There are lots of reasons to visit a zoo - the playful lions, the graceful elephants, a slippery little pygmy hippo called Tapon or the super cute and photogenic penguins. But there’s one zoo experience in particular that will have you grinning from ear to ear with a chunk of willow in your hand and a giraffe’s tongue curling round your wrist.
That’s right: feeding the giraffes at Whipsnade Zoo. It is, quite simply, one of the most joyful things you can do in the UK. Here's everything you need to know, from how to get there, to all the reasons why Whipsnade Zoo is the best choice for a family day out.
How to get to Whipsnade Zoo by train
Getting there couldn’t be easier. Just hop on a Thameslink train to Luton, then catch the dedicated ZOO shuttle bus (yes, it’s literally called “ZOO”) which runs every day in the school holidays and on weekends throughout summer. In under an hour from London, you’ll be standing face-to-face with Myra, a one-year-old giraffe with a fondness for leafy snacks and a curiosity about humans that makes the whole experience feel utterly magical.
One of the best zoo experiences in the UK
Whipsnade Zoo is the UK’s largest, covering a massive 600 acres and home to over 10,000 animals. There are sweeping views over the stunning Chilterns (you can even see Ivinghoe Beacon if you know where to look) and it is home to some of the UK’s most special and endangered creatures.
First, the giraffes. Whipsnade Zoo’s giraffe experience is a pre-bookable activity under the expert eye of Scott, an Experiences Keeper who starts the session with a safety briefing and a twinkle in his eye.
“Don’t let the giraffe spit on you, it tastes terrible,” he says with a hint of irony. “Don’t ask me how I know that.”
Things to do at Whipsnade Zoo
With that mental image firmly planted, you step into the feeding area, an enclosed walkway that lets you get right up close to the giraffes. You’re given handfuls of willow, “one of their favourites,” Scott explains. “It’s got natural aspirin in it, so they seek it out. They’re smart animals.”
He’s not wrong. Each giraffe wanders over with slow grace, choosing their branch, wrapping that famously black tongue (it’s pigmented to prevent sunburn in hot African sun) around the treat, and stripping the leaves while you hold on for dear life. Their heads are enormous, their eyes impossibly long-lashed, and did you know? They only have teeth on the bottom jaw.
What’s remarkable is how few people know this zoo experience is an option. Adults and kids alike watched on with awe, asking how we got so lucky and how they can have a go for themselves.
Myra is the youngest giraffe, but she’s already confident. She pauses between branches to eyeball us and even nuzzles up to one of the guests. “You’d be surprised how often we hear ‘this is the best day of my life’,” says Scott. “People get really into it. We once had someone doing a hippo experience who had hippo tattoos all over their body.”
If you needed proof that animals make people happy in the best possible way, this is it.
Meet the people behind the best zoo experiences
A key part of what makes Whipsnade Zoo so special isn’t just the animals, it’s the people who care for them. Take Richard, one of the zoo’s Experiences Volunteers. He’s been volunteering one day a week here for seven years, balancing it around a regular job the rest of the week.
“I just love being here,” he says. “There’s always something new. You get to meet people from all over, and some of them are so excited to be here.”
He helps coordinate visitors through the zoo experience, taking photos for them to show envious friends and family, and making sure it’s the best zoo experience it can possibly be.
It’s that kind of dedication that keeps Whipsnade Zoo feeling special. More than just an animal attraction, it’s a place where you’re allowed, for a few precious minutes, to feel like you’re part of something much bigger.
Birds of the World: another best zoo experience
If giraffes aren’t enough to convince you, the Birds of the World show will do it. Held in a large open-air amphitheatre, it’s fast-paced, engaging, and surprisingly emotional. One minute you’re watching a red-billed hornbill (yes, that’s Zazu from The Lion King) the next a peregrine falcon is diving out of the sky at 242mph, the fastest animal on earth.
As for the finale, it’s a tear-jerking spectacle where parrots of all colours delight the crowd while a rallying call for animal conservation is played over the Tannoy.
Why Whipsnade Zoo is the best family day out
Whipsnade Zoo might be set in 600 acres of lush Bedfordshire countryside, but it’s incredibly accessible thanks to Thameslink trains and the ZOO shuttle from Luton railway station. Not only is this route simple and direct, it’s also more environmentally friendly, which is an important detail when you're visiting somewhere dedicated to conservation.
Whipsnade Zoo is the kind of place where you can lose all sense of time. One minute you’re extending a branch of willow to a giraffe named Myra, the next you’re encountering animals that you never even knew existed.
It’s family-friendly, full of passionate staff, and packed with moments that stay with you long after you’ve left. And with a Thameslink train to Luton and the ZOO shuttle bus ready to whisk you there, there’s really no excuse not to go.