WhipsnadezooReviews of whipsnadezoo.org

It was a lovely experience seeing all the different animals Patrick. John and especially Amy and Lauren, made my 60th birthday visit a lovely one. The only thing I would recommend is that the lodges could use an upgrade, as the bathroom facilities are the public facilities located just outside the lodge area which is very inconvenient every time you need to visit the toilet especially in the dark, plus when using the shower facility I was very aware that the main door was opened due to the fact it is shared with other ladies staying at the lodges, so therefore can’t be locked. Even though the shower door is lockable it is just a fact that anyone can walk into the facility while you are showering. I know that the park is not open to the public when you book this lovely excursion but I believe the lodges could be better with their own facilities. Also I noticed the sockets were very low to the floor so perhaps they could benefit from being raised a bit because when you reach my age your knees do not always function well 🤣🤣🤣🤣. But overall apart from the bathroom facilities the cleanliness of the lodges were immaculate, the food was lovely and seeing all the different animals was special. Therefore I would definitely/highly recommend an overnight stay at this zoo. Big thank you to everyone for a lovely stay.

An excellent day out. Can't find another tourist attraction for this price for a whole day out. Iconic animals have large areas in which to roam. A train ride around the zoo or free hop on hop off bus but walking is a pleasure and good exercise. I also did a guided behind-the-scenes tour of the elephant facility. Keeper Shirley was a delightful host. Cheerful, friendly and obviously passionate about her charges. The facility was amazing. Very carefully designed to give toyal care to the animals. Like an iceberg, most of the working part of the facility is not viewable from the public side. If your visit coincides with a svmcheduked tour - dont hesitate!. You may even be lucky to be led busy Shirley! Note that the main indoor area for the elephants is sand and there is a bit of walking on sand on the tour (with the elephants safely out in the fresh air, I hasten yo add!) The zoo has ample free parking or you can take your car into the zoo for an extra charge. It is a short distance from jn 9 of the M1. Wonderful views over the downs so maybe take a picnic

Gary who drives the bus around the zoo was extremely friendly and helpful enabling me to see the animals and stopping for me to take photos. I was disappointed with the train as I expected it to go round the whole zoo not just part of it. Overall Whipsnade is the biggest zoo and all the animals have lots of space and are well looked after and cared for

Absolutely AWFUL !! Paid £76.68 for 3 adults and child under 2 years to go for Childs birthday treat. Really wanted to see the big cats. We are over 1.5 hours drive away so diesel not cheap these days . Got there and saw that it was £30 to go in with car or turn around and drive short distance to a FREE car park which we did !! You can tell immediately that they must be short of money as the whole zoo if unkept with grass up to your knees and poor conditions for the an animals. Pushing a pram around on large bits of gravel if hard work! Went to see the Cheetahs - closed! Went to see the Lions - closed! Went to see the Brown Bear and Wolverine - closed! Walked for ages around the Monkey enclosure where there was supposed to be 10 species of monkeys - absolutely NOTHING ! Yes, it was a hot day but there was literally no sounds and no sign of anything - not even in the shaded areas provided. Went to see the African Wild Dogs -empty enclosure. All we saw were 3 very sad elephants and an infant in a terrible looking bare enclosure, male elephant with nothing to do, some giraffe, rhino (one looked very thin as you could see its rib cage !), boring flamingoes, went in the butterfly house where there was a small crocodile but to be honest that looked like plastic. Wanted to see the Penguins but couldn't get through an enclosure that was closed. By now all 3 of us are really annoyed, angry and upset that what should have been a lovely birthday treat for my granddaughter was just a horrible day walking around seeing nothing except long grass and empty enclosures. After 3 hours we left. Staff in the cafe were as miserable as sin, no bins there either - was told to throw away my orange segments into a recycling bin for plastic etc. When I queries it I was told by a boy staff member who looked about 12 that it was fine as they would sort out the contents later !! We passed a member of staff who asked if were having a nice time and our answer was NO - we came to see big animals and most were nowhere to be seen and it WAS NOT to do with the heat - they were just NOT THERE. All he could do was shrug his shoulders. Horrible day out and a total waste of money. Of course they are not going to advertise on their website that big attractions like the big cats are not there otherwise nobody would book any tickets. Bit of a scam and will NEVER set foot in that place again. If you want a great day out with animals go the Cotswold Wildlife Park which is amazing and the grounds are all beautifully landscaped and perfectly clean. Even on a hot day you see ALL the animals. Whipsnade is a dump that looks like nobody has cared for the grounds and landscape for years . Don't waste your money !

As a wheelchair user I was disgusted with the accessibility for wheelchair users here. The paths are not wheelchair friendly at all, even getting out of the car park is a nightmare. The only way I could spend the day with my family was to rent a mobility scooter. This was in poor condition, the first one I tried didn’t work the one I ended up using was awful as the seat had about 5 inches of play in it greatly aggravating my spinal condition. Staff didn’t seem that bothered and it was all about taking the money. They also rent out wheelchairs do not do this as the paths will not allow using them.

This zoo is a lovely country setting. The enclosures for the animals and birds are large and probably as close to their natural habitats as you can get in the UK. The staff are helpful and enthusiastic. The downside is that you can not see many of the animals and birds as they hide away deep inside their enclosures. The cafes are poor value for money.