28 November 2022
The Zoo is a fabulous day out for the whole family brimming with outdoor activities at every turn. If you're looking for things to do outside, here are 9 ways you can make the best of our 600-acre countryside sanctuary - with some surprising things to do with kids!
Largest Zoo in the UK
Dust off those cobwebs, ditch the sofa and bask in the fresh air with a glorious walk and outdoor activities around our 600-acre site. Proudly the biggest Zoo in the UK, there’s so much to see that it’s probably worth planning a return visit.
There’s thousands of animals to see
Whipsnade is home to more than 3,500 animals from over 200 different species! These range from the very small (like butterflies) to the very tall, and everything in between. Find out how we’re helping to conserve some of the world’s most endangered species.
Native wildlife at the Zoo
It's a great place to look out for rare wildlife as it’s situated on chalk grassland, one of the most endangered habitats in the UK. Over half of the country’s butterfly species have been recorded in the area, and it’s also home to a quarter of Bedfordshire’s bat hibernation sites. In 2019, a black-throated thrush chose our grounds as its home – a bird that hasn’t been spotted anywhere else in the UK for years!
Drive through Zoo
One of the best outdoor activities available and situated in the leafy county of Bedfordshire, a picturesque less-than-an-hour drive from London, not only does the Zoo make for a fab family road trip – but you can bring the car in when you get there.
Views of Chiltern Downs
If you want a Zoo with a view, things to do outside and plenty of fresh air, then we’ve got that covered. We’ve got stunning views over the Chiltern Downs, where you can see for miles and miles – including all three local counties, visible from the same spot.
Walk with wallabies and maras
Hopping happily around you as you stroll around the spacious site are leggy Patagonian maras and lolloping Bennet’s wallabies. You can’t turn your head without finding yourself surrounded by free-roaming furry friends!
We have a baby Francois langur!
Born on August 6 2023, the tiny male weighed just over 450g at birth and has remained mostly hidden clinging onto Mum’s belly.
Francois langurs (Trachypithecus francoisi) are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Native to China and northern Vietnam, their numbers continue to fall in the wild, making the birth internationally important.
You’re saving wildlife with every visit
Just by coming along to our outdoor activities at the Zoo, you’ll be helping us work for a world where wildlife thrives, by learning about our incredible species. If you include a donation in your ticket price, you’ll be contributing to furthering our global conservation work, so that the world is still full of diverse creatures when your little ones are all grown up.
Visit us
Through our leading conservation zoo we bring people closer to nature in shared spaces of wonder and unique centres of learning, advancing knowledge to better protect wildlife today, while inspiring a lifelong love of animals in the conservationists of tomorrow.
