I went along to Port Lympne to stay at the Livingstone Lodge as staying in a African type situation has always been a dream of mine. Firstly you start of your adventure by meeting your other fellow campers in the lounge area and enjoying a glass of champagne. You are then led onto a safari truck to start your safari. Before this safari I had already done one around the park and the safari was not really that much different apart from the photo stops along with a talk from the ranger about the animals in a more full in depth way and the safari that you get with your stay does not include a Meercat stop. After the safari we went to Livingstone Lodge where the tents are at. I must admit I was impressed by the tent (Rhino) on my first impression. When I pulled back the entrance and saw my bed I was really impressive. The bed had a set of towels nicely folded with some toiletries on them. The four poster bed was very comfy with its foam mattress however my four poster bed did not have a top to it which was very odd. In the tent you even get an electric heater to keep you warm at night which was very useful. The housecoats was also very comfy and snugly that are provided. Would be good to have some throwaway slippers though. The view from the tent was quite good as well as we were set central to the watering hole however there was a annoying central bush behind the watering hole that did obscure quite a bit of our view and the animals tended to be set right back and behind the bush not that that's Port Lympne thought as they are animals after all. Also the animals never came to the watering hole when we stayed there which was huge disappointment not even in the early hours of the morning as I kept on getting up to check. Me and my husband was also woken up quite a lot by the seagulls and ducks that kept landing on the watering hole and quacking. Also when the keeper in the morning came along in a truck with feed for the animals she fed them quite a long way off from the tents (one feeding far right away from the restaurant and other feed set right back behind watering hole behind the centre bush so if staying in Rhino tent which we was we could not see the animals feeding). Here is a list of all the different tents that you can choose to stay in: Lowest priced tents are the Eland and Zebra (set back from watering hole and behind front tents and next to communal shower/toilet block) and the Elephant tent (sixth tent in front and right of watering hole) which have two single beds (with sprung mattress) (WARNING person that stayed in elephant tent said her bed was so uncomfortable and she could feel all the springs in her mattress). The ensuite tents are the African Wild Dog (first tent in front of safari field from path and in front of big bush that divides from the communal shower/toilet block), Buffalo (second tent at front), Gorilla (seventh tent in front), Monkey (eight tent in front and near to restaurant) and they have single beds but these single can attach together The tents that have a double or four poster in is the Cheetah (third tent at front just left of watering hole), Rhino (fourth in front center of watering hole), Lion (firth in front just right from watering hole) (with foam mattress) but NO ensuite however communal shower/toilet was only down path. If I was going to choose any of these if I went again i would properly choose the Lion tent as was right in front and right to the wartering hole so view looked like it might of been better and their balcony was more forward than other tents but if you want a tent with a ensuite then maybe the Gorilla tent. The restaurant is lovely how it is laid out but I feel that there should be just one long table to sit everyone not two tables. Main table on front of window sat 14 people then there was a corner table that sat 6. I felt that the 6 people on the corner table was left out from the main party/campers. Also they did not have a direct outlook of window. The meal you get is really good. Firstly you have starters of a sausage and some salad then followed by spicy chicken and some fillet steak which is cooked on a open inside barbecue the steak was delicious and melted in my mouth. However I was disappointed by the garlic prawns I was expecting to see big prawns with shell on still but instead of that it was peeled prawns in a luke warm mild garlic sauce in a silver tray. The rice was also just luke warm and there was some salad options to choose as well. Also you only get quarter of a mushroom served with two little cubes of goats cheese why cant they serve a whole miushroom to each I don't know. Also the plates was cold. There was also some fruit on side but not a good amount in fact only 4 strawberries cut into quarters and there was 19 of us staying on site so I felt like I could only take one quarter of the strawberry. The desserts were ok hot pineapple or chocolate cake. After the meal you can all sit do read more

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What can I say about this experience. Just incredible! The day started at 4pm with a glass of bubbly, bags were whisked away to our tent and we began our safari with our ranger, David. David was incredibly knowledgeable and clearly has a real passion for conservation and for all the animals at the park. We absolutely loved the safari, especially the giraffes who came right up to the jeep to say hello. We then arrived at our tent which was beautiful, big comfy bed, fluffy robes and lovely en suite* facilities. We had a couple of hours before dinner so we sat on the veranda with a bottle of wine** to watch the animals - rhino, ostrich, lechwe, zebra and giraffe to name but a few! We chose an en-suite tent (Monkey) which was nearest to the restaurant and also on the front row with a fab view of the watering hole and all the animals. Evening meal was served in the Lappa restaurant where we enjoyed the company of other guests, food was great too and included in the safari price. The next morning we returned to the restaurant for a terrific breakfast, then onto the jeep for another safari and then back to base camp where our luggage had been delivered and then the rest of the day was ours. We absolutely loved this trip, it was worth every penny and I would highly recommend to everyone! * Pay the extra and book an en-suite!!! ** Alcohol is available at the restaurant but feel free to bring your own to enjoy at the tent :) read more