Ethical and beautiful. The hike trail is amazing but if you take the bus tour a giraffe can come…read moreright up to the bus! The bus has no windows so it could probably reach its head through! If you're not up for that the hike is better. The only thing is there are a couple animals where you can't get your hopes up about seeing them... the tapirs are always hiding and so are most of the smaller cats. But that doesn't take off a star! It can actually be more fun for kids to stop for a minute and look for them! You can make it a game!!! It's a wonderful place to visit!

Port Lympne reserve is a amazing place to see animals in vast open spaces and I do highly recommend…read moreto anyone that particularly wants to see a rhino in a large open area or deer type animals but if you are expecting to see penguins, elephants, lemurs etc then this is the zoo for you. Also the zoo is so vast you cant really walk it as some areas are just for the safari truck tours. However you can easily walk to the gorilla viewing area and pass the rhino area by foot and some wild cats. You can also get to the dinosaur park easily on foot and the dinosaur park is a must to do. Ok you say its just plastic dinosaurs but they are so well done and gives you a real scale of how big a dinosaur was and there are so many dinosaurs even some I have never heard of so I highly recommend anyone to go and see these amazing plastic dinosaurs so interesting. The best I have ever seen however it might be a good idea if they could add some dinosaur noise throughout the woods via speakers. So if you want to go on a mini safari, see rhinos or deer type animals or even have a stay with a difference in a tent or tree house then I highly recommend to go along to Port Lympne.

It's a nice enough aquarium, no great change since it's days as the SeaLife Centre so you know what…read moreto expect before you walk in and there are no big surprises. The kids will love it but it's a bit pricey for the time you'll spend there.

As the name suggests this is a site that contains large tanks filled with fish and other creatures…read morefrom the sea. It was originally called the Sea Life Centre. Many of the exhibits have been donated by local fishermen who have caught the fish in their nets. A very interesting place to visit for young and old. Good parking nearby. My only complaint is that it is fairly expensive to get in but you can spend quite a long time looking around.

the rare species conservation centre is home to several types of animal that need protection from…read moreextinction. birds bali starling cuban flamingo king vulture madagascar teal rhinoceros hornbill scarlet ibis toco toucan victoria crowned pigeon western crowned pigeon mammals asian short clawed otter binturong brazilian ocelot clouded leopard cotton top tamarin crowned lemur fat tailed dwarf lemur fossa goeldi's monkey jaguarundi lesser anteater malayan tapir owston's civet potto pygmy slow loris red ruffed lemur ring tailed lemur sun bear western grey bamboo lemur white cheeked gibbon new for 2008 fishing cat great hornbill pileated gibbon wrinkled hornbill reptiles & amphibians chinese alligator golden mantella radiated tortoise tomato frog

The Rare Species Conservation Centre at Sandwich may not be very big but it contains many animals I…read morehad never heard of let alone seen. Having wandered around once we had a drink in the cafe and then wandered around again and different animals had come out because they were being fed. The 12 year old with me loved the bears and the snow leopards and I was amazed to see binturongs for the first time.

I got my day here as a birthday present, and it ranks as one of the best I've ever had…read more The Wildlife Centre is open for visitors on a timetable, and I'm sure it is worth a visit then, too, when you get to wander round and see the animals of the UK in their enclosures: Red squirrels, wildcats, foxes, otters, polecats,badgers, stoats - names that echo in your head. But the real fun is to be had when they are closed to the public. During the year, they organise photography days when the Centre is closed to the public. Then, in a small group with a keeper, you get to go inside the enclosures with the animals, the keepers work with the animals and you get the most amazing photos. I'm not a wildlife specialist, but I enjoyed this day more than I can describe in a short review.

I went along many years ago to this nature reserve and back then I really like it but now I love…read moreit. It seems to off got bigger with more enclosures and wildlife areas to watch birds at. So many sitting points around the park so you can relax and listen/watch the many animals. I especially love the red squirrel enclosure. Apparently there is only 2 Red Squirrel enclosures in England this one and the one in Escot both designed by the British Wildlife Centre. I have been to both and I would say that this original one is the best. The red squirrels run around you and sometimes on you so funny and amusing. There is several benches in the enclosure you can sit and watch the playful squirrels running around and eating at their feeding stations. This time around I went on a photography course. This course only takes place when the nature reserve is not open to public so you and approx 10 others that are on the photography course will have the park all to yourselfs. The course needs to be boked in advance and there is only a number of dates throughout the year. You are not taught in how to use your camera but I am sure if you asked questions the photographer might be able to assist you but what the photography day does do is allow you to get up closer to the animals by entering their enclosures ie otters, foxes, wild cats, etc. You get to photograph many animals during the day I especially loved it when he brought out the field mouse to photograph. I will deff visit the British Wildlife Centre again to chill and watch birds from the nature reserve area around the pond and to visit the red squirrrel enclosure again as that was amazing!.

