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Jul 16, 2023

Port Lympne Reserve In Kent Is The Next Best Thing To Safari

By Bianca London It’s 6.30am on a beautiful summer’s day and my daughter is nose-to-nose with a tiger, giggling gleefully as the character from her favourite book (The Tiger Who Came To Tea) eyes her

By Bianca London

It’s 6.30am on a beautiful summer’s day and my daughter is nose-to-nose with a tiger, giggling gleefully as the character from her favourite book (The Tiger Who Came To Tea) eyes her up through a sheet of glass. She’s just watched two spectacled bears play hide and seek and marvelled at a formidable lioness named Oudrika devouring her breakfast.

You’d be forgiven for thinking you’re about to read a review of our recent safari holiday at Serengeti in Tanzania because, actually, I’m writing this from Kent. Yes, you read that right: the southeastern corner of England that borders the Straits of Dover and the English Channel.

A trip to Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe or Mala Mala Game Reserve South Africa is probably on everyone’s bucket list, but for most of us, it’s sadly a pipe dream. Six months pregnant with a toddler in tow, I have neither the money, time or inclination to decamp to the bush so I’m going to let you in on the next best thing: Port Lympne Reserve near Folkestone, Kent.

Just two hours’ drive from London lies this incredible breeding sanctuary for rare and endangered animals that (wherever possible) are sent to protected areas of their natural habitat where they can live free – just as they should be. I’d seen it on Instagram but unlike most ‘expectation versus reality’ snaps, this place is actually ten times more magical in the flesh.

By Laura Hampson

By Annabelle Spranklen

By Charlie Teather

Port Lympne is home to 700 (!) rare and endangered animals for guests to get up close and personal with (more on that later). But most people don’t realise that it’s not just a day venue, you can sleep the night next to some of these sublime animals, with all accommodation profits going straight back to the Aspinall Foundation’s conservation work, no less.

There’s accommodation to suit every budget, from glamping huts to Lion Lodge - a timber clad, Manhattan loft style building set within the lion’s natural and spacious habitat. The website shows a holidaygoer enjoying a soak in the tub whilst a lion named Hunter keeps a beady eye on her.

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We spent a night in Leopard’s Creek, which like Tiger Lodge and Lion Lodge, has floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to a pair of Amur leopards (as well as a herd of wildebeasts and several rhinos). Leopard’s Creek is ultimately a mega luxe wigwam that provides the ultimate glamping experience and serious Instagram fodder. The wigwams are designed to sleep two adults and two children (they provide cots for littler ones).

The unique glass structure features luxe interiors designed by Victoria Aspinall; think faux fur throws, rainforest shower, cow-hide armchair, plus all the practical facilities that make your stay with a toddler that much easier (from nappy bin and flat screen TV to luxury food and drink hamper with kids snacks too). Each wigwam comes with its own private golf buggy, which makes for a practical and seriously fun way to travel between the reserve’s facilities.

By Laura Hampson

By Annabelle Spranklen

By Charlie Teather

We whizzed off to dinner in the Garden Room - a beautifully restored room nestled within Sir Philip Sassoon’s original stableyard. The hotel takes great pride in sourcing the finest quality local ingredients (we had super fresh Dover sole with a smattering of locally-grown veg and moreish chunky chips), and being in the heart of English wine country, you can expect some delicious local wines and Kentish brews to wash your meal down with.

After a quick drive back to our wigwam, which involved stopping every few seconds so our daughter could say ‘goodnight’ to each and every animal en route, we were greeted with the accommodation’s pièce de résistance: a fire pit that you share with your neighbouring wigwam. Luckily ours had a later restaurant booking so we got to enjoy a marshmallow toasting session before they returned. It’s worth warning you that you won’t enjoy eight hours of restful slumber - but that’s the beauty of staying in a totally glass wigwam with no blinds. Eye masks are provided but our daughter woke with sun rise (at 4am!). However, we were ultimately grateful because it forced us to set off on a 6am tour of the park in our golf buggy and had the park all to ourselves. It was a caffeine-fuelled experience we will all remember forever.

We spent hours that day exploring the incredible breeding sanctuary for rare and endangered animals across the African, Asian and South American zones, marvelling at Western lowland gorillas, painted dogs Eastern black rhinoceros, Nubian giraffes, European bison, howler monkeys and southern cheetah. We learn how Port Lympne is the most successful breeders of clouded leopards and de brazza monkeys, and one of the most successful breeders of western lowland gorillas and fishing cats in the world. Wherever possible, they aim to return animals born at the park to protected areas of their natural habitat. Their Back To The Wild initiative has already seen the return of black rhinos to Tanzania, western lowland gorillas to Africa, primates to Indonesia, European bison to Romania and Spain, clouded leopards to Cambodia and cheetahs to South Africa. Major.

By Laura Hampson

By Annabelle Spranklen

By Charlie Teather

You can choose to upgrade your experience, which can include anything from a baboon scatter feed at £15 per person, to a ‘meet the gorillas’ experience at £150 per person. We plumped for the giraffe safari (£75 per person) which allows you to come, quite literally, face to face with a rhino or giraffe on a 2 hour adventure. The rangers are incredibly passionate about what they do and get you right up close to feed the animals - it is a truly unforgettable experience. You can tell they've really taken the time to replicate animal habitats as closely as possible and ensured that every enclosure has shelter and appropriate foliage. “We never lock an animal into a viewing area, instead we let them choose where they want to be and if they want to be seen,” our ranger tell us. “This means you may need to watch carefully and wait a while to spot your favourite species.”

Elsewhere at the park, you can explore the epic ‘Dinosaur Forest’, enjoy a picnic in the Manion’s beautiful grounds or let loose in the wooded playground.

Tearing our daughter away from Port Lympne was no mean feat but we will absolutely be back again - and without a nine hour flight, who wouldn’t?

Adult day ticket price: £29, Child day ticket price: £26. Accommodation prices start at £99 per night, ranging up to £2250, from glamping pods, cabin, treehouses, wigwams up to lion, Tiger and wolf lodges. For more information visit www.portlympne.com

If you'd rather mix things up and stay off-site or extend your stay elsewhere, a friend recommended CABÜ by the Sea by hailing it as ‘Soho Farmhouse for kids’ and she wasn’t far wrong.

CABÜ has garnered a cult-like following of parents looking for a classic British beach getaway with all the luxurious amenities you’d find in a 5-star hotel. The setting is sublime: it lies on a natural stretch of privately owned grassland next to the seafront between Romney Marsh and the English Channel, with access to the beach just two minutes from your front door.

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The cabins are next level and come with cosy log burners, fully equipped kitchens, bunk beds for kids, Dr Bronner toiletries, and a private timber deck with gas barbecue. CABÜ is fully self-catered but CABÜ House, which is open from 8am-9pm, sells breakfast goods, snacks, pizzas and meats to grill on the BBQ, marshmallows to toast and, crucially, alcohol!

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This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

It's incredibly child-friendly and visitors can book extra beds, highchairs, cots and a baby bath. The outdoor pool has a separate shallow section just for littler ones.

CABÜ is the perfect place for total back-to-nature R&R. We actually didn’t leave the grounds and enjoyed rabbit spotting, long walks along the beach, marshmallow toasting sessions and stints in the sauna. If you’re staying longer, the team can organise water sports, boating, golf and wine tours.

It's the ideal place for embracing the ever-so-wholesome ‘back to nature’ that's currently trending. Kick off your shoes, leave your phone inside and breathe in the fresh sea air for a total re-set.