Swirling clouds, tropical rain and a wobbly rope bridge welcomed visitors at the Eden Project’s Rainforest Biome yesterday at the opening of a new walkway.

The Weather Maker enables everyone to explore the world’s largest indoor rainforest from the treetops.

It is being launched this weekend (March 18-19) with aerial performances by Swamp Circus and tours of the new walkway to discover more about the relationship between rainforests and climate.

The Weather Maker has been developed with academic support from the Met Office and University of Exeter and includes:

The wobbly Canopy Rope Bridge stretching 23 metres across the canopy between two of the tallest trees in the 50 metre-high Biome.

The fully-accessible Cloud Bridge where visitors can travel through rainforest clouds and get a sense of how sunlight is reflected to help cool the planet.

The Rain Shack where visitors can shelter from a tropical rain storm and discover how forests make rain.

A Rainforest Research Camp displaying the latest research from scientists at the University of Exeter who are working in the tropics exploring links between climate change and rainforests.

The Climate Platform which will feature an installation that explores the relationships between the atmosphere and the climate.

Interactive exhibits include a transpiration tree where visitors can pump water upwards to see how it travels through the tree and into the sky to form clouds.