WITH more than 500 different species and a staggering 20,000 animals on site, Chester Zoo has to be one of my favourite places.

We visited again recently on a gloriously sunny day. Despite the crowded car park and throngs of people queuing to get in to the animal attraction, once inside the numbers quickly dispersed throughout the site.

We were able to start our route through the 125-acre zoo, dictated by our boys and their love of big cats, which led us to all four corners of the site.

While cheetahs, lions, jaguars and tigers top of our list of must sees, we also saw much more to capture out imagination along the way.

After checking the map – handily interspersed with sketches of the animals in question - we set off with the cheetah enclosure in mind.

This sent us past the magnificent elephants, always one of the first animals that you will see when you visit the zoo, given their prominent location.

Once over Elephant Bridge, we made our way in earnest to catch a glimpse of our first big cat of the day.

A crowd had gathered to one side and we were able to peer through the log fencing at the edge of a walkway and spy a lone cheetah snoozing in the midday sun.

Our eldest was over the moon, particularly as we then spied a second animal hiding in the long grass. Later we were extremely lucky to catch one of the cheetahs doing what they do best, sprinting at frightening speed - we discovered that they can reach 60mph in just three seconds. On this occasion it sprang into life to catch its lunch - a chunk of meat that was thrown into the enclosure and was in the cheetah’s paws before it had had time to reach the ground.

Next on our route were the lions, and we were quickly able to spot the pride of three lions lazing in the sun - this time closer to the edge of the enclosure and much easier to see.

The beautiful creatures were attracting quite a lot of attention and our son was quick to grab a “lion selfie” while the opportunity arose.

After a quick pit stop for refreshments we were keen to keep moving to ensure we could see as much as possible on our day out.

The jaguar was the next draw, but first we took in the penguins and flamingos, among others. There were some animals that remained from view, so there was a tinge of disappointment for our five-year-old, but the excitement of our next stop certainly made up for that.

I’m not quite sure what I was expecting when we entered the Spirit of the Jaguar area, but the sloth climbing rope above our heads was a minor surprise compared to the view that greeted us behind the glass. One of the zoos two jaguars asleep on a rock, just a metre or so away from the barrier, twitching regularly in the sun.

And it was from here that we encountered another majestic animal - the giraffes. It was feeding time when we arrived and the giraffes were all inside, but we were able to spot and put a name to the face of a number of the animals from their profiles on the walls.

To make sure we had time to visit the tigers, we headed for the top of the zoo site, and the islands - a realistic recreation of the tropical environments of South East Asia and six of the region’s islands.

The winding route takes you on a wildlife expedition with a variety of different animals to view and the chance to take a Lazy River boat trip.

It was the Sumatran tigers that we were keen to catch a glimpse of. At first we - and other visitors around us - looked in vain for the elusive big cats.

But a helpful hint, and a gathering crowd further into the bamboo forest, saw us spot not one, but two sleeping tigers, occasionally stirring and rolling over in the undergrowth.

Happy that we had managed to see all on our wishlist our children left Chester Zoo tired and happy after a wonderful family day out.

We certainly didn’t manage to see all the species the zoo holds. But we can look forward to future visits and the chance to explore even further.