Penguin Beach

Get up close to our colony of Humboldt penguins with a special Meet the Animals experience at ZSL London Zoo!

This experience gives you special access to a VIP area inside Penguin Beach, where our penguins will waddle over to meet you.

Limited to four people per experience, find out everything you've ever wanted to know about penguins in the largest penguin exhibit in the UK!

Your experience

• Meet and greet with our colony of Humboldt penguins
• Discover more about this amazing species by our expert staff who will introduce you to our colony
• Kept to a maximum of four participants so you get quality time with the penguins

What to expect on the day

This 15 minute experience begins with a health and safety briefing from our friendly staff who will then take you to a special VIP area inside Penguin Beach. Our inquisitive Humboldt penguins will then come over to meet you and your host will introduce you our friendly individuals.

Each one of our penguins has a different personality and our staff will be on hand to tell you who is who and answer any questions you may have about penguins.

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 four people taking part in the experience, giving you lots of time with the penguins.

Tip: Penguin Beach is different to other beaches, so instead of flip flops we advise guests to wear closed toe footwear for this experience.

IMPORTANT: As a consequence of the current avian influenza outbreak in the UK, we are putting in added biosecurity measures to protect our birds, including our penguins. Participants on our Meet the Penguins experience will be asked to dip their shoes in a disinfectant when entering our penguin encounter area. Please avoid any direct contact with poultry or game birds within 14 days prior to your experience booking. If you have come into contact with poultry or game birds within 14 days prior to your booking, you must notify us by phoning our Supporter Contact team on 0344 225 1826 or emailing experienceenquiries@zsl.org

How the experience has adapted

To keep everyone safe during this pandemic, we have made a couple of small changes to this experience to ensure that you have a great time! We have reduced our capacity on this experience from six to four participants to allow everyone to socially distance and give you plenty of opportunity to meet the penguins. Hand sanitiser is provided at the beginning and end of the experience, which we encourage all participants to use. Masks are not compulsory on this experience, though you are welcome to wear one. If you have any specific questions, please get in touch with us by emailing experienceenquiries@zsl.org

Know before you book

Important information before booking your Meet the Penguins experience:

• Children must be at least 8 years of age and be accompanied by an adult who must also purchase a Meet the Penguins experience ticket. There must be no more than 2 children per adult. 
• General admission is not included and must be purchased separately.
• You must wear appropriate closed toe footwear for the experience.
• Pregnant or nursing mothers cannot participate in our Meet the Animals experiences. 
• Accompanying carers will be given access to the enclosure free of charge. Free Carer tickets must be obtained in advance and can be purchased over the phone only. Please call 0344 225 1826 to book.
• Please arrive on time to ensure that you are present for the health and safety briefing.
• Please see our full terms and conditions for more information

If you have any questions about booking please feel free to contact us.

How to Book

BUY TICKETS

Buy a Gift Voucher

Please be aware we are unable to offer this experience during August and September as this is our penguin's moulting season.

Availability

• Meet the Penguins takes place daily at 12 pm and 1:50 pm, daily from September to July. 

Price

• £54 per person

We also offer Meet the Penguins as a gift voucher for someone.

Please note: ZSL Gold members, Fellows and Patrons receive a 10% discount on this experience. Your discount will be automatically applied when you login.