Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve

Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve in Kent offers a unique safari style wildlife experience set within a vast 600 acre nature reserve. Home to more than 900 animals from over 75 species, the reserve allows visitors to explore large open habitats where endangered wildlife including big cats, gorillas and primates live in expansive environments. Guests can embark on a guided safari across the reserve’s rolling grasslands and woodland landscapes, travelling through themed areas such as the African Experience, Asian Experience and Carnivore Territory. Along the way visitors may encounter animals including Barbary lions, tigers, water buffalo, capybaras and Brazilian tapirs. The park also features attractions such as Dinosaur Forest and a range of restaurants and viewing areas, creating an immersive wildlife day out in the Kent countryside.

The reserve provides a number of facilities to support visitors with mobility needs, although the natural landscape means terrain can vary. The main car park includes a limited number of disabled parking spaces located approximately 100 metres from the entrance. The car park surface is concrete and access to the entrance is via a wooden bridge that includes a ramp. Once inside the park, visitors should be aware that the reserve includes a mixture of flatter areas and steep hills, particularly between the Gatehouse entrance, Basecamp Café and the safari truck departure point. Many pathways are tarmac, while others are wood chipped or run over areas where tree roots are present.

To help visitors navigate the large site, adapted safari trucks are available that include lifts and space for one wheelchair user. These vehicles operate at specific times during the day and can be arranged through staff at the Gatehouse when booking a safari slot. The reserve also operates an on call minibus service for visitors who may find the hills or distances difficult, allowing transport between different areas of the park when assistance is required.

Accessible toilet facilities are available in several locations including the rear of the Gatehouse, Basecamp Café, the Garden Room Restaurant and Baby Doll’s Wood Fired Restaurant. These facilities provide step free access, wide outward opening doors, support rails and lever style taps.

Assistance dogs are permitted at Port Lympne, although visitors must follow the reserve’s assistance dog policy due to the presence of free roaming wildlife. Discounted concession tickets are available for disabled visitors and one free carer is admitted when accompanying a disabled guest with appropriate supporting documentation. Concession tickets are currently available to purchase at the Gatehouse on arrival rather than online.

With its expansive wildlife reserve, safari truck experiences and unique animal encounters, Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve offers an unforgettable safari adventure in Kent while providing support and assistance options to help visitors with accessibility needs enjoy their visit.