Welcome
Experience a truly memorable day out at the UK's biggest zoo. ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is home to over 10,000 animals many of which are endangered in the wild, north of London, the Zoo is set in 600 acres of lush countryside overlooking the beautiful Chiltern Downs.

Level access
There is level access from the main entrance to:
Butterfly house and aquarium Visitor centre welcome desks.Visitor centre toilets.Base camp toilets. Reindeer/Viewpoint Kitchen and Deli.Hippos/Africa Outpost toilets. Back of the butterfly house - Changing places toilet. Visitor centre café. Base camp restaurant.View point restaurant and deli. Station Store Picnic Shop.Africa Outpost.Hullabazoo. Visitor centre shop. Aquarium shop.Hullabazoo shop and Indoor play. Station store. Membership.Indoor picnic area. Smoking area in Africa. Great Whipsnade railway.Asia. Base Camp. Africa. Europe. In with the lemurs, Events hub.There is level access from the car park to:
Base camp picnic area.Access with steps
There are steps from the main entrance to:
Smoking area in Europe.Hearing
Visual
General
Getting here
Travel by public transport
Travel by taxi
A-2-Z cars – Dunstable- it is recommended that disability bookings are made in advance.
Parking
The entrance to the zoo from the car park is via the underpass which is located at the front of the car park directly opposite the zoo entrance.
Arrival
Path to main entrance
Main entrance
Blue badge holders have free access to drive into the zoo, though the car gate. With no additional costs, they can park within the site along with having a free carer with them on entrance.
This is due to the underpass from the main car park to the Zoo entrance, can be quite steep.



Getting around inside
Visual Impairment - General Information
Ticket/ information desk
Visitor centre welcome desks.
The welcome desks are 1.55m in hight.

Things to See and Do
Butterfly house and aquarium

Public toilet
Visitor centre toilets.

Public toilet
Base camp toilets.

Public toilet
Reindeer/Viewpoint Kitchen and Deli.

Public toilet
Hippos/Africa Outpost toilets.

Public toilet
Back of the butterfly house - Changing places toilet.



Shop
Visitor centre shop.

Shop
Aquarium shop.


Shop
Hullabazoo shop and Indoor play.

Shop
Station store.

Place to eat and drink
Visitor centre café.
Hot and cold food for any specific dietary requirements please go to The Base camp restaurant and ask a member of staff upon arrival, they will cater to your requests.

Place to eat and drink
Base camp restaurant.
Designated restaurant for any specific dietary requirements, please ask a member of staff in the restaurant.



Place to eat and drink
View point restaurant and deli.
Entrance to this restaurant for wheelchair users is via the back of the store though the exit.
Hot and cold food for any specific dietary requirements please go to the basecamp restaurant and ask a member of staff they will cater to your requests.


Place to eat and drink
Station Store Picnic Shop.
No seating area avalable, Cold food only, for any specific dietary requirements please go to the basecamp restaurant and ask a member of staff they will cater to your requests.

Place to eat and drink
Africa Outpost.
Hot and cold food for any specific dietary requirements please go to the basecamp restaurant and ask a member of staff they will cater to your requests.

Place to eat and drink
Hullabazoo.
Cold food only for any specific dietary requirements, please go to the basecamp restaurant and ask a member of staff they will cater to your requests.

Membership.

Indoor picnic area.
Indoor lunch room - Designated for school but open to the public when not in use.
Designated ramp entrance round the back of the building in front of the shed, via the fire exit door which can only be opened form the inside of the building.


Getting around outside
Picnic Area
Base camp picnic area.
There are benches in the Base Camp on the field in front of the Butterfly House. There are many areas to have picnics around the zoo with variety of different outdoor accessibility seating areas.
Smoking
Smoking area in Europe.

Smoking
Smoking area in Africa.

Great Whipsnade railway.
Great Whipsnade Railway - Entrance for wheelchair users is through the exit barriers, there are accessible modified carriages, with a portable ramp is on board for use.
Can be very noisy and busy during the day.



Asia.
Asia - is a quieter area except for at and around Tigers and Elephants, which can be busy.
The following enclosures at Asia include;
Camels,
Asian Rhinos,
Elephants - very steep hills from the car park. Can be busy.
Elephants access from Asian Rhinos – this is a grassy path which during winter months can be prone to flooding.
Yaks,
Sloth bears,
Tigers - Can be busy.


Base Camp.
Base Camp – is a noisy and busy area,
The following enclosures are include;
Pelicans,
Red Panda,
Otters,
Farm - is a noisy and busy area.
Aquarium and butterfly house, - Has low lighting within.
Owl wood - Bark chip is down to minimise the noise for these animals that are sensitive to noise. Because of this, pushing on this substrate may be more difficult. - No handrail leading up to entrance - (Quieter place within the zoo).


Africa.
Africa – is a noisy and busy area.
The following enclosures in Africa include;
White Rhinos - is a quieter path on the Viewpoint side of the enclosure.
Hunting dogs,
Giraffes,
Meerkats,
Lions,
Oryx,
Hippos,
Cheetahs,
Flamingos – a steep Path from Base Camp restaurant to flamingos.
Europe.
Europe – Can be a noisy and busy route,
The following enclosures at Europe include;
Brown bears,
Wild boar,
Lynx - Steep hill up from the visitor centre.
Chimpanzee - Can be very noisy.
Lemurs - Can be very noisy.
Bison,
Bongos - is a quieter area,
Reindeer - is a quieter area,
Penguins,
Wolverines,



In with the lemurs,
Lemurs Walkthrough – Is not open all day check opening time upon arrival at the entrance.
Main entrance to lemurs is opposite The Visitor Welcome Center, exit is by the Chimpanzees.
Lemurs area is always supervised by a Volunteer.
Can be very noisy.

Events hub.
Events hub - Can be busy and noisy area.

Customer care support
Accessibility equipment
Wheelchairs and Mobility Scooters can be collected at the shop within the Visitor Centre, It is recommended to pre-book these.
Hired Wheelchairs - Deposit of £25 is required, which is fully refunded upon the return of the wheelchair.
Hired Mobility Scooters – Have a fixed coast of £20 and a deposit of £30 is required, which is fully refunded upon the return of the Mobility Scooter.
Assistance dogs are not permitted inside ZSL Whipsnade Zoo because we have free-roaming animals such as mara, wallabies, Chinese water deer and muntjac around our Zoo. They use all of the Zoo and therefore we are not able to offer routes to for assistance dogs at present. We are working with Guide Dogs UK to resolve this and hope to be able to welcome dogs to certain areas of the Zoo in the future.
We do offer two kennels which are located in a quiet area at the entrance of the Zoo for assistance dogs to stay during your visit. Many dogs may not like being left all day in this new kennel with the smells and sounds of the Zoo so close so please contact our support centre in advance of your visit to make alternative arrangements on 0344 225 1826 or email generalenquiries@zsl.org.
Emergency evacuation procedures
Customer care support
Penguin hopper pass
Great days out for everyone - Supporting families with additional needs, the Penguin Pass queue hopper gives families the opportunity to hop queues at the Zoo when shown to our staff. - download your pass forou our webite linked above.
Relaxed Opening – on the last Sunday of the month.
Relaxed opening are for a small number of people to visit parts of the zoo while it is quiet and calm enough to be a comfortable experience for autistic and neurodivergent children and adults, as well as other people who can benefit from this relaxed environment.