
Popular zoo with UK's largest herd of elephants offering kids tickets for £10 – great for families in school holidays
Howletts Wild Animal Park, in Kent, is packed with wildlife wonders, from mighty gorillas and gentle elephants to prowling big cats.
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Get up close to incredible animals without busting the budget
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Howletts is a wildlife sanctuary and home to over 390 animals across 44 species, including Sumatran tigers and Kent's only giant anteaters.
Explore a 90-acre adventure in ancient parkland that is ideal for great days out in Kent with the entire family.
Make your day out even more special with a close encounter with your favourite animal, or a guided walk with expert Rangers.
For the school summer holidays, kids can bag entry for just a tenner, giving families the chance to get up close to incredible animals without busting the budget.
Key highlights
There are plenty of immersive experiences — including a walk-through enclosure where visitors can mingle with free-roaming lemurs just inches away.
Animal fans can also step back in time in the Ice Age zone, packed with life-sized sculptures of prehistoric beasts.
The elephants steal the show — and you might be lucky enough to tuck into lunch at a picnic table right next to their enclosure.
The monkeys are another heart-melter, with a few adorable babies clinging to their mums.
The Pavilion Restaurant offers a variety of meals and refreshments, with ample seating both indoors and outdoors.
There's also a huge outdoor play area where little ones can burn off some energy, plus plenty of grassy spots perfect for a run-around between animal encounters.
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Customer reviews
Visitors rave about the park, praising its spacious enclosures, knowledgeable staff and the chance to see rare animals up close.
Many call it a 'must-visit' for families, with kids loving the hands-on learning and parents impressed by the zoo's strong conservation message.
Taking to TripAdvisor, one wrote: "As a family we always try and find somewhere new to visit! We come across here so we thought why not! And we was NOT disappointed."
"Best zoo we have been too that's not just because of the beautiful place it is but because of the people that make it so beautiful!
Tips for keeping organised during the summer holidays
IF you aren't sure how to keep organised during the summer holidays, then you've come to the right place.
Senior Fabulous Writer, Sarah Bull, has shared her top tips...
FOOD: One thing I find difficult is keeping on top of my kids' constant requests for snacks.
Despite the fact they have one break time at school and then lunch, their demands for food during school holidays seem to be 24/7.
To make things easier, I've decided to bring in snack baskets for them.
They each have a certain amount of food (the same so that there's no arguments) and once it's gone, it's gone.
Not only does it make my life easier, it teaches them that they have to spread things out - and to maybe see if the 'hunger signals' are actually ones of hunger or thirst.
ACTIVITIES: It can be hard to keep your kids entertained - and six weeks can feel like an awfully long time.
One thing to take advantage of is having an outside space. If you have a garden, you can put bikes or scooters in there, or even a trampoline.
It keeps them entertained and also makes sure they're doing some kind of physical activity every day.
If you don't have the space for a climbing frame or added activities, why not give the kids a bucket of chalk and get them to draw on the paving slabs?
Or another one I did was to give the kids a 'magic solution' I needed painted on the wall (it was just water and washing up liquid) to protect it. They spent a good hour doing that!
CLOTHES: One thing I've used from when my daughter, now six, started school is to use clothing drawers for her and my son, who's 10.
On a Sunday, I put all of their clothes, underwear, socks etc in the corresponding drawer for the week.
Usually it's uniform, but I still use the drawers during the holiday too.
It just makes things easier, more organised and less stressful - for all of us.
"From the start it was just the best experience and a lifetime long memory made!"
Another added: "We have NEVER been to a zoo that is so friendly and we as a family love a zoo but this zoo everyone was so lovely.
"We went for my daughter's birthday and the Lion feed was so private which was amazing!!
"Honestly we can't wait to go back and I would highly recommend the zoo!! I would just go back to see all the staff again!! Thank you for making my daughter's birthday special."
A third penned: "Plenty of animals to see! We saw Tigers and a group of lion cubs having a meal. Nice range of animals. It was also lovely to see a Black Rhino.
"Each enclosure provides information about how they are recused and if they plan to return back to the wild. Attention to detail is noticeable.
"My favourite part was the Jurassic display! Life-sized models of animals/dinosaurs, the kids love it!"
The deal runs from July 23 to September 2, 2025.

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