Whipsnade ZSL ZOO Review
DISCLOSURE – THIS EXPERIENCE WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST/S FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW.
Reviewed by Amanda Dando
The school holidays seem so far away, then all of a sudden they are upon us. Although October half term is only a week long, you feel you should occupy the children every minute of every day, it’s hard work, and can be very costly! It’s always worth checking on an attractions website, because they very well may have some special offers or family deals that make your entrance costs a little more affordable. This October Half term Whipsnade have had a special deal on child tickets they are just £10 each, a great family saving if you have several children or grandchildren like me! They have also had some Halloween themed events, more about those later.
We took the car into the Zoo today, with it being the first day of November, I wasn’t quite sure what the weather might do, although it was a little fresh we had no rain, and made use of the car when the little legs got super tired. At this time of the year the good thing about it not being hot is we got to see the vast majority of the animals, we have found in the summer some are happy to hide away, who wouldn’t to be honest. On arrival we received a map, which is super super helpful, but equally all the adults downloaded the Whipsnade app on their phones, which is a really great tool to have. The app is super helpful on the day, as you can see where you are at all times, helping you navigate to where you want to be next.
We have visited earlier in the year with our four year old grandson, so he was as soon as we got into the zoo quite sure what he wanted to see first second third and so on. We headed straight for the penguins, he could sit and watch and talk to them all day, he even had to FaceTime Grandad to show him the penguins. It’s fantastic to have access to all of the animals at Whipsnade which is just on our doorstep.
Of the something like 11,000 animals held at the Zoo, I think we managed more than our fair share today. Now he is four, he is far more interested in listening to the facts about each animal, sharing this information is helping to educate as well as have fun. He was upset to miss the hippopotamus but then told Grandad on our return home they were away visiting their friends at another zoo.
As a breather from the animals we went to the Spooky Science Show, which he thoroughly enjoyed and was completely in awe of what was going on. The Ghostly Ghost Tour looked amazing, but after only a few minutes he wanted to go back to seeing the animals. It is a fine balance with the younger children, we had the same issue at the Halloween Storytime, he was interested for a few minutes then itching to get back to the animals. We couldn’t convince him to try the Ghoulish Graveyard Trail but think this would be a hit with older children.
There isn’t anything disappointing about a day at Whipsnade Zoo, the zoo itself is clean, tidy and with clear pathways, roads very easy to navigate and no matter what time of the year seems to have a variety of alternative attractions like crafts for those times when children need a pit stop and a breather.
Favourites today were the penguins, storks, lions, monkeys, tigers, elephants, wallaby’s, rhino’s and so many more. He had the very best day and although super tired when we left he was asking when we will return. Don’t think it not worth visiting in the winter, we had a brilliant day and will be back soon.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost Adults from £29 & Children £20.30 without donation online prices
Ticket offer for children until 2 November 2025 £10
Whipsnade Zoo Dunstable LU6 2LF for more information or to book tickets visit www.zsl.org