Staying in London for a month, I figured I should do everything related to Harry Potter. So naturally, one of things I had to do was to go to the reptile house at London zoo.
You can watch my vlog what the scene was if you can’t remember.
I have done platform 9 and 3/4 and it was kind of dull and boring. So I did some research and rather than just going to zoo I decided to stay over night at the zoo.
I still have to go to Harry Potter Universal studios, but I will make sure to do it before I leave.
Before we go into details on why it’s the best to go to London zoo at night, I just want to give you some tips. I made some mistakes and almost lost money and the experience.
So here are the tips on going to London zoo at night:
- There are two zoos in London area that offers adult nights – Whipsnade Zoo and London Zoo. Whipsnade zoo is an hour and half away from London city centre.
I accidentally booked Whipsnade zoo and almost didn’t get to do the whole experience. Luckily someone cancelled last minute and was able to change the location (can see it all on my vlog above!)
Make sure to book the London zoo lodge!
- The GIR Lion Lodge doesn’t have nice toiletries, so you should bring your own
- If you are going for a special event like anniversary or birthday and want to bring a wine or champaign chill it before you go. There is no mini-fridge in the room
- The most important thing as a traveler and millennial (or human being) is to have wifi. And YES, THEY HAVE WIFI!
These are pretty much everything I wished I knew before going to London zoo at night. If you have anymore questions, please let us know below comment.
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Now, let’s talk about why spending 380 pounds is worth the pay and going to London zoo at night (adult night) is the best choice you can make.
1. No Kids Will Bother You
Going to London Zoo at Night is a special event. It is called the Adult Night at London Zoo. So you will not see a single kid running around and screaming.
I have been to several zoos and aquarium around the world. But never felt ease with kids crying and screaming. It wasn’t really my scene, especially for a person who doesn’t have a kid.
I thought it wasn’t for me, but going to the zoo without kids and with an amazing guide, it feels like the zoo was built for adults.
I met a lot of people who came for their birthdays and anniversary. So, if you are visiting London cause of special event, why not do the adult night at the zoo and make it more special.
2. You Can Feed the Animals
Any zoo you go, you are not “supposed” to feed animals, because either they are on strict diet or not supposed to eat certain food.
But if you are staying at the London zoo at night, you will get a chance to feed the animals.
You will learn what the daily life of zoo keepers are from preparing food and serving them. They call it the enhancement where they give food in different ways, so it can be closer to nature and how the animals were suppose to hunt and gather.
3. If You Are Already Paying 300 Pounds for a Hotel, Why Not Spend It on a Special Experience
Unless you are a budget traveler, you will probably have to spend around 200 – 300 pounds per night for a mid-high range hotels. I have stayed at NED hotel and Nobu Hotel which cost about 200 pounds.
Even a slightly cheaper hotels like St. Martins Lane, Ace Hotel or Dean St. Townhouse cost around 150 pounds on a good day.
These hotels don’t offer dinner, breakfast, champaign and excellent guided tour. Staying over at London zoo will offer all of the above. I think for the price and the service it is a great deal.
I am sure the rate will even go up more as it is almost always fully booked. You should do the Adult Night at London zoo before the rate goes higher.
4. It Will Be Time for Many Animals to be Active
Many times you go to a zoo, the animals are always asleep. It is because most animals sleep during the day, and are active while they hunt.
Naturally the most active times are when they are eating which is after they close the zoo and before they open the zoo.
Going to London zoo at night will give you a chance to see the animals very active. Our guide told us that it is especially hard to see lions during the day, but they even greeted us in the morning with the roaring sound.
5. The Zoo Will be Just Opened for You
Have you wondered what it would like to be Ophra and close the zoo for your own self.
You will definitely have a chance to feel special. The zoo is literally empty except for around 12 people who are staying over night at the zoo.
It feels very relaxing and also liberating to be freed from the crowd at the busy zoo. It is interesting that the next day at 10:00AM when the door opens, it becomes so busy like in a second.
So having this luxury of exploring the zoo with no crowd is a privilege you can have staying at London zoo at night.
6. You Get to Learn a Lot from the Keepers
Going to a zoo is boring. But when you get a chance to see behind the scenes, it becomes very interesting.
Everybody was so curious about how they manage the zoo with so many different animals and we got a chance to experience as a zoo keeper.
To be honest, without the guides and keepers, it would have not been the same experience and I really thank the guides for making it a very special experience.
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The only things was that when I went to reptile house, there were no snakes at the Harry Potter section. But it was fine after an amazing experience.
There are many things you can do while visiting London, but doing something unique and different is what will make you remember about London.
I also went to a club in the morning which was memorable. I went to a tunnel and watched a movie which was spectacular. I went to a pitch black bar where you cannot see anything. These are the things that will make you remember London, and I am staying in London to make sure I do all these things.
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