The park itself is nice: it is not aiming to overwhelm with lots of animals in tiny cages but goes…read morefor a moderate number with (reasonable) space. The Q&A sessions help educate kids about endangered species and the parks effort to preserve the ecosystem. Unfortunately, the message seems to end where their own setup is concerned. The vegetarian food options are terrible, the slushies come in throw-away plastic containers and condiments are individually packaged. The worst, however, is getting there: if you go via public transport, you are facing a daunting 500m walk on a country road with no sidewalks. We literally had cars queuing up behind us. This just sends a terrible message: yeah, we are preserving rhinos but we cannot be bothered to support public transport at home. The park desperately needs to work this out (maybe get the council involved).

Wingham Wildlife Park gets better and better each time I visit with new animals / enclosures and…read morechanges to the park. I love this wildlife park it is my favourite places to visit to see and interact with animals and to watch the otters train and listen to the talk. Wingham is a lovely zoo with many different animals from otters to lions, it's a very clean zoo, well laid out, has great areas for picnics next to lovely ponds/lakes, great play areas for kids and staff are always very friendly and happy. The animal enclosures are all very clean and most of the animals look happy. I especially love the otter areas. At present there are baby otters so adorable. The only caged areas I don't like at Wingham is the big cat enclosures I feel they are too small and has not got enough climbing frames/trees for the big cats to enjoy so they do not seem very happy in particular the jaguar but their enclosures are very clean. But saying this about the cages least for instance the lions that where rescued from a circus has got a much better live now at Wingham. Also I feel that perhaps the penguin enclosure needs a update perhaps make it more of beach type area like London Zoo however penguins do seem very happy though in their enclosure and they have had many baby penguins over the past couple of months even the gay penguins brought up a baby penguin that they adopted, so cute. At this zoo you can also interact with quite a few of the animals from feeding (food at a cost) wallabies, goats, reindeer, koi, meerkats etc. Amazing. You can also interact with snakes, spiders and lizards at certain times. They also have many animal experiences that you can pay from such as a penguin encounter. I done a ring tailed lemur experience and it was the most amazing animal experience I have ever paid for and I have done quite a lot of varied animal experiences. The lemurs jump all over you for their food (bananas and carrots). It was amazing I had them on my head, bottom of my legs, on my back just everywhere. I will definitely be doing the lemur experience again next year. The keeper was also very nice and very knowledgable so she made the experience ever more of a joy. As I mentioned before I have visited Wingham time and time again and would still do I highly recommend a visit to anyone.

We first visited this park at the beginning of the year,and were so impressed we actually bought an…read moreannual family membership! For 2 adults and 1 child (we also have 2 babies but we didnt have to pay for them) was under £80 for the year, if you use a website called discountbritain to get voucher for cheap entry, and also buy a calendar from Howletts when you arrive, which has a voucher for 25% discount on membership in the back - well worth the couple of quid for the calender. As a member you also receive newsletters with money off vouchers throughout the year, with updates on births etc at the park, which is always a welcome item of post in our house! Anyhow, back to the park- there is such a lovely variety of animals here, in generous enclosures, that you feel they are living in surroundings as close to they would in the wild, which I feel is very important. I have been to many animal parks in the past, but never have I got so close to the animals - be sure to try out the lemur enclosure!! The staff are extremely friendly, and always willing to answer any questions you may have. The childrens play area is lovely, with a clean sand pit and lots of climbing apparatus, next to a lovely green to sit and have a picnic.

Excellent animal park, we visited a couple of weeks ago, and really enjoyed it…read more If I were to have any criticisms it would be some of the cages seem a bit overgrown with bushes on the fences which means the view into the pens is limited, other than that the majority of the refreshment stands were closed (I realise we visited out of season) and the ones that were open didnt have much stock (a choice of 2 ice lollies) But they are only small gripes and it certainly didnt spoil our day out there. You can use Tescos deals tokens in payment to get in meaning its a free day out!

don't rely on the map for directions- look them up on the farms website…read more I have to state now, that i am a volunteer for the woodlands farm trust and have been for the last 5 years, so my apologies if this contravenes qypes t's and c's! the woodlands farm trust is a charity run by volunteers, and open to the public. they have quite a lot of animals, mainly sheep and cows. i find this farm extremely well run, and there is always something to do. if you fancy volunteering and getting a little dirty, then go down and give it a try. it's an ideal place for the family, as well as school visits. the woodlands farm trust also has open days, but check the website for further info. its free to get in, but the farm actually relies on donations, so please give genorously!

