At the end of August, just before the kids went back to school, we had booked a weekend break to an animal park in Kent, and although it's been a couple of weeks since we went, it made such a lasting impression on me that I just had to share it with you!
We had booked it a year ago, a treat from my mum who loves a new adventure and spending time with the grandchildren. My cousin's husband (parents to the lovely M whom I helped to look after as a newborn and then again as a toddler - read about her here) worked as a park ranger in Port Lympne and raved about the new safari experience they were offering at the Elephant Lodge, sleeping in safari-like tents on site with views of the park. Mum excitedly booked two of their large tents, one for us and one for my cousin's family, parents and all, and before we knew it the weekend approached and I thought I had better google it to see what to expect. A mixture of reviews, positive and negative featured on Trip Advisor, along with a meagre amount of photos which made it difficult to know what we were letting ourselves in for! The mobile website written information was better, and I got ridiculously excited about the promise of a private toilet and shower facility! There was some confusion as to whether we had cooking facilities but the couple of photos of the outside and inside of the tent showed that it really did look like a safari experience. However, having now experienced it I can honestly say the information available on t'internet didn't do it justice!
Arriving at the site, we were warmly greeted and a park ranger took us through what was available during our stay. The authentic addition of a South African accent was a bonus and, although some may feel pressurised into booking trips/tours, in hindsight it was essential to get the most out of your stay. We actually arrived half an hour early to the booking-in time but it turned out to be fortuitous as we got first choice of times for the tours! It's first come, first served so if you do decide to book later you run the risk of being disappointed.
Most of the feeding trips are reasonable at £5 pp but there are private ones which, although considerably more, are amazing experiences. We opted for feeding the giraffes at £25 pp, and although I thought it a bit steep, the experience was totally worth it! (More about that later)
We were shown the restaurant where we had planned to have at least two evening meals and all the staff were informative and very welcoming. Jasmine always greeted us with a smile and asked how we were, answered any queries we had and coped easily serving all 11 of us!
Then, she showed us to our tents which were 1 and 2, right next to the restaurant and reception, which was great for my mum who can't walk too far. Tents 1-9 run along the front of the site with an unblocked view of Romney Marsh and right out to the English Channel. There are other tents set back but 1-9 are best for the views. The view was amazing and, just below the fence, was the cheetah and elephant enclosure. The kids were so excited when they spotted the cheetah family, not quite believing how close our tent was to the animals!
The tent itself was fantastic! When it comes to camping, I steer well clear - the closest I'll get to "roughing it" is staying in a static caravan a la Park Resorts. I went camping once with the family as a child and the only memory is that of cold and rain. I like my creature comforts and do not relish the thought of trekking to a toilet/shower block in my dressing gown, clutching a wash bag, sharing said facilities with the rest of the camping site!
But no worries at Port Lympne! Electricity to each tent runs a small refrigerator, lights and spare sockets for charging iPhones or plugging in my trusty hairdryer. We had our own toilet and shower housed in a wooden structure especially built at the back of the tent, accessible from the back two bedrooms - one with a double bed and the other a bunk-bed.
The third bed is imaginatively housed in
another wooden structure in the living area, with shutters to make it feel more private, and then there is a sofa bed which pulls out to another double so the whole tent can sleep up to 8 people.
A three night stay is around £800 at peak season (July/August) but, if you can share the cost between 8, it's not too bad. Although food isn't included, there is a fantastic restaurant by the tents, serving three course meals (if you want!).
Main courses are around £10 but they are freshly cooked and very good quality in my honest opinion. Everyone raved about the Mongolian barbecue so we gave it a go and it makes for an additional experience for your stay. It was delicious but there are equally good options on the main menu. The curry we tried as the chef's speciality was amazing and made to order depending on how spicy you wanted, and the puddings were so tasty!
