Get up close and personal
Animal Encounters at Howletts Wild Animal Park, Nr Canterbury, not only offer the chance to get up close and personal with some of the most rare and endangered animals on the planet, but also create memories that will last forever.
Honey Badger Encounter
NEW! Are you brave enough to meet the world’s most fearless animal? Howletts is the only place in the UK you can see these amazing creatures. The badgers love new toys and smells so you can create something to amuse them and see their reaction!
Book NowGiant Anteater Encounter
NEW! Meet our Giant Anteaters and discover first hand (LITERALLY!) how long their incredible tongues are. Go behind the scenes to see up close how these amazing animals are built for eating ants. You will see their immensely powerful front legs armed with claws strong enough to break open ant nests!
Book NowRhino Encounter
Enjoy a close encounter with one of our black rhinos. Accompanied by one of our team, you’ll discover more about these magnificent, yet critically endangered species and potentially take part in hand feeding them some healthy treats.
Book NowGorilla Encounter
Howletts is home to the largest collection of western lowland gorillas in the world. Accompanied by one of our expert keepers, you’ll go behind the scenes to see some of our gorillas as you enjoy a guided tour, before taking part in a roof feed.
Book NowTiger Encounter
Get within a whisker of our tigers as you join one of our expert team for a behind the scenes tour to discover more about our Amur, Sumatran and Bengal tigers. You may have the opportunity to join our expert as they feed one of these magnificent cats too!
Book NowElephant Encounter
Meet the UK’s largest herd of African elephants at Howletts and see our adorable elephant calf! You’ll learn all about elephant behaviour, enrichment, anatomy and dietary requirements from one of our expert keepers and may have the opportunity to help the team with an elephant feed.
Book NowLemur Encounter
Enjoy a close encounter with our curious lemurs! Accompanied by one of our expert team, you’ll be introduced to some of our lemurs, hand feed some fruit treats to our lemurs. Please be aware the lemurs may jump on you but are not aggressive.
Book NowLeopard Encounter
Discover more about the leopards at Howletts Wild Animal Park as you join one of our expert keepers for a behind the scenes tour to see snow leopards, Northern Chinese leopards and our Clouded leopards. Please be aware we cannot allow direct contact with the leopards
Book NowTapir Encounter
Join one of our Hoofstock Keepers to learn more about our tapirs and potentially enjoy close contact as you hand feed them some healthy treats. If you are lucky it might be one of those days when they feel like a gentle massage!
Book NowGet a unique insight
Your encounter will include time with one of our expert Keepers at Howletts as they introduce you to the animal of your choice – including, the UK’s only honey badgers, big cats, African elephants, gorillas, primates, rhinos or tapirs. Learn interesting facts, hand feed where possible and enjoy behind the scenes access, as you immerse yourself in our amazing animal world.
Katie Bogue
Words can't describe how amazing this zoo truly is. I had the absolute pleasure of participating in a Gorilla experience. Even though I am terrified of heights the keeper was patient and completely lovely! I absolutely love the Aspinalls and their work with gorillas! All the animals look so happy and well cared for!
Prices & Booking
Our encounters are subject to availability and are extremely popular so we recommend booking early to avoid disappointment!
£75 per person including day admission to the park
Reduced rates are available for short break guests – please check you confirmation email for details.
Reduced rates are also available for those with Howletts or Dual Park Membership. Please call 01227 721286 to book.
Please call 01227 721286, e-mail us or use the form below to send us an enquiry.
Further Information
Regrettably, certain guests will be unable to take part in some experiences including people with relevant phobias or known allergies, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. Please contact us before booking, so we can advise.
Whilst every effort will be made to accommodate those with a disability or learning difficulty, due to practicality and health and safety this cannot always be achieved; please contact us for advice before booking.
Please see our full terms and conditions.
