Hotels near the Whipsnade Wild Animal Park

Conceived as an extension of London Zoo and the first open zoo in Europe, Whipsnade Wild Animal Park is set in 600 acres of parkland and is home to around 3000 animals from 150 different species, as well as a dedicated conservation programme and top class education facilities.

The park can be explored on foot, by free safari tour bus, by car or on the Great Whipsnade Railway. It's divided into the Bird Garden, Children's Farm, Discovery Centre, Passage Through Asia and the open spaces, home to free roaming animals.

Animals that can be spotted on any visit include lemurs, chimpanzees, bison, cheetah, bears, wolves, penguins, reindeer, waterbucks, antelopes, rhinoceros, giraffe, vultures, zebra, hippopotami, tigers, flamingos, elephants, pandas and lots and lots of monkeys.

The Discovery Centre is home to sea horses and endangered fish as well as crocodiles, giant centipedes and tortoises. Over in the Bird Garden are eagles and falcons, while at the Children's Farm the friendly faces of pigs, ponies and alpacas can be found. A recent addition to the park is the "Chimp-nasium", a wonderful glass-fronted play area for chimpanzees complete with hammocks and a connecting outdoor paddock with a giant climbing frame. The n'kisi educational trail teaches visitors about the chimps' natural habitat and about the important conservation programmes that are currently under way.

Many of the animals here are part of international breeding programmes and some are available for adoption, a process that provides a crucial lifeline to the park's vital conservation work in over 30 countries as it works together with other institutions to find sustainable solutions to ensure the future of the natural world.