In addition to your stay, you do get unlimited access to both this park and Howlett's Wild Animal Park (its sister park only half an hour away), plus safari tours when the park is closed to the public. There is a children's play area in the centre of all the tents, a meerkat enclosure at the back to see whenever you want, and also a Scottish cat enclosure where a mesh runway for them goes above the path so you can see them up close. It's a lovely green area, kept clean and tidy, and the kids enjoyed being outside, just exploring the area near the tents.
Knowing that camping can be very cold, especially at night, we came armed with blankets, warm pj's, woolly socks, dressing gowns and slippers. However, I was pleasantly surprised that blankets were supplied and actually with the log burning stove we were fine - on the first night I was too hot and had to take off my blanket! The duvets were lovely and thick and the beds very comfortable - after a day of tours and walking in the park I slept like a log. The base of the tent was simply decking so I was glad to have brought my hard soled slippers, and a trip to the toilet in the night was a bit nippy so a dressing gown is useful!
After exploring our tents, sorting out beds and putting fridge items away, we had our first safari tour at 5.30pm. The meeting point was just outside our tent so we didn't have to go far and, after a quick explanation of what we were doing, we followed the park ranger through the gate and down the path to our safari truck. They used to be army trucks so very large and robust, but with little suspension so were warned about a bumpy ride. Some drivers were careful than others commandeering the potholes but parents with small children were advised to strap them in or hold on tight!
The driver slowed down at each enclosure if the animal was close so photos could be taken, and gave an informative talk of the park as we drove round. Entering the African Safari part was the most exciting as the animals roamed free, and we took it at a leisurely pace, gently lurching over the uneven road. There was plenty to see and the views over the hills were beautiful.
We got back with time for a glass of wine before heading to the restaurant to try the Mongolian barbecue.
The fresh air must have made us ravenous as we all opted for starters, main and pudding, finished off with a glass of Amarula, a cream liqueur from South Africa similar to Bailey's!
Our first night in the tent was exciting, there was lots of chit-chat between us as we snuggled under our duvets, and something magical about knowing the animals were out there, not far away. I woke in the night to the sound of rain but as the tent was so big and double-layered, it was a gentle sound and I soon drifted off again.
We had booked it a year ago, a treat from my mum who loves a new adventure and spending time with the grandchildren. My cousin's husband (parents to the lovely M whom I helped to look after as a newborn and then again as a toddler - read about her here) worked as a park ranger in Port Lympne and raved about the new safari experience they were offering at the Elephant Lodge, sleeping in safari-like tents on site with views of the park. Mum excitedly booked two of their large tents, one for us and one for my cousin's family, parents and all, and before we knew it the weekend approached and I thought I had better google it to see what to expect. A mixture of reviews, positive and negative featured on Trip Advisor, along with a meagre amount of photos which made it difficult to know what we were letting ourselves in for! The mobile website written information was better, and I got ridiculously excited about the promise of a private toilet and shower facility! There was some confusion as to whether we had cooking facilities but the couple of photos of the outside and inside of the tent showed that it really did look like a safari experience. However, having now experienced it I can honestly say the information available on t'internet didn't do it justice!
Arriving at the site, we were warmly greeted and a park ranger took us through what was available during our stay. The authentic addition of a South African accent was a bonus and, although some may feel pressurised into booking trips/tours, in hindsight it was essential to get the most out of your stay. We actually arrived half an hour early to the booking-in time but it turned out to be fortuitous as we got first choice of times for the tours! It's first come, first served so if you do decide to book later you run the risk of being disappointed.
Most of the feeding trips are reasonable at £5 pp but there are private ones which, although considerably more, are amazing experiences. We opted for feeding the giraffes at £25 pp, and although I thought it a bit steep, the experience was totally worth it! (More about that later)
We were shown the restaurant where we had planned to have at least two evening meals and all the staff were informative and very welcoming. Jasmine always greeted us with a smile and asked how we were, answered any queries we had and coped easily serving all 11 of us!
