Tickets
Type of place
Habitat
Area
Orange zone

Meet penguins 

Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, this experience is currently available to existing voucher-holders only.

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

Find out everything you've ever wanted to know about penguins in the largest penguin habitat in the UK!

Book meet the penguins

Penguin experiences 

  • 20 minutes on Penguin Beach meeting our inquisitive penguins
  • Discover more about this amazing species by our expert staff who will introduce you to our colony
  • Lots of photo opportunities with our friendly 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! 
  • Tip: Penguin Beach is different to other beaches, so instead of flip flops we ask that participants wear closed toe footwear for this experience.
Penguin closeup at Meet the penguin experience London Zoo
© ZSL
Meet the penguin experience, stroking a penguin at London Zoo Penguin beach.
© ZSL

Penguin safety 

To help us protect our penguins and to prevent the spread of avian influenza, participants will be asked to dip their shoes in a disinfectant when entering our penguin encounter area. Please avoid direct contact with poultry or game birds in the 14 days prior to your experience. If you have contact with poultry or game bird within this time frame, please contact us.

Animal experiences at the Zoo

Girl in pink top feeding giraffe during a feeding experience at London Zoo
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London Zoo Experiences

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Before you book meet the penguins

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.
  • 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

Please note that the experience is closed for several weeks from mid-July until mid-August to allow our penguins to go through their annual moult. 

Penguins at the Zoo

  • Two Humboldt penguin chicks in a keepers hands
    5 December 2022

    How a penguin lays an egg

    Watch one of our penguins lay their first ever eggs in their nest, which is called a scrape.

  • 'Some penguins are gay, get over it' sign at London Zoo with penguins
    26 June 2019

    Some penguins are gay. Get over it.

    Zookeepers have made a special mini banner for the Penguin Beach home of the Zoo’s most famous gay residents, Humboldt penguins Ronnie and Reggie, paying homage to Stonewall’s groundbreaking ‘Get Over It.’ campaign. 

  • Humboldt penguin underwater swimming at London Zoo
    Spheniscus humboldti

    Humboldt penguin facts

    Humbolt penguins are from the beaches of Peru and Chile, and can swim speeds of up to 30mph!

  • Penguins at Lubetkin penguin pool at London Zoo designed by Berthold Lubetkin
    Pioneering Berthold Lubetkin design

    Lubetkin penguin pool

    Our Lubetkin Penguin pool at London Zoo is iconic. The sweeping spiral ramps kick-started a new era for British architecture, and inspired an enduring love of penguins in the British public.

  • Humboldt penguin on Penguin Beach
    25 April 2019

    Keepers'-eye view of Penguin Beach

    Average day in the life of a penguin Zookeeper!

  • Our animals