This weekend we did something we hardly ever do… We took a spontaneous trip! On Saturday morning we were thinking of something local to do and I jokingly said ‘Let’s go to the Zoo!’… A quick google later and we realised The Aspinall Foundation are offering buy one get one free tickets to both Howletts and Port Lympne until June 30th!
Howletts Wild Animal Park and Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve are both located in Kent, Howletts is close to Canterbury and Port Lympne is near Ashford.
Howletts boasts over 400 animals, including the largest herd of African Elephants in the UK! We were lucky enough to see Bull Elephant CoCo up close as he cooled himself down on one of the first hot days we’ve seen this summer!
Port Lympne is home to 760 animals and a number of award winning accommodation options including glamping, a luxurious 4* hotel or a unique Treehouse stay. I haven’t been to Port Lympne since I was a child but I’ve now got my eye on a staycation – It looks absolutely amazing!
There’s still a week left on the buy one get one free ticket offer at both parks – If you are thinking of something fun to do this week or next weekend (29th – 30th June) make sure to sign up for your offer code ASAP – Click here to get your BOGO Howletts Voucher and Here for Port Lympne!
But now onto the fun stuff… What did we see on our wild adventure to Howletts?!
We were lucky enough to see lots of the 50 species of animals that live at Howletts, some of our highlights included seeing CoCo the bull elephant cooling himself down playfully in a pool of water, watching the red river hogs eat their lunch and a very majestic lioness climb to the top of her look out! We were also lucky enough to see some tiny baby Gelada Baboons being cleaned and taught to climb by their female extended family!
The grounds of Howletts are pretty big with an impressive deer park in the centre. The deer park is home to lots of species of deer including the hog deer (endangered) and the axis deer. it’s an amazing open space which allows these beautiful animals to thrive.
Another fun attraction at Howletts is the Lemur walk – A private area where lemurs have the freedom to swing above you in the trees or hop along the leafy enclosure floor. Sadly it was a little too hot for the lemurs on Saturday so we only saw them cooling off inside their enclosure but the lemur walk is such a fun idea – We will have to go back again in hope of catching them next time!
Howletts House – The pretty peach building on site which you can catch a glimpse of as you wander around the park – was built in 1784! John Aspinall who set up the zoo in 1957 and opened it to the public in 1975, is now buried in front of the house.
Howletts offers lots of extra experiences alongside general admission – You can book an animal encounter or a session on The Treetop Tour – A high ropes course which allows you to see the park through a monkey’s eyes! They also offer regular animal talks throughout the day and have friendly animal experts on hand around the park to answer questions.
We made the most of the Animals of the Ice Age exhibit which allowed us to get up close and personal with life size prehistoric creatures such as a sabre toothed Smilodon and many more – We learn loads by reading the signs next to each animal on the exhibit and it has inspired us to find some documentaries to watch about the history of the Earth and the creatures that used to roam here – It really was fascinating!
Howletts also has a number of great food options for lunch and snacks – we got some yummy ice cream and ALMOST broke the diet for some loaded fries because they looked amazing!
Howletts and Port Lympne are part of The Aspinall Foundation – A world – class conservation charity, dedicated to protecting endangered animals around the globe, founded in 1984. The Aspinall Foundation’s two animal parks lead the way in animal care, enclosure design, enrichment and breeding success and are designed to be breeding sanctuaries for some of the world’s most rare and endangered animals. As a registered charity , The Aspinall Foundation relies on donations to continue its work saving rare and endangered animals around the world. You can find out more and donate online or of course plan a visit to Howletts or Port Lympne yourself!
For our trip to Howletts I decided to wear a fun Lilly Pulitzer dress featuring Giraffes, Monkeys, and Elephants! – I love the older style white tag Lilly, it tends to have really fun themed prints which are perfect for days out to places like the zoo!
The flower garden at Howletts gave me a beautiful background to take some photos in the dress! I got the dress for a steal in St. Petes, Florida at a consignment store for $16 and it paired perfectly with my trusty birks and straw bag from new look. (currently on sale!)
I’ve shared some photos of our day out at Howletts below – It really was SO much fun and I can’t wait to explore Port Lympne at a later date, we should take spontaneous trips more often!
Don’t forget there’s still a week left to take advantage of the buy one get one free ticket offer at Howletts and Port Lympne if you fancy a day trip!