Then, she showed us to our tents which were 1 and 2, right next to the restaurant and reception, which was great for my mum who can't walk too far. Tents 1-9 run along the front of the site with an unblocked view of Romney Marsh and right out to the English Channel. There are other tents set back but 1-9 are best for the views. The view was amazing and, just below the fence, was the cheetah and elephant enclosure. The kids were so excited when they spotted the cheetah family, not quite believing how close our tent was to the animals!
The tent itself was fantastic! When it comes to camping, I steer well clear - the closest I'll get to "roughing it" is staying in a static caravan a la Park Resorts. I went camping once with the family as a child and the only memory is that of cold and rain. I like my creature comforts and do not relish the thought of trekking to a toilet/shower block in my dressing gown, clutching a wash bag, sharing said facilities with the rest of the camping site!
But no worries at Port Lympne! Electricity to each tent runs a small refrigerator, lights and spare sockets for charging iPhones or plugging in my trusty hairdryer. We had our own toilet and shower housed in a wooden structure especially built at the back of the tent, accessible from the back two bedrooms - one with a double bed and the other a bunk-bed.
The third bed is imaginatively housed in
another wooden structure in the living area, with shutters to make it feel more private, and then there is a sofa bed which pulls out to another double so the whole tent can sleep up to 8 people.
A three night stay is around £800 at peak season (July/August) but, if you can share the cost between 8, it's not too bad. Although food isn't included, there is a fantastic restaurant by the tents, serving three course meals (if you want!).
Main courses are around £10 but they are freshly cooked and very good quality in my honest opinion. Everyone raved about the Mongolian barbecue so we gave it a go and it makes for an additional experience for your stay. It was delicious but there are equally good options on the main menu. The curry we tried as the chef's speciality was amazing and made to order depending on how spicy you wanted, and the puddings were so tasty!
In addition to your stay, you do get unlimited access to both this park and Howlett's Wild Animal Park (its sister park only half an hour away), plus safari tours when the park is closed to the public. There is a children's play area in the centre of all the tents, a meerkat enclosure at the back to see whenever you want, and also a Scottish cat enclosure where a mesh runway for them goes above the path so you can see them up close. It's a lovely green area, kept clean and tidy, and the kids enjoyed being outside, just exploring the area near the tents.
Knowing that camping can be very cold, especially at night, we came armed with blankets, warm pj's, woolly socks, dressing gowns and slippers. However, I was pleasantly surprised that blankets were supplied and actually with the log burning stove we were fine - on the first night I was too hot and had to take off my blanket! The duvets were lovely and thick and the beds very comfortable - after a day of tours and walking in the park I slept like a log. The base of the tent was simply decking so I was glad to have brought my hard soled slippers, and a trip to the toilet in the night was a bit nippy so a dressing gown is useful!
After exploring our tents, sorting out beds and putting fridge items away, we had our first safari tour at 5.30pm. The meeting point was just outside our tent so we didn't have to go far and, after a quick explanation of what we were doing, we followed the park ranger through the gate and down the path to our safari truck. They used to be army trucks so very large and robust, but with little suspension so were warned about a bumpy ride. Some drivers were careful than others commandeering the potholes but parents with small children were advised to strap them in or hold on tight!
The driver slowed down at each enclosure if the animal was close so photos could be taken, and gave an informative talk of the park as we drove round. Entering the African Safari part was the most exciting as the animals roamed free, and we took it at a leisurely pace, gently lurching over the uneven road. There was plenty to see and the views over the hills were beautiful.
We got back with time for a glass of wine before heading to the restaurant to try the Mongolian barbecue.
 |
| Amarula cheesecake! |
The fresh air must have made us ravenous as we all opted for starters, main and pudding, finished off with a glass of Amarula, a cream liqueur from South Africa similar to Bailey's!
Our first night in the tent was exciting, there was lots of chit-chat between us as we snuggled under our duvets, and something magical about knowing the animals were out there, not far away. I woke in the night to the sound of rain but as the tent was so big and double-layered, it was a gentle sound and I soon drifted off again.
Read about the rest of our stay tomorrow, including our incredible giraffe-feeding trip!
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