FAQs

How long does it take to go round the parks?

To fully enjoy the parks we recommend that you allow about 3 hours for Howletts, and about 4-5 hours for Port Lympne.

Do you drive through in your car?

No, your car is left at the car park and you walk through the parks.  However, there is an African & Asian Experience safari ride available at Port Lympne.

Are the Parks disabled-friendly?

Howletts is the smaller and flatter of the parks at 90 acres and is therefore more accessible.

Port Lympne lies in 600 acres of hilly terrain and as a result is quite steep in places. There are, however, selected routes suitable for wheelchair users. We recommend Howletts for our disabled visitors. 

What are the admission prices for the parks?

See current admission prices for Howletts or Port Lympne.

Discounted tickets are sometimes available online for single visit entry. Membership and Season Tickets can also be purchased online or on entry to the parks or alternatively a ticket purchased online can be upgraded to a Membership or Season Ticket at the admissions desk.

What is a concession ticket?

A concession tickets is a discounted ticket available to a select group. These are those aged 60 years and older, any disability or mobility issues and can provide DLA, DWP, PIP letter or blue badge.

How can I book concession or carer tickets?

Concession and carer tickets can be purchased online or at the Gatehouse on arrival.

PIP or DLA documentation will need to be provided on arrival for any carer tickets.

Please contact the customer services team on 01303 264647 for further information.

How can I book a Blue Peter Badge entry ticket?

Blue Peter badges are valid at Howletts Wild Animal Park only and are redeemable on the day of your visit (not available online) alongside a fully paying adult.  

Port Lympne Reserve will no longer accept blue peter badges from the 1^st April 2022.

How can I book Tesco Clubcard tickets?

Tesco Clubcard vouchers are accepted online for Howletts Wild Animal Park and Port Lympne Reserve for standard day admission tickets or annual passes. These are solely redeemable on the allocated Tesco Clubcard booking portal located on the Clubcard webpage.

You must exchange your Clubcard vouchers for a Reward Partner code – we (the supplier) do not accept Clubcard vouchers directly on our booking pages or within our gatehouse. Vouchers can be used for full or part payment for a booking.

Partner codes cannot be used in food outlets, shops or accommodation stays. They can only be used against single visit admission and cannot be used for special events and/or shows and does not apply to and is not redeemable against group bookings. 

Visitors under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult aged 18 or over.

All standard Tesco.com and Clubcard Reward Partner scheme terms and conditions apply, these can be found on the Tesco and Clubcard websites.

Carers tickets: One carer can enter free of charge alongside a standard day ticket.

The disabled person, companion or carer must show the following identification to qualify for complimentary access; Benefit Award Letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (e.g. for Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance or Incapacity Benefit).

To add a carer onto your booking please contact the team on 01303 264647 or info@howlettsandportlympne.com with your booking confirmation number. 

We reserve the right to refuse admission, restrict dates and amend the packages without prior notification.

Check out our handy guides for booking your Tesco Clubcard tickets on desktop and mobile devices:

Booking Tesco Clubcard Tickets (Desktop)    Booking Tesco Clubcard Tickets (Mobile)

Do Port Lympne tickets include a safari?

Standard tickets include access to the safari, walking route only tickets are also available online if you wish to upgrade to one of our Ranger lead safaris.

A safari time is required to be selected upon booking. We advise arriving to the park 60 minutes prior to the safari time, the park gates open from 9:30am.

The safari loading area is approximately a 15 minute walk from the entrance. If the safari is missed alternative times will not be offered.

See current ticket prices here.

Can I get a refund/cancel my tickets?

Unfortunately, all of the day tickets, season passes and memberships available at both Howletts & Port Lympne are non-refundable and non-amendable.

I haven't received my receipt or confirmation

Please check your junk folder and allow a couple of hours for this to come through. If you still have not received your confirmation, please email us on info@howlettsandportlympne.com with your details.

What is the Annual Pass ticket?

See current Annual Pass Ticket prices for Howletts or Port Lympne. You will get unlimited entry to Howletts or to Port Lympne for an amazing twelve months from the date of purchase, plus loads of other benefits. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Please see terms and conditions.

How do I book a visit as an Annual Pass holder?

For Port Lympne visits, please go to the bookings page and click on the pass prebook tab. If you are viewing this on a mobile this would be under the menu tab. 

There is no need to prebook for Howletts visits, simply turn up and show your valid membership card.

I'm an Annual Pass holder and want to book in an additional child day ticket.

The online booking system unfortunately can not process Annual Pass revisits and other tickets in the same transaction.
Separate tickets can be purchased separately, alternatively book as additional pass holders and purchase the tickets on arrival.

How can I update my membership details?

From the bookings portal you can login and update your details by pressing the profile icon (small person).

I'm a member and want to book an encounter?

Members and season ticket holders can book encounters and safaris here.

Can I rent a golf buggy at Port Lympne?

No, unfortunately we do not have any golf buggies that are available for public rental.

Which park is more accessible?

Howletts is the smaller and flatter of the parks at 90 acres and is therefore more accessible.

Port Lympne lies in 600 acres of hilly terrain and as a result is quite steep in places. There are, however, selected routes suitable for wheelchair users. There are reduced admission prices for disabled visitors and assistance is available on request.

How much does it cost to run the parks?

It costs around £5 million per year to run the parks.

What other activities are there?

Gift shops, play areas, experience days & enrichment workshops, keeper talks, and other seasonal activities e.g. Easter, Halloween are available at both Howletts and Port Lympne.

Make sure to visit Dinosaur Forest at Port Lympne.

How many animals are there at the parks?

Howletts - over 390 animals, 52 species (approximately)
Port Lympne - 900 animals, 75 species (approximately)

What do Howletts and Port Lympne do?

