School trips & educational days out
A school trip to Port Lympne Reserve in Kent will bring your learning sessions and textbooks to life! Whether you book one of our curriculum linked school talks or workshops or set off on a self-guided adventure, your class will enjoy a fun and educational day out of the classroom!
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve supports the work of The Aspinall Foundation (charity number 326567). The Aspinall Foundation's projects protect endangered animals and their habitats as well as returning animals bred at Port Lympne to protected areas in their ancestral homelands. By choosing Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve for your Kent school visit, your students will be supporting real conservation! If you would like to help us further we can provide some fundraising ideas for your school, please contact us.
What's Included?
Port Lympne Reserve is home to over 900 rare and endangered animals, including the largest herd of black rhinos in the UK, western lowland gorillas, the only giraffes in Kent, big cats, primates and bears.
As well as all the amazing animals in our 600 acre reserve, your students will discover our BIG attraction Dinosaur Forest, play parks, the Port Lympne Hotel gardens and more. You can also join in our FREE animal talks.
To help your school trip run smoothly we offer free admission for one teacher/supervisor with every 5 paying children. We also provide plenty of free parking for coaches and free admission for your coach drivers. Two free familiarisation tickets are available for teachers to visit the park and pre plan the best routes to take and complete risk assessments.
Education Workshops & Safari
Our curriculum linked school talks and workshops cover a variety of topics for all key stages. Choose from a range of interactive animal talks and workshops or book a safari tour to make your Kent school trip even more memorable!
Book an education workshop or safariPrices
|
Entry only |
Entry + Safari |
Details |
|
|
School child |
£10 |
£13 |
3-15 years |
|
Student |
£11 |
£14 |
16 years+ |
|
Teacher or TA |
£10 |
£13 |
One admitted free per 5 paying children |
June 2019
The Forest School, Horsham
A big thank you from the Forest school in Horsham for our visits this week! We had two amazing days visiting your Safari park. Your staff were so helpful & knew information about Port Lympne which we all found very interesting, along with the animals of course. Thank you to you & your first aider (apologies that I didn't catch his name) for our unfortunate situation on Tuesday, but it was dealt with efficiently & quickly and the young man is well and full of energy once more!! We will be looking into more trips in the future for the school & our families. Thank you once again for making a wonderful experience for the boys and staff.
April 2019
Fort Pitt Grammar School
I am just writing to thank you and your staff for a very successful A level visit to the Park yesterday. Our students thoroughly enjoyed their day and gained a lot for their A Level studies. In particular, I would be very grateful if you could pass on my thanks to your Ranger who delivered excellent talks to our students. She pitched the talks at just the right level and made conservation work come alive for our students. They were really interested in everything she spoke about and I think that they were really surprised by the sheer amount and variety of the conservation work you do.
Pre Arrival
Pre visit tickets
Once you've completed your booking, we offer two free familiarisation tickets for teachers to visit the park and pre plan the best routes to take and complete risk assessments. We can also arrange for one of our Rangers to meet you to discuss your visit.
Risk Assessment
We have completed our own comprehensive risk assessments to assist you with your visit. Risk assessments are also available with your booking confirmation.
Download risk assessment
What to wear
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve is set in 600 acres, some of which is hilly. Sensible footwear for lots of walking and rucksacks for carrying packed lunches are advised. Children need to come to the park prepared for all weathers. Please note that covered areas are limited at the park.
Lunch Facilities
There are many picnic areas in the park which are available on a first come first served basis. If you have any special requirements for lunch, or require a packed lunch please let us know and we’ll be delighted to arrange.
Accessibility
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve is a combination of flat and hilly terrain. For those needing assistance, the park has an on-call minibus service that can transport you to any area required. Wheelchair accessible toilets are available in four different locations around the park. A number of our safari trucks also have a wheelchair lift; should this be required please let us know.
Supervision
We offer one free adult admission for every 5 paying children to ensure that your school group has adequate supervision. We do not allow groups of unaccompanied children in the park. To assist in maintaining a safe and comfortable environment for all our visitors we ask that all pupils are effectively supervised at all times.
