Incredible safari stay on Kent’s famous Port Lympne Reserve

Hog Deer Creek, South East

Hog Deer Creek Shepherd's hut
Hog Deer Creek Shepherd's hut
Hog Deer Creek Shepherd's hut
Hog Deer Creek Shepherd's hut
Hog Deer Creek Shepherd's hut
Hog Deer Creek Shepherd's hut

Property details

Enjoy a unique stay on one of England’s best-loved wildlife reserves - includes entry to the Port Lympne Reserve and Howletts Wildlife Park, a truck safari and use of a golf buggy
  • A magical stay: Located on the amazing Port Lympne Reserve, Hog Deer Creek is a safari stay you’re certain to remember. Thanks to your cosy shepherd’s hut, you’ll enjoy rustic comforts galore, as well as your own private seating area next to an outdoor log burner, perfect for sunsets by the fire. And from where you’re perched opposite the watering hole, who knows what you might spy from your window each day?

  • Go wild: Sprawling Port Lympne Reserve is home to over 900 animals across 75 species. You’ll have the chance to explore the reserve and spot giraffes, zebras, lions, tigers, gorillas and monkeys as you traverse the 600-acre landscape. You can also discover Howletts Wildlife Park, a 35-minute drive away, which houses the UK’s largest herd of African elephants, as well as more gorillas, leopards and monkeys than any zoo in the county.

  • Tasty eats: You won’t go hungry at Port Lympne - enjoy seasonal dishes whipped up from top-quality, local ingredients at The Garden Room Restaurant, or head to Mansion Bar to nibble cakes and pastries or sip a local brew on the terrace, overlooking the landscaped gardens towards the sea. Find lighter bites at one of the several cafés that overlook the animal habitats, or feast on authentic Italian food at Babydoll’s Wood-Fired Pizza.

How to get there

Port Lympne Reserve is located in Lympne, near Hythe in Kent. If you’re arriving by car, you’ll find the reserve about five minutes off the M20 (leave at Junction 11). The nearest train station is Westenhanger, about a 10-minute drive away; you can reach the station by direct train from London in about an hour and 20 minutes.

Good to know

Entry to the hotel's sister site, Howletts Wild Animal Park, is included in this deal. Please present your booking confirmation at the Howletts gatehouse to gain admission. Please note that during the winter season (20th November - 29th March), Howletts is open 10am-4pm on Fridays, weekends and Kent school holidays only.

Please note that the restaurants and cafés are located across the reserve. Reservation is recommended for the restaurants. Bear Lodge Restaurant is open seasonally from April to October.

Entry requirements


The passport, visa and health requirements at the time of booking can be viewed on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website for UK citizens, and on the Department of Foreign Affairs website for IE citizens. It is your responsibility to ensure that you and all members of your party are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents, and in compliance with any other immigration/entry requirements before you travel, including whether your passport must be machine readable or which visas/waivers may be required for entry, such as ESTA for USA travel and/or ETIAS for EU travel. Please also be sure to check the validity of your passport and allow up to 10 weeks for passport renewals.

  • A magical stay: Located on the amazing Port Lympne Reserve, Hog Deer Creek is a safari stay you’re certain to remember. Thanks to your cosy shepherd’s hut, you’ll enjoy rustic comforts galore, as well as your own private seating area next to an outdoor log burner, perfect for sunsets by the fire. And from where you’re perched opposite the watering hole, who knows what you might spy from your window each day?

  • Go wild: Sprawling Port Lympne Reserve is home to over 900 animals across 75 species. You’ll have the chance to explore the reserve and spot giraffes, zebras, lions, tigers, gorillas and monkeys as you traverse the 600-acre landscape. You can also discover Howletts Wildlife Park, a 35-minute drive away, which houses the UK’s largest herd of African elephants, as well as more gorillas, leopards and monkeys than any zoo in the county.

  • Tasty eats: You won’t go hungry at Port Lympne - enjoy seasonal dishes whipped up from top-quality, local ingredients at The Garden Room Restaurant, or head to Mansion Bar to nibble cakes and pastries or sip a local brew on the terrace, overlooking the landscaped gardens towards the sea. Find lighter bites at one of the several cafés that overlook the animal habitats, or feast on authentic Italian food at Babydoll’s Wood-Fired Pizza.

How to get there

Port Lympne Reserve is located in Lympne, near Hythe in Kent. If you’re arriving by car, you’ll find the reserve about five minutes off the M20 (leave at Junction 11). The nearest train station is Westenhanger, about a 10-minute drive away; you can reach the station by direct train from London in about an hour and 20 minutes.

Good to know

Entry to the hotel's sister site, Howletts Wild Animal Park, is included in this deal. Please present your booking confirmation at the Howletts gatehouse to gain admission. Please note that during the winter season (20th November - 29th March), Howletts is open 10am-4pm on Fridays, weekends and Kent school holidays only.

Please note that the restaurants and cafés are located across the reserve. Reservation is recommended for the restaurants. Bear Lodge Restaurant is open seasonally from April to October.

Entry requirements


The passport, visa and health requirements at the time of booking can be viewed on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website for UK citizens, and on the Department of Foreign Affairs website for IE citizens. It is your responsibility to ensure that you and all members of your party are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents, and in compliance with any other immigration/entry requirements before you travel, including whether your passport must be machine readable or which visas/waivers may be required for entry, such as ESTA for USA travel and/or ETIAS for EU travel. Please also be sure to check the validity of your passport and allow up to 10 weeks for passport renewals.

Location and what's nearby

static map

Hog Deer Creek, Port Lympne Reserve, Aldington Rd, Lympne, Hythe CT21 4LR

For decades, the dedicated conservation efforts of The Aspinall Foundation have made Port Lympne Reserve and Howletts Wildlife Park the ultimate destinations for animal lovers. Across the parks, you’ll have the chance to encounter rare and endangered animals, as well as plenty of iconic safari favourites. At 600-acre Port Lympne Reserve, wander the Primate Trail to see the western lowland gorillas, keep an eye out for Kent’s only pair of spectacled bears in the South American Experience, marvel at the herds of deer and Asian water buffalo roaming the plains, and enter Carnivore Territory to come up close with the big and small cats. The reserve is also home to 14 of the critically-endangered eastern black rhino. Check the talk boards when you enter the park so you don’t miss the fun animal talks and feeds that take place throughout the day.
 
At Howletts Wildlife Park, there’s even more fun to be had. Here you’ll find Kent’s only giant anteaters and the largest herd of African elephants in the UK, as well as snow leopards, gorillas, tigers, lions and much more. Get up close with the lemurs at the walk-through lemur experience, or learn more about your favourite park inhabitants at one of the daily talks. That’s not all - head back in time on the Animals of the Ice Age woodland walk and come up close with the woolly mammoth and the sabre-toothed tiger.