Why are the windows in our Lion Lodge at the West Midland Safari Park so grubby? We soon discover the reason when a lioness comes into view, rears up on her hindlegs and paws at the glass, leaving sandy prints behind.
My husband and I love lions – and no doubt families up and down the land will feel the same way after watching the new Lion King film, Mufasa. Fittingly, growing numbers of zoos and safari parks in the UK offer the chance to stay in special accommodation within the lion enclosure itself – or at least within roaring distance. Here’s how to do it.
We arrive just after nightfall and it’s pitch-black outside. Curling up in front of the cosy electric fire, we’re aware that, while we can’t see any lions, their eyes are very likely fixed on us. Falling asleep takes forever – we are like children waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve – too giddy with excitement about what we’ll see in the morning.
As dawn breaks, we are jolted wide awake by the first guttural roar of a lion. We lie in bed and listen to their deep growls and watch as they prowl past our window – no more than a metre from our feet – on their early patrol of their enclosure.
We decamp back to the living room to eat our breakfast as we watch a lion eat his. An English breakfast provided in jars to heat up in the microwave for us; a large meaty bone for him.
Details: From £830 per night including dinner and breakfast, based on two guests.(wmsp.co.uk).
London Zoo Lodges, in the Land of the Lions
At closing time, as day-trippers traipse towards the exits, we walk against the crowds in search of the lion enclosure. The residents here are Asiatic, 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 snooze on.
Set just apart from the enclosure itself is a picket-fenced cluster of simple chalets for overnight guests. Each has a pine-panelled interior, bathroom, and comfy, unfussy beds. You cannot see the lions from the chalet. But, the male lion Bhanu’s roar easily carries to them.
Once we’ve settled in – and enjoyed a glass of prosecco – we and the dozen other overnight guests are taken on an after-hours tour of the zoo at dusk.
We watch Bhanu relaxing under his heater as if lounging in front of the telly before turning in for the night. We are even shown the behind-the-scenes food preparation area.
Details: From £405 per night including dinner and breakfast, based on two guests.(londonzoo.org).
The Big Cat Sanctuary, Smarden, Kent
With snow leopards and tigers, this site is home to about 40 cats. It is in the process of rescuing five lions from Ukraine. Chalets here don’t overlook the animals, but you can feed them. The safety briefing is key: our guide shows us how to offer them raw chicken drumsticks through the bars, tucking our thumbs into our fists so they’re not bitten off. A hungry lion rises up on to its back legs to its full height and grips the bars of its enclosure with its front claws to snatch a drumstick out of my hand with its canines.
Details: From £840 per night including dinner and breakfast, based on two guests. (thebigcatsanctuary.org).
Lion Lodge, Port Lympne, Kent
Lodge? I don’t think so. This is more Manhattan-style loft. From the wrought-iron stairs, elegant windows to the outdoor, wood-heated Scandinavian bath, it is sumptuous. We sit by the enormous open fireplace and snoop on the neighbours, Kamari and Hasani. On the other side of the glass wall of our living and bedrooms these burly brothers roam around their tree-filled enclosure – and ignore us completely.
We tear ourselves away to drive our electric buggy to the restaurant where we have a dinner packed with produce from the park and the surrounding area. After breakfast, our ranger, Matt, gives us a tour around the 600-acre safari park, stopping off to feed branches to Rosie the rhino and chewy leaves to a tower of giraffes.
Details: From £1,450 including breakfast per night, sleeping up to four. (aspinallfoundation.org).
Keeper’s HOUSE, Longleat, Wiltshire
I’d like to move in. Our cottage overlooks rolling fields that are the West Country’s answer to the great African savanna. Are those ponies out there? No, they’re zebras. Then we notice ostriches and giraffes. Longleat has hosted lions since it first opened in 1966 and now has two prides. None of the accommodation overlooks the enclosure, but all is within earshot.
In the morning, we drive through hundreds of acres of Longleat. A male lion brushes up against our car and saunters lazily along the road ahead of us.
Details: £550 per night including breakfast, based on two guests. (staylongleat.co.uk).
Lookout Lodge, Whipsnade, Bedfordshire
It’s the smallest of squeaks, a baby rhinoceros asking her mum for some milk. We’re touring Whipsnade after hours with a group of a dozen overnight guests. There is no way we would have heard this bleat in the daytime, but after hours the park comes to life in a different way.
After checking in to our Lookout Lodge, a simple wooden cabin with a small veranda, we go for our first of three after-hours tours. The lodges do not overlook the animals, but as I head to the lavatory block at dusk I pass a free-roaming wallaby and a capybara; a neighbouring zebra grazes in a field.
Whipsnade has the majestic Malik, and two lionesses Waka and Winta. Keepers are hopeful for cubs soon. And so are we – any excuse for a return visit.
Details: From £349 per night including dinner and breakfast, based on two guests. (whipsnadezoo.org).
