Get even closer
Animal Encounters at Port Lympne
Get even closer to your favourite species on an unforgettable animal encounter. You will join a small group of fellow animal-lovers and one of our expert Animal Keepers, who will escort you to an exclusive, often behind-the-scenes area of the reserve. There, you will be able to ask your expert all of your animal-questions and enjoy an unforgettable animal encounter during which you will have the chance to interact with and - where possible - hand-feed your chosen species.
Giraffe Encounter
NEW Orangutan Encounter
Tiger Encounter
Lion Encounter
Leopard Encounter
Cheetah Encounter
Wolf Encounter
Rhino Encounter
Tapir Encounter
Red Panda Encounter
Meet the Small Carnivores
Squirrel Monkey Encounter
NEW Meet the Great Apes
Meet the Monkeys
Meet the Rhinos
Meet the Gorillas
Giraffe Encounter
Meet one of our expert keepers who will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about our tower of giraffes, while they tuck-in to their feed. Find out about how your experience is helping to support our work with The Aspinall Foundation to protect vast areas of land and return endangered species back to the wild. You may even have the amazing opportunity to feed our giraffes some browse - their favourite snack!
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Duration: approx. 60 minutes
Price: £80.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun |
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| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Time:
Varies throughout the year
NEW Orangutan Encounter
Our brand-new Orangutan Encounter will give you exclusive behind-the-scenes access to our orangutan house, accompanied by one of our expert keepers. You will be given a tour of the orangutans' home, where you will have the chance to view them close up and will learn all about this fascinating species and the challenges they face in the wild. You will then make some puzzle toys or enrichment items for the orangutans and help the keepers to distribute their afternoon meal, before stepping back and watching these gentle primates gather and enjoy their treats and toys.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 12 years old
Duration: 30 minutes
Price: £75.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
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| ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
3:30pm
Available from 23rd March 2024
Tiger Encounter
Get within a whisker of our tigers as you join one of our expert team to discover more about our Amur and Sumatran tigers. You may have the opportunity to join our expert as they feed one of these magnificent cats too!
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 7 years old
Duration: 30 minutes
Price: £95.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
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| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
12 & 2pm
Tuesdays available June-September only
Lion Encounter
Ever wanted to see how impressive a lion is up close? Come and meet one of our expert keepers, who will tell you all about lions and introduce you to some of the lions here at the park. You will then get the chance to get up close and personal and feed a lion one of its favourite treats using just BBQ tongs.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 7 years old
Duration: 30 minutes
Price: £95.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
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| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
12pm & 2pm
Sunday & Monday available June-September only
Leopard Encounter
Want to get a close up look at our elusive Leopards? Considered the rarest cat in the world, these majestic animals are on the brink of extinction, this will be your chance to meet our leopards and keeper to find out more about these amazing animals, you will also get the chance to feed them with BBQ tongs.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 7 years old
Duration: 30 minutes
Price: £95.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ |
Time:
2pm
Cheetah Encounter
Have the amazing opportunity to take part in a feed with our cheetahs! Meet one of our expert keepers who will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about our carnivores and instruct you on how to feed our magnificent cheetahs safely, using the grab sticks provided.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 7 years old
Duration: 30 minutes
Price: £65.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
4pm, summer
3pm, winter
Wolf Encounter
Ever wanted to know why the wolf howls? Or if he really is a savage beast? Meet the wolves and their keeper for a full insight into the secret world of the wolf. You will meet the pack and throw them some food.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 7 yrs
Duration: 30 minutes
Price: £65.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
4pm, summer
3pm, winter
Rhino Encounter
Port Lympne is home to both the Southern White Rhino and the Greater One-Horned Rhino our bachelor boys are housed in our historically elephant building. This encounter will allow guests to meet one of these species and give them a good scratch whilst being able to ask our expert keepers as many questions as they like. Both species being true gentle giants it provides an opportunity to get up close and personal with species that we protect in the wild.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 5 years old
Price: £75.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
