Port Lympne Safari Lodges and Cabins

John Aspinall, a businessman, notorious gambler and wildlife enthusiast, once won a park in a card game. Realising a lifelong dream, he stocked the 600-acre site overlooking the Romney Marshes with his favourite Indian and African wildlife. His theory – give animals enough space and something akin to their natural patch and they will breed. His proof – restocking the Gobi Desert with the once-extinct wild horses from his very own park.

All these years later, the Aspinall Foundation is lauded for its exemplary conservation work, both here and overseas. Another result of all this is that you don't need to schlep to the African bush to gander at gibbons, leer at lemurs and make a contribution to the cause. Through years of hard work, this beautiful patch of the 'Garden of England', Port Lympne, has been cultivated into the Serengeti plains. You can not only visit it but have the run of the place after hours with a stay in the on-site accommodation which ranges from camping cabins to luxurious lodges with huge (super-strength) windows looking into the big cat enclosures. If that's not enough, they also have their own hotel, treehouses and romantic forest hideaways.

Wherever you stay, you’re sure of a good night’s sleep – even the most basic accommodation, the camping cabins of Pinewood, come with comfy made-up beds. These little pods in the pines sleep up to four and share facilities, unless you choose one of the handful of en-suite cabins which take the luxury up a level. It’s ramped up further at the other end of the park, where the 19 safari-tent style lodges of Bear Lodge each sleep up to eight people and come complete with open-air verandah, heating, carpets, beds, linen, duvets and fluffy dressing gowns. Private showers and toilets (including for disabled) come attached and cots are provided on request.

Finally, Lion and Tiger Lodges are the most luxurious (and expensive) option by far – the cream of the crop for animal lovers, offering unparalleled 24-7 views of lions and tigers. Inside, you'll be greeted by super-comfortable, stylishly-furnished and decadently decorated places to stay, including an outdoor wood-fired bath!

You can consider the morning grunts and snorts nature's own wake-up call, and the sunrises and views are well worth it too. Stay in the front row at Bear Lodge, in Lion or Tiger Lodge and you’ll wake up to a stunning backdrop of far-reaching views of the Kent coast and beyond the English Channel to France (on a clear day of course). With more wild animals than Noah's Ark, plus a range of restaurants, bars and clubhouses, you really won't want for much here. As the song goes, "it means no worries, for the rest of your days". Hakuna Matata indeed.