There are p-p-plenty of penguins at ZSL London Zoo in our stunning Penguin Beach exhibit – England’s biggest penguin pool!
Penguin Beach recreates a South American beach landscape in the heart of London, with stunning colony of Humboldt penguins.
The exhibit features a large pool with stunning underwater viewing areas so you can see how our flippered friends fly under water. The exhibit’s 1200 sq metre pool holds 450,000 litres of water!
Our large demonstration area turns feeding time in to an even bigger spectacle than before. Penguin Beach Live features twice daily feeds where visitors can watch the birds diving for their food.
Penguin Beach is a breeding facility for colonies of Humboldt penguins with a special penguin nursery, including a chick incubation unit and a pool where the youngsters can learn how to swim.
Penguin Facts
Humboldt penguins love cleaning (preening) themselves and their friends. When preening they gather oil from a gland in their tail and then apply this to their feathers – like penguin hair gel!
Humboldt penguins never chew with their mouth open because they don’t chew at all! Instead our penguins swallow their fish head first.
A Humboldt penguin can reach up to 30 miles per hour in the water!
Our resident Rockhopper penguin, Ricky, moved to our sister site ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in March 2017 to find love. Take a trip to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo to visit him and meet his new pool buddies.
Buy Tickets Online
Find out more about the inhabitants of Penguin Beach
Catch a glipse of our amazing Penguin Beach exhibit.
Videos
Meet the Penguins
Get up close to our colony of Humboldt penguins with a special Meet the Animals experience at ZSL London Zoo.
£54 per person
This experience gives you special access to a VIP area inside Penguin Beach, where our penguins will waddle over to meet you.
An expert zoo keeper will be on hand throughout the experience to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about our penguins.
Your experience
- Meet and greet with our colony of Humboldt penguins
- Meet an expert zoo keeper and discover more about this amazing species
- Opportunity to ask our expert keeper questions about the colony
- Kept to a maximum of six participants so you get quality time with the penguins and zoo keeper
Please note that admission to ZSL London Zoo is not included and must be purchased separately.
Please be aware we are unable to offer this experience during August and September as this is our penguin's moulting season.
What to expect on the day
This 20 minute experience begins with a health and safety briefing from our friendly zoo keeper who will then take you to a special VIP area inside Penguin Beach. Our inquisitive Humboldt penguins will then come over to meet you.
Each one of our penguins has a different personality and our keeper will be on hand to tell you who is who and answer any questions you may have about penguins. There is plenty of opportunity to take some great penguin selfies!
Please note that you will not feed the penguins, they have a special diet which is very smelly and we wouldn't want you smelling bad for the rest of the day!
There will be a maximum of six people taking part in the experience, giving you lots of time with the penguins and zoo keeper.
Tip: Penguin Beach is different to other beaches, so instead of flip flops we advise guests to wear closed toe footwear for this experience
Is this experience suitable for me?
Meet the Penguins is available for adults and children over the age of 8 years old; however children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a participating adult who also has a valid Meet the Penguins experience ticket.
This experience is wheelchair accessible and guests with carers can get a carer ticket which lets carers enter the VIP area free of charge, but carers will not participate in the experience. To get a carer ticket please call 0344 225 1826.
Please note that pregnant or nursing mothers who have given birth within the previous six months cannot participate for health and safety reasons.
Availability
- Meet the Penguins takes place daily at 1:50pm, Monday – Sunday from October through to July.
Price
- £54 per person
Please note: ZSL members receive a 10% discount on this experience. Please call us to book on 0344 225 1826 or email experienceenquiries@zsl.org
How to book
- Book online here
- Call us on 0344 225 1826
We also offer Meet the Penguins as a gift voucher. Please visit our online shop here to book as a gift for someone.
Know before you book
Important information before booking your Meet the Penguins experience:
- Admission to the zoo is not included and must be purchased separately
- Participants must be 8 years of age or older
- Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a participating adult guardian – each adult must also have a valid Meet the Penguins ticket. No more than 2 children per adult
- Pregnant or nursing mothers who have given birth within the previous six months cannot participate
- Participants with learning or visual impairment must be accompanied by a carer. Accompanying carers can enter the VIP area free of charge but will not participate in the experience. Carers will need to get a carer ticket. Please call 0344 225 1826
- Wheelchair access is available for this experience. For more information please discuss with us when you book
- Appropriate closed toe footwear must be worn for the experience
- The experience itinerary, content, duration and availability are subject to change without notice
- Please arrive on time, we advise guests arrive at least 10 minutes before the experience begins
- The experience takes place outdoors so please check the weather on the day of your visit and dress accordingly
- Please see our full terms and conditions for more information
If you have any questions about booking please feel free to contact us.
2018 Dates and Prices
Dates
Meet the Penguins takes place daily at 1:50pm, Monday – Sunday
Please note this experience is not available during August and September.
Price
£54 per person
Call for reservations 0344 225 1826 or book online here
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