Getting here
Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve lies on the B2067, approximately 5 minutes from J11 of the M20. It is a short distance from Ashford, Canterbury, Folkestone and the south coast of Kent. For SAT NAV please us CT21 4LR.
Opening times
Summer (1 April - 27 October) Open 9:30am to 6:30pm. Winter (29 October - 31 March) Open 9:30am to 5pm. On Christmas Eve we're open from 9:30am to 2pm.
Coaches
We have ample space for coaches in our visitor car park. Parking is free and coach drivers have complimentary access to the Reserve.
Plan your day
Need further help to plan your day? We have some resources to help you.
See some sample itineraries below to help plan your time.
Sample Itinerary One:
Sample Itinerary Two:
Sample Itinerary One:
|
10:00 |
Arrive |
|
10:30 |
Safari, drop off at Carnivore Territory |
|
11:30 |
Free time to look round Carnivore Territory and Dinosaur Forest |
|
12:30 |
Lunch at Carnivore Territory |
|
13:00 |
Walk through Primate Trail and Basecamp to get back to Exit. |
|
14:00 |
Split into two groups of 15 to go into the Gatehouse gift shop. Whilst one group is shopping another group can look at the lions and tigers. Then swap over. |
|
14:30 |
Depart |
Price Breakdown:
Admission - 30 x £9.00 = £270.00 (teachers free of charge as 1 free for every 5 pupils)
Safari - 30 x £6.00 = £180.00
TOTAL - £450.00
Sample Itinerary Two:
|
10:00 |
Arrive |
|
10:30 |
Conservation Talk |
|
11:15 |
Safari, drop off at Carnivore Territory and Dinosaur Forest |
|
12:15 |
Lunch at Carnivore Territory |
|
13:00 |
Walk through Primate Trail, Basecamp and back to Exit. |
|
14:00 |
Depart |
30 children and 4 teachers.
Price Breakdown:
Admission - 30 x £9.00 = £270.00 (teachers free of charge as 1 free for every 5 pupils)
Safari - 30 x £6.00 = £180.00
Talk - 1 x £60.00 = £60.00
TOTAL - £510.00
Frequently asked questions
Below you'll find a list of our most commonly asked questions:
Are there any free public talks we can attend?
All the public talk times are marked on the information boards located around the park. They can also be found on our app! Please note that depending on time of year and bookings on the day there may not be any public talks on the day of your visit.
What if one of our pupils go missing?
We do ask that all children under the age of 16 are supervised by an adult at all times. However, if one of your pupils does get separated from your group please contact the main office on 01303 264647 or speak to any member of staff and we will assist you.
What if someone in our group requires first aid?
We have a number of trained first aiders in the park. In the unfortunate situation you require a first aider then please contact the main office on 01303 264647 or speak to any member of staff and we will arrange a first aider to come to your location.
I have a pupil that requires a wheelchair, would this be a problem?
Port Lympne Reserve is a combination of flat and hilly terrain. For those needing assistance, the park has an on-call minibus service which can transport you to any area required. Please contact any member of staff if you require assistance and this will be arranged.
We have toilets in four different locations around the park (male/female/disabled/baby change). Our main entrance and our Basecamp and Pinewood cafés are wheelchair accessible. A number of our safari trucks also have a wheelchair lift, should this be required please let us know.
Are we able to visit the gift shop when we visit the park?
Yes! We do ask that teachers supervise pupils in our gift shop at all times. Numbers may need to be limited if you are attending in a large group. Our staff will be happy to assist in accommodating your school group.
Is there anywhere we can eat our lunch?
There are many picnic areas in the park which are available on a first come first served basis. If you have any special requirements for lunch, or require a packed lunch please let us know and we’ll be delighted to arrange.
Is there an option to book overnight stays for school groups?
Yes, our Pinewood Camping Pods and Bear Lodge are able to facilitate residential school groups. For more information give our bookings team a call on 01303 234112 or email us at shortbreaks@aspinallfoundation.org.
