, and tortoises, with humorous barbs and tales of their old runway-model days, or time your trip just right to witness lions and tigers engulf giant hunks of raw meat. Attempt to emulate a sugar glider and fly from enclosure to enclosure gleaning glimpses of the grizzly bear sunning its tail, camels hydrating their humps, and hippos revealing their uncanny impression of an apple strudel bathing in mud. For an additional fee of $5 (not included in this Groupon), trekkers can board a mini train and enchant their eyes with a 15- to 20-minute narrated tour through the park's open terrain.

Reviews

Surrey Now featured the Greater Vancouver Zoo. TripAdvisors award it a 3.5-star average.

• This zoo has a wonderful feel about it. It is small enough to be able complete it in a reasonable time but large enough to give you a taste of some of the more exotic animals. – Marl99, TripAdvisor, 10/18/2009
• I highly recommend taking a day to spend at the Greater Vancouver Zoo. I brought my two teenaged sons and even though they hated the idea of going they ended up having a great time. - cdnliz, TripAdvisor