Port Lympne Reserve

Your visit to Kent's award winning wildlife attraction

Great days out

Journey to South America, Asia, and Africa on our authentic safari and see some incredible animals along the way. Get up-close with life size prehistoric creatures in the Dinosaur Forest and wander our pathways to discover where the wild things are. Extend your adventure and stay overnight (or for as long as you like!) in one of our unique accommodations.

Explore: the animals

We’re home to over 700 rare and endangered animals, including the largest herd of black rhino in the UK, western lowland gorillas, the only giraffe in kent, tigers, lions, leopards, bears and so much more! With regular animal births and new species coming in every year, there’s always something different to see.

Take a look at our gallery below to see some of our lovely animals, including our adorable new black rhino calves, or see more here. 

Stay in our multi award-winning accommodation

There are so many amazing ways to stay at Port Lympne. Our award winning short breaks range from glamping to a luxurious 4* hotel, or a unique Treehouse stay. Set in this unique coastal location, with amazing views, surrounded by wildlife, it’s a short break you’ll never forget.

What’s more, all profits from the parks and short breaks go back into the conservation work of our charity. So you can enjoy your stay, knowing that you are directly helping our conservation work.

There's so much more to Port Lympne...

We’re not just an award-winning wild day out and we’re not just a charity with conservation at our heart. We take good care of our animals and good care of our guests, too! There’s nowhere in the world quite like Port Lympne.

• Book activities including animal encounters, private safaris and Keeper Days
• Have a party or host your next conference or event 
• Book your next getaway
• Get married at our award-winning wedding venue
• Eat and drink

Explore: Dinosaur Forest

Steel your nerves as you journey through Dinosaur Forest!  Marvel at the tremendous T-Rex, stare at the Stegosaurus, feel the terror of the Pterodactyl, and delight at the sheer size of the diplodocus! Come face to face with prehistoric life-sized creatures in the UK’s largest dinosaur forest and make them come to life with our virtual reality app!

We’re not a zoo

• Port Lympne is a breeding sanctuary for rare and endangered animals and wherever possible we aim to send animals born here to protected areas of their natural habitat where they can live free – just as they should be.
• We always make sure that the animals come first, from enclosure design to diet, no expense is spared. We grow our own herbs and vegetables and source our meat from trustworthy suppliers.
• We design our enclosures with the animals in mind, so there’s lots of natural foliage and furniture to provide shelter and camouflage.
• We never lock our animals into viewing areas, so, just like in the wild, it may take some time to spot certain animals.
• We do our best to provide a fantastic visitor experience, whilst not forgetting the primary reason we’re here – to ensure the survival of endangered animals.

How to get here

Port Lympne Reserve, Nr. Ashford, Kent, CT21 4PD