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Why are the windows at our Lion Lodge at West Midland Safari Park so dirty? We soon discover the reason when a lioness appears, stands on her hind legs, and slams the glass, leaving sandy footprints behind.
My husband and I love lions, and no doubt families across the country will feel the same after watching the new Lion King movie, Mufasa. Fittingly, an increasing number of zoos and safari parks in the UK are offering the opportunity to stay in special accommodation within the lions’ own enclosure, or at least within walking distance. Here’s how to do it.
Rachel gets up close and personal with a lion at West Midlands Safari Park
Only a pane of glass stands between our writer and the King of the Jungle.
The lions prowl outside Raquel’s window – no more than a meter away – on their early patrol of the enclosure.
We arrive shortly after dark and it is pitch black outside. Huddled in front of the cozy electric fire, we are aware that although we don’t see any lions, their eyes are very likely on us. Falling asleep takes forever: we are like children waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, too giddy with the excitement of what we will see in the morning.
At dawn, the first guttural roar of a lion suddenly wakes us up. We lie on the bed and listen to their deep growls and watch them prowl outside our window (no more than a meter from our feet) on their early patrol of their enclosure.
We return to the living room to eat breakfast while watching a lion eat his. An English breakfast served in jars to heat up in the microwave; a big, meaty bone for him.
Details: From £830 per night including dinner and breakfast, based on two people.(wmsp.co.uk).
London Zoo Lodges, in the Land of Lions
An Asiatic lion at London Zoo, where it costs from £405 a night to stay
At closing time, as hikers head toward the exits, we walk against the crowd in search of the lion enclosure. The residents here are Asian, smaller than their African cousins. To capture the feel of their natural habitat, the enclosure has a Gujarati theme, including a rickshaw, sacks of spices and old train tracks for the lions to sleep on.
Apart from the compound itself there is a group of simple picket-fenced chalets for overnight guests. Each has a pine-lined interior, a bathroom and simple, comfortable beds. You can’t see the lions from the chalet. But the roar of the male lion Bhanu reaches them easily.
Once we’ve settled in (and enjoyed a glass of prosecco), they’ll take us and the dozen or so other overnight guests on a night tour of the zoo after dark.
We see Bhanu relaxing under the heater as if he were watching television before turning in for the night. We’re even shown the food preparation area behind the scenes.
Details: From £405 per night including dinner and breakfast, based on two people.(londonzoo.org).
The Big Cat Sanctuary, Smarden, Kent
With snow leopards and tigers, this site is home to about 40 cats. He is in the process of rescuing five lions from Ukraine. The chalets here do not overlook the animals, but you can feed them. The safety talk is key: our guide shows us how to offer them raw chicken thighs through the bars, sticking our thumbs into our fists so they don’t bite them off. A hungry lion stands on its hind legs to its full height and grabs the bars of its enclosure with its front claws to snatch a drumstick from my hand with its fangs.
Details: From £840 per night including dinner and breakfast, based on two people. (thebigcatsanctuary.org).
Lion Lodge, Port Lympne, Kent
From the wrought iron stairs and elegant windows to the open-air, wood-heated Scandinavian bath, the lodge is sumptuous, but the lions don’t notice.
Introduce? I don’t think so. This is a more Manhattan style loft. From the wrought iron stairs and elegant windows to the outdoor Scandinavian bathroom with wood heating, everything is sumptuous. We sat by the huge fireplace and sniffed out the neighbors, Kamari and Hasani. On the other side of the glass wall of our living room and bedrooms, these burly brothers wander around their tree-filled compound, completely ignoring us.
We left to drive our electric buggy to the restaurant where we had dinner with products from the park and its surroundings. After breakfast, our ranger, Matt, gives us a tour of the 600-acre safari park, stopping to feed branches to Rosie the rhino and chewy leaves to a tower of giraffes.
Details: From £1,450 including breakfast per night, sleeping four people. (aspinallfoundation.org).
keeper’s house, Longleat, Wiltshire
I would like to move. Our cabin overlooks rolling fields that are the West Country’s answer to the great African savanna. Are those ponies out there? No, they are zebras. Then we noticed ostriches and giraffes. Longleat has housed lions since it first opened in 1966 and now has two prides. None of the accommodations have views of the grounds, but all are within earshot.
In the morning we drove through hundreds of acres of Longleat. A male lion brushes past our car and strolls lazily along the road in front of us.
Details: £550 per night including breakfast, for two people. (staylongleat.es).
Lookout Accommodation, Whipsnade, Bedfordshire
Simple log cabin with a small terrace in Whipsnade, where the accommodation does not overlook the animals.
It is the smallest of squeals, that of a baby rhino asking its mother for milk. We’re touring Whipsnade after hours with a group of a dozen overnight guests. There’s no way we could have heard this bleating during the day, but after hours the park comes to life in a different way.
After checking into our Lookout Lodge, a simple log cabin with a small deck, we took the first of three after-hours tours. The shelters don’t overlook the animals, but as I head to the toilet block in the evening, I pass a free-roaming wallaby and capybara; a neighboring zebra grazes in a field.
Whipsnade has the majestic Malik and two lionesses, Waka and Winta. The keepers are hopeful of having puppies soon. And so are we: any excuse to visit again.
Details: From £349 per night including dinner and breakfast, based on two guests. (whipsnadezoo.org).