A smiling panda

Tian Tian, the female panda from Edinbugh zoo, enjoying a panda cake and some long awaited sun.

To see the giant pandas you have to book a time slot online, then you (and 50 other people) are led to their enclosure by a guide, who, after forbidding you to take flash photos and being loud, entertains you with a few panda facts and point you to the exit after about 15 minutes.

At least we were lucky and the pandas were awake (they sleep roughly 16 hours a day) and happy to pose, both outside and inside their enclosures.

If you're not a fan of pandas, more zoo pictures have been flickered for your enjoyment. Lots of monkeys, they are very active in the sun.