Had a nice trip here, it was easy to find, had plenty of parking and the signage was clearread more

Hemsley is a new conservation zoo that has just started up in Kent so at present there is not many…read moreanimals and the whole area is very small. However don't let this put you off as I highly recommend to anyone to visit as the way they have laid out their small zoo is so unique and quaint. I love the way it looks like you are in some sort of African village with its huts. Each hut contains a different animal and some animals you can't even see at other zoos in England due to it being so unique for example they have two male tree porcupines and two kinkajous (and one which loves going out in the day which they don't usually). They also have many experiences feeding meercats, feeding the tree porcupine, feeding the kinkajou, feeding lemurs and interacting with reptiles with many others to be added. You can either buy before your visit or you can buy on day (at a cheaper rate if they have a time slot available for the animal you wish to do a experience with). I done the tree porcupine and I highly recommend to anyone to do it they are so unique and different to any other porcupine / hedgehog. Also these are the only tree porcupines in the whole of England. You can also do on day feed the Lorikeets for £1 a pot ask at front desk. However if feeding animals is not your thing you can adopt a animal instead. All money raised helps the young team of people that run the conservation in being a big part in the ongoing battle to protect and save threatened animals and their habitats. They are looking to expand in the next couple of years with many new endangered animals / species to join them. Some future animals on the list to joint hem is the wolf, wild cats and bear cat. The staff are very knowledgeable and a pleasure to speak to especially James who was so interesting and knew everything about the animals on site. I highly recommend anyone that loves animals to go along and see the animals and Hemsley.

Had been there before, and forgotten about it! It was not until I returned that I realised this was…read morenot a Zoo! It is a Farm come Caravan Park come Tea room,and Old Granary now a differently used menagerie, with a gift shop and a Butchers shop not arrived yet, with a tea room outside and inside seating. There are naughty chickens and roosters wandering around with a museum of old Farm implements there too.!

We are visiting from America and heard about hobble down from a travel site. I have to say, I was…read moreincredibly impressed. This attraction definitely exceeded my expectations in every way. Even with Covid going on, they have managed to create an incredible experience. The photos on their website definitely do not do this place justice. In fact, their marketing could probably use some elbow grease because this place is amazing and you would have no way of knowing it unless you go! We have been in the UK for months now, and this was definitely a highlight of the trip. I brought my five-year-old son, expecting a little more than a petting zoo and themed playground. This is really so much more. I know I have great photos of lemurs stepping on my shoes, albino wallabies, exotic birds, and impressively huge bunnies. My son was also able to see meerkats and prairie dogs up close and personal which he loved. The playgrounds, or nothing short of amazing. My son loved the tiny playground in the cafe area. Imagine his surprise, when we turned a corner and saw the massive water pillow, swing rides, flying castle, high ropes.... AND A huge sand & water play area. He didn't want to leave!!! So, amazingness aside, here are my tips: - for now, don't forget your mask. They do have the café and shop that require them. - Grubby clothes for sand/water play. Are usually dust my son with a tad but of baby powder because sand won't stick to it. You may want to bring a wet bag and change of clothes. (Yo, Hobbledown managers- I would have spent a fortune on clothes Who is covered in wet sand, if you had some in your shop!) - Feel free to bring sand play toys. There are a few here but they are limited and chained to specific areas. Next time we go, we will be bringing our own Sandcastle, shovels and dam-building toys. (Again, can't believe they don't sell these in their shop!) - there's hand sanitizer & hand washing stations everywhere. No need to bring that giant bottle of hand sanitizer with you. As I said, we had an amazing time here. The staff were all friendly with the kids and the experience was an A+ in my opinion. My son has not stopped asking when we can go back.

was really excited to see the capybaras but they were actually disgusting creatures that roll…read morearound in the mud. the experience was dirty so be prepared to get your shoes and clothes muddy and gross. one of the capybaras rolled around in the mud and started shaking near me. super unsanitary and ruined my perception of capybaras, i didn't know they were such dirty animals. they do not look like the cute tiktoks. our tour guide was very good though and knew a lot about capybaras. she was nice