insideKENT Magazine Issue 25 - April 2014 | Page 108

Go Wild IN THE GARDEN OF ENGLAND CONT.
Port Lympne Wild Animal Park

© Dave Rolfe

Watering Hole at Livingstone Lodge, Port Lympne Wild Animal Park © The Aspinall Foundation

Howletts Wild Animal Park © Dave Rolfe

in the South East of England alone, Kent’s wideopen landscapes play host to the finest natural
habitats, geology, wildlife and species. Even more
reason to recharge, retune, and reconnect with
the natural world.
The mudflats, salt marshes and beaches of the
Swale NNR support rare plants, waterfowl, shorteared owls, avocets and brilliantly coloured
butterflies. At the neighbouring, Elmley NNR,
marshes swarm with bird life, especially between
November and March when large flocks of
wintering waterfowl descend on the reserve.
Just next door, the Oare Marshes Local Nature
Reserve overflows with more birds still, including
lapwing, snipe, curlew, and whimbrel. The wide
horizons and wrap-around views of Romney
Marsh are home to the Dungeness National
Nature Reserve, where beach, shingle, wetlands

and grazing marsh shelter one of the South East's
most significant breeding colonies of gulls and
terns, as well as migrating Bewick's swans and
gadwalls.
The Kent Wildlife Trust cares for more than 61
reserves and their work has resulted in many
successes, including the return of the Adonis
electric blue butterfly, brought back from the
edge of extinction. Passionate volunteers are
always on hand to help, constantly striving to
save Kent’s rich green landscapes. From bluebells
to beetles, fungi to falcons, seals to stoats, the
nature reserves dotted around the county are
crawling with rich flora and fauna, and the visitor
centre at their 17th-century Tyland Barn HQ really
is the ideal place to start your wildlife discoveries.

Wild Animal Park make sleeping under the stars
a reality in Kent. Paired with authentic African
dining and the sounds of the Serengeti waking
you, the private balconies give uninterrupted
views over the watering hole of the safari park,
with stunning backdrop views as far as the Kent
coast. The Elephant Lodge and Livingstone
Cottage are set within the grounds of the park
too, leaving you running wild to explore further
the next day.
What's more, you can also opt to experience a
night in the wild at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation
in Ashford, where endangered big cats roam the
grounds. Not usually open to the public, this
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity means guests can
come face to face, feed and walk with some of
the world’s biggest and most dangerous cats.

Still roaring for more? Award-winning, authentic
African lodges at the aforementioned Port Lympne

For further information on any of the wild experiences mentioned, visit www.visitkent.co.uk

108