12:30pm
Tapir Encounter
Have the amazing opportunity to take part in a scatter feed with our tapirs! Meet one of our expert keepers who will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about our tapirs. Find out about how your experience is helping to support our work with The Aspinall Foundation to protect vast areas of land and return endangered species back to the wild.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 9 years old
Duration: 30 minutes
Price: £50.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
3:30pm
Thursday available during summer only
Red Panda Encounter
A well known and loved species, always a firm favourite with families this encounter allows guests to help feed our pair of Red Pandas with one of our expert keepers. Often only viewed high within the canopy of their natural enclosure, the draw of their dinner will encourage them down to say hello, whilst our expert keepers share their wealth of knowledge on caring for this unique species as well as the threats they face in the wild.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 5 years old
Duration: 30 minutes
Price: £75.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
11:30am
Meet the Small Carnivores
Port Lympne is home to a number of small carnivore species, many of which are shy and elusive meaning this encounter allows guests to view a selection of these species (likely to be Lynx or Serval) up close and personal with the help of one of our expert keepers. Each species has its own adaptations to allow them to thrive within their natural environment whilst also each facing different threats within the wild, our expert keepers will be able to answer all those burning questions whilst you meet some of these individuals.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 7 years old
Duration: 30 minutes
Price: £75.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
3pm
Squirrel Monkey Encounter
Learn all about these mischievous monkeys and how we keep them occupied with a variety of enrichment items and puzzles. Help our dedicated keepers fill some of the enrichment puzzle feeders and give them to the monkeys through the mesh, but beware - one of their favourite treats is live insects! These highly intelligent and utterly captivating primates will solve their puzzle feeders in no time at all, demonstrating just how clever they are at foraging in the wild.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 7 years old
Duration: 30 minutes
Price: £40.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
12:30pm, April - September only.
NEW Meet the Great Apes
An incredible adventure where the guests will be able to spend 90 minutes with our expert keeper visiting all our ape enclosures, where they will meet and learn about all the Gorillas and Orangutans housed at Port Lympne. Each location houses different groups with different dynamics, therefore the guests will have the unforgettable experience to learn all about the animals and the expert care our keepers provide for our Gorillas and Orangutans.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 10 years old
Duration: 90 minutes
Price: £125.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
10am
Available from 19th March 2024
Meet the Monkeys
Port Lympne is home to over 120 individual primates from 15 species, so this experience gives guests a perfect opportunity to find out all about them from one of our expert keepers whilst getting to meet some of these individuals. Going behind the scenes with our keepers, guests will be able to get closer than normal to some of the amazing species housed at Port Lympne Reserve.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 7 years old
Duration: 30 minutes
Price: £75.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thur | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
2:30pm
Meet the Rhinos
Port Lympne houses both Black and White Rhinos as well as our brand new Greater One-Horned Rhino and this experience gives the guests the opportunity to learn all about caring for both species whilst meeting some of the Rhinos along the way.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 10 years old
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: £100.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
2pm
Available May-September only
Meet the Gorillas
An incredible adventure where the guests will be able to spend up to 90 minutes on a guided tour with an expert keeper visiting all of our gorillas housed at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve. Each location which the guests visit houses different gorillas and groups with different dynamics, therefore the guests will have the unforgettable experience to learn all about the expert care our keepers provide for our gorillas, the personality and quirks of each gorilla, the future of our gorillas and the extensive work our partner charity, The Aspinall Foundation, have done in Congo and Gabon to protect, conserve and reintroduce this incredible species.
Day entry to the park is not included in the experience cost.
Minimum age: 10 years old
Duration: 90 minutes
Price: £125.00
Availability:
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Times:
10am
Only available until 18th March 2024. Please see Meet the Great Apes, available from 19th March 2024 for further dates.
Unless otherwise stated experiences do not include day admission. A valid day ticket, Annual Pass or short break booking would be required to gain admission to the reserve where the experience is conducted.
