January is your last chance to visit Jurassic World!

Overwhelming demand has forced London’s Jurassic World: The Exhibition to open its doors for an extended period. But be warned – this extraordinary portal to a world where dinosaurs come to life snaps shut on Sunday 15 January!

A global sensation running concurrently in San Diego and Tokyo, Jurassic World: The Exhibition has taken London by storm. Occupying over 20,000 sq feet of one of the planet’s greatest event spaces, ExCeL Docklands, it’s a thrilling sci-fi immersion in the Jurassic World film trilogy. Unforgettable for families, dino-devotees and film buffs of all ages, it brings visitors face-to-face with stunning animatronic recreation of animals that last walked the earth 145- to 200-million years ago.

Step one is the ‘ferry to Isla Nublar’, the island home of the dinosaurs of the ‘Jurassic World theme park’. Pass through the park’s colossal gates and you’re immediately in another reality. Trained ‘dinosaur handlers’ stoke the illusion, giving the low-down on how to stay safe around some of the fiercest predators to have lived. Thick metal-rimmed enclosures, ‘electrified fences’ and remotely controlled doors create elaborate ‘security systems’, safeguarding visitors from the unpredictable beasts.

Highlights include a nail-biting interaction between a stalking Velociraptor, Blue, and its understandably cautious handler. Walking beneath the craning neck of an immense Brachiosaurus provides some sense of just how huge these 40-ton giants really were. And catching a roaring Indominus Rex (a cross between a Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Velociraptor and other terrifying theropods) at feeding time genuinely sets hearts racing.

Less adrenalin-charged experiences include the chance to interact with a baby dinosaur that responds to humans, following their movements with its eyes; a recreation of a palaeontological site where kids can dig for fossil specimens; and even the chance to manually test the firmness of different dinosaur droppings!

Education is just as big a component of Jurassic World as thrills and make-believe. Informative panels flesh out the knowledgeable commentary of your guides, giving the low-down on current scientific knowledge about these ancient earthlings. Entering the ‘Hammond Creation Lab’, you’ll also learn more about the genetic processes that brought these thunder lizards back from extinction.

You’ll need around 45 minutes to an hour to navigate your way through Jurassic World (which has been designed for full accessibility). The opening of the super-smooth new Elizabeth Line makes ExCeL Docklands accessible from central London in 15 minutes and from Woolwich in only four! Just check maps and apps for Custom House station, also served by the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). It's also a great chance to take a ride on the IFS Cloud cable car and take in the glorious views as you glide over the Thames from Greenwich Peninsula to Royal Docks - just a few minutes walk from the exhibition.

Once you’re here, you’ll find a rich selection of restaurants and bars, both inside the ExCeL and its immediate environs. Visitors can find themselves curiously hungry after an hour of such thrills and fascination. Once you emerge back into the light of present-day London, you’ll be happy to linger over some refreshments as you recount the day’s adventure.

These winter holidays will be your last chance to experience this unprecedented spectacle, the perfect antidote to the post-Christmas blues. Tickets are selling fast – book now to secure your place on an unforgettable trip to Jurassic World.

Images: 2022 Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.