Howletts and Port Lympne are extensively involved in exchange and breeding programmes throughout the world and have had many breeding successes for e.g. over 40 black rhinos and over 140 gorillas bred between the two parks. Howletts was the first to breed African elephants in the UK.

The parks are not only involved in conservation at home but across the world with two protected areas in the Congo and Gabon in Africa of around a million acres of forest for the rehabilitation and reintroduction of gorillas into the wild, as well as projects in Java and Madagascar.

The Aspinall Foundation in conjunction with Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks are devoted to saving rare and endangered animals and returning them to protected areas in the wild.

Are the parks open to the public?

Yes. Both parks are open everyday except Christmas Day. Please see opening times for Howletts and Port Lympne.

How did the parks start?

Mr Aspinall founded both parks. He purchased Howletts in 1958 and opened the doors to the public in 1975. He then purchased Port Lympne in 1973 to house the ever increasing population of animals at Howletts and opened to the public in 1976.

How big are the parks?

Howletts is set in 90 acres of ancient parkland.

Port Lympne is 600 acres, including The African & Asian Experience Safari spanning over 100 acres of Kentish countryside.

Can I bring my dog?

To protect our animals and your own, dogs and visiting pets are not permitted at Port Lympne or Howletts Wild Animal Park, except for registered assistance dogs.  Please see full terms & conditions for our Assistance Dog Policy.

How do I get in touch with you?

Please visit our Contact Us page to get in touch.

Do you recycle?

All waste from Howletts and Port Lympne is carefully sorted for recycling off-site. We recycle paper, cardboard, plastic and glass.

Is it right to keep animals in captivity?

Deforestation and slaughter for the bush meat trade are bringing many animals closer and closer towards extinction. It is of course best for animals to live in the wild but until such time that the poaching and cutting down of forests ends, organisations such as ours help secure their survival.

The parks keep the animals in as near natural environments as possible and provide a lifeline for many of these species.
Howletts and Port Lympne have in fact been pioneers in the way we keep animals. Our animals are not exhibits, but live in conditions as close as possible to their natural habitat. For example, our gorillas live in deep straw, simulating the forest floor, which allows them to forage all day for food as they would in the wild. They receive over 200 different types of food and live in family groups. Keepers are encouraged to bond with their animals improving the standard of life for both keeper and animal.

How much does it cost to feed the animals?

Just under £1 million per annum. We grow hay, maize, beet, kale and Lucerne on land that we own. We also have woodlands that are used for harvesting browse for animal feed.

What types of animals are at the parks?

Mostly rare and endangered animals.

Howletts is home to the largest herd of African elephants in the UK and the largest breeding group of Western Lowland gorillas in human care in the World.

At Port Lympne there is the "Palace of the Apes" one of the world's largest family gorilla houses, Barbary lions, and the largest collection of Margay cats in the world.

Both parks have many more rare and endangered animals including leaf-eating monkeys, wolves, tapirs, bongo, red pandas, tigers, clouded leopards and Pallas cats.

See animals at Howletts and Port Lympne

Can I change the delivery address for my adoption pack after I’ve placed my order?

Yes. If you wish to change the delivery address, please inform us within 12 hours of placing your order by emailing fundraising@aspinallfoundation.org, providing us with the change of address details. After this time, the adoption will be in the process for dispatch and unfortunately the delivery address cannot be changed.

Can I adopt an animal if I don’t live in the UK?

Yes. For Europe, please allow 14 working days for delivery; for the rest of the world 30 working days.

Please note: deliveries outside of the UK may be susceptible to customs duty charges which are outside of The Aspinall Foundation’s control. Please make allowances for any charges that may be incurred as The Aspinall Foundation cannot be held responsible.

If I adopt an animal, will I be the only person who adopts the animal?

No, you will not be the only person. The adoption schemes have named animals that act as figureheads for each species. Everyone can adopt the same named animals for each species, and the money raised goes towards The Aspinall Foundation's conservation work. This makes it easier for us to provide feedback on a few adopted animals, rather than many individual ones, and keeps our administration costs to a minimum, ensuring that more of our valuable funds are used for our conservation work.

Please note: the legal ownership of the animal you adopt or sponsor will remain with Howletts Wild Animal Trust who has the responsibility for animal welfare and care. It will not always be possible for one of our keepers to help you identify the animal you adopt if you are visiting our parks.

What animals do you have for adoption?

We have a wide variety of animals for adoption. Simply visit our animal adoption page and choose which one you'd like to support.

What happens if my adopted animal dies or is sent to another collection?

If your adopted animal dies or moves away, we will let you know as soon as possible, by emailing you individually. We will continue to use your donation for the conservation work saving rare and endangered animals.

How is my adoption money spent?

Money from our animal adoptions funds our wider work protecting some of the planet’s most vulnerable wildlife as part of our overseas conservation projects. These funds are used to send rare and endangered animals from our partner parks, Howletts and Port Lympne, back to the wild; provide food, medication and shelter for rescued wildlife; provide protection and monitoring for entire ecosystems and to invest in assisting local communities and education programmes.

We ensure all donations, goods and gifts we are given are spent wisely to maximise their impact in looking after our animals and for our conservation work. We are immensely proud of what we achieve with the resources we have, and we enjoy sharing the results with you on our social media and e-newsletters.

Our conservation work overseas is reliant on public support - put quite simply, we need you! Together we can make a difference.

How do I change how you contact me?

If you'd like to update your contact preferences for email, post or phone, you can contact fundraising@aspinallfoundation.org

How can I support The Aspinall Foundation?

There are plenty of ways to support the charity, such as direct debit donations, one off donations, payroll giving, animal adoption, Gift Aid and legacies.

Find out how you can help.