Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks Review

Nice large zoo but animals seem to spend the day sleeping in their boxes so missed the majority of animals. Very hilly. Good gift shop. Clean

Good if you like lots of uphill walking, and very poorly sign posted inside, maps definitely need updating

Love love love! I'm not a fan of zoo but this reserve is fantastic. I loved the safari and the little cafes. And of course the animals. They all looked healthy and happy. I can't wait to go back!

Just what we all wanted quality time together in great settings.

It's lovely lots too see and lots of animals the only thing is that sometimes the signs post weren't really clear.

Great opportunity to see these animals in a more natural environment, while knowing you are supporting efforts to repopulate a range of species back into native environments. Although the concept of 'zoos' is controversial, statistics speak for themselves. Mindless slaughter and destruction of native environments means we need organisations like the Aspinall foundation to help maintain viable populations of endangered species for hopfully future re introduction. Great day out and if you can, book in advance one of the special safari excursions for a 5* experience.

We stayed in the Lion Lodge and absolutely loved our stay! From start to finish all staff were so helpful. The food in the mansion was very good! Would definitely visit again

Have had a passport here for years and just keep going back because it's always such a wonderful place to go. We take absolutely everyone who visits us there, then they love it and want to go back too! Great day out for all ages

1 nights stay in the park at the giraffe lodge
What an experience. Food Fantastic well organised.
Hand feed the giraffes..if thay want it ...

Something we have wanted to do for a while came true at the weekend
Stayed at Livingstone Cottage met wonderful animals great rangers & good food even the Sun came out Monday !! Happy Days with family and 2 year old grandson who also loved the Dinosaur Forest

What a stunning place for humans and animals alike. Enjoyed a fabulous overnight stay in the treehouse, a delicious cream tea in the hotel, dinner at babydolls, and breakfast at bear lodge. Excellent service and such friendly and welcoming staff. The golf buggy was brilliant fun and the safari was fab. Particularly enjoyed gorilla feeding time and viewing the tigers at tiger lodge. Can't wait to come back with the family.

Terrible, firstly we arrived and it had just began to pour it down when we were crammed into a soggy open sided safari truck to begin our "African adventure". Once we were in off it went taking us past dilapidated enclosures "if you look to your left you will see our bears" which were no where to be seen. Furthermore the truck didn't sound very healthy and at one point stopped on the hill and it's breaks began to creek (we feared for our safety). We then went through a field containing a few mountain goats, where the guide said through the muffled low quality speakers "we are now in Asia". It felt just like I was there the rolling soggy hills of the uk, the torrential rain the wind. Then we went into Africa where we saw lots of different species of antelopes and buffalo, and a few zebra. This enclosure was very good because it was on a hill meaning the animals were lean and fit and it had lots of trees to take cover in. We then got dropped off as the safari was over, I think it was safe to say more rain got in the truck than on the "rain protector". Everyone was absolutely freezing and there were no shelters so we were all forced to go to the cafe to try and warm up. When we arrived the indoor temperature wasn't much different from the outside. We began to queue. Whilst queuing I noticed that none of the staff were wearing hairnets which isn't very hygienic, and furthermore many of the cakes on the counter weren't covered meaning anyone who coughed or sneezed could contaminate them (not to mention the rip off pricing). One of the members of staff was also very rude and arrogant as they snatched a chair next to where we were sitting and made a sarcastic comment as they put it next to another table. After this we decided to go and look for more animals, we were very disappointed that the majority of the enclosures were empty because the animals were seeking shelter so we couldn't see them. Another important point about this zoo is that it definitely isn't wheelchair friendly as its built on a hill and many of the paths have tree roots growing through them, making them a trip risk. Furthermore on our walk around we noticed a number of piles of dog mess on the paths which isn't very hygienic and could be a risk for children. The weather dried up slightly and we managed to see a few animals (wolves, tigers, gorillas and rhino) but that still left many species that we didn't see. The day was beginning to come to an end and many off us felt disappointed with the day until we stumbled across the hotel, it was picturesque and contained many detailed Muriel paintings and was very fancy. Furthermore, outside the architecture and gardens were beautifully scaped including a large koi pond. After we had seen this we decided to go round the zoo again and see if we could spot anymore animals. During our second walk round I noticed that many animals (including exotic species from hot countries) had very little shelter and were very open to the elements, not to mention the health and safety risk of gas canisters everywhere. In conclusion this zoo was very disappointing and I don't think I shall be returning.

Amazing night under canvas watching the animals on the Kent Savannah

Perfect day out, long queue for the safari, had to wait 1 1/2 hours. But otherwise brilliant

All though expensive.....Wow what an experience. Stayed in a tree house,fantastic,food fantastic.the staff really friendly,and helpfully,couldn't do enough to make our stay on our 25th wedding Anniversary perfect. The safari experience was brilliant We would recommend anyone to give it a go

One of the better zoos with a great safari tour in a truck. Food is very limited but a new pizza place has opened and that was very good to eat at with some really good food, though far too many wasps unfortunately.
There are places to stay here and they look really cool, the glamping, a couple of lodges and in the manor house. I am looking to book a room at the manor house soon and being a yearly member gives huge discount for staying.

fantastic experience, livingstone lodge tents great host / guides and food..saw giraffe cheetah black rhino eland wilderbeast zebra...wonderful...could almost be on edge of ngorogoro crater..tanzania....almost...only let down by 4 drunk selfish socially unaware numpty shouters still going at 3.30 am in thin wall tent next door..hay ho!!!!

Fantastic wildlife park with an excellent conservation record. Be prepared for long queues for the truck Safari and food outlets in busy periods. It is also on a hill so expect some uphill walking.

Quite a gem I didn t expect to find in Britain. It s as if you are in a safari in Africa. Glad I decided to become a donor for the Aspinal foundation, this is important work, and that s how I was familiarised with port Lympne. Our stay was enjoyable and it was a great escape from the city to be a bit more one with nature. Don t expect a zoo with animals to entertain you, whichever animal that is there it is for it to be rescued. Keep it up!

Well Priced, Variety of rare well looked after animals, plenty to do all day without getting board. All in All a Great day out.

Really open wild space, with a real safari trip as part of the adventure day out :) vast area to explore, lots of play parks, a wood full of life size dinosaurs, what norencpuld you want ;)

I was safely in Port Lympne in a group of students and it was fun, although a lap under the jeep we could not see many of the animals, because they were hidden.

Always a great visit.
Tapir weekend was especially a success for my family. The keeper was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, this really made our visit.

Absolutely great, but you need to be fit. It's very very hilly.

OMG ! wHAT A BEAUTIFUL SAFARI PARK IN THE HEART OF KENT ! a MUST SEE PLACE !

We had an absolutely amazing time here staying in the giraffe lodge and the fact that the aspinall foundation re-release a number the animals is fantastic our safari guides Chris and Sid were very informative about all the animals and the conservation work the foundation does, I would not hesitate to recommend this place for either a day out or a short stay