What an amazing day out. Got to feed a cheetah and a jaguar. Saw all the amazing animals and got taught so my by a very knowledgeable guide. Lovely lunch after with a surprise guest (see photo). Highly recommended.

Had such an amazing day! My Big Cat feeding experience was breathtaking. I hand fed Black Jaguar Nero and White Lioness Imara.They are so well cared for in every aspect and housed in such pleasant and suitable surroundings for their individual needs. The zoo keepers were very informative and educated us about all the cats and happily answered all our questions. Highly recommend a visit for every cat lover ❤

Just attended the annual open day for the first time. Really impressed by sanctuary and what it is doing to try to conserve big cats in the wild. Sanctuary is also involved with protecting elephants and rhinos in Africa. Can't really put into words how impressed I am with the whole set u would just urge all true animal lovers to check out the Big Cat Sanctuary on it's website.

Luxury lodge VIP stay. We stayed with The Big Cat Sanctuary for our mini moon and wow it was amazing. The staff are above and beyond exceptional and the the keepers are very knowledgeable about their feline residents. The lodges are stunning, even more impressive as you listen to the roar of an African Lion as your alarm clock. :-) The food was very good from the afternoon tea to the 3 course evening meal, enjoyed whilst overlooking a lion enclosure. The bar offers an extensive choice too. The cats are the Sanctuary's number 1 priority and you can clearly see the care and attention each feline receives, which goes far and beyond with their educational and conservation efforts worldwide. The highlight for us was feeding the African Lion, guided by experts, it make you realise up close and personal just how magnificent these cats are. Thank you for such an incredible mini moon. We can't wait to return.

Simply incredible experience. You must book tickets for an experience in advance to enter the sanctuary but to have a personal guide of all their cats and get 2 hand feeds of cats of your choosing (from most of their cats) was truly unforgettable. Our keeper was Simon and he was so nice and knowledgeable. You could tell he really cared and had a great relationship with each of the animals and they are all well cared for. Since the sanctuary is off the beaten track (about an hour outside London), if you're taking public transit you MUST book a taxi in advance (as in a day or several before) or be prepared to walk about 35 minutes between the train station and the sanctuary mostly along a country road with no sidewalk. Worth every penny and minute though.

On arrival, we received a very warm welcome, and we're shown to our overnight accommodation. An amazing, spacious lodge set in an idyllic and quiet area. We unpacked and rested before heading over for afternoon tea. The food was delicious, and the view of the lions as we ate was brilliant. Later on, the dinner we ate was unbelievably good. I have not had many meals that were better! Now, I could write a thousand words about the experience of walking around the cat compound with the keepers, feeding two of the cats and then spending time on our own with them, but that's something that I'm sure everyone will see through their own eyes differently. Enough to say, this was an amazing experience that we will both remember forever. We hope we get the opportunity to visit again.

Went to the weekend open days July 2023 What can I say? This event is clearly meticulously organised and the execution is absolutely fantastic. There was a festival vibe around the main stage and the speakers around the site were a lovely touch, you didn't miss anything and knew what was going on at all times. Signage was clear and maps available all over. There are lots of staff and stewards on hand, a great selection of food, drinks and entertainment, including breakfast and lunch. The stalls are lovely and sell great products. The sanctuary is laid out in a really nice way and has a huge amount in a relatively small space. It was incredible to see so many big cats without walking huge distances. The effort from the keepers to entice the cats out with treats such as frozen blood so they can be seen was fantastic. The keepers were friendly and knowledgeable. We gave a donation to view the lioness enclosure from above and it was a fantastic sight! Thoroughly enjoyed my visits and will definitely be back! Cannot recommend highly enough and supports an incredible cause.

Amazing experience and would highly recommend to everyone. We had a great keeper who was very informative about all the animals we visited and she ensured we had the best experience possible. All the staff were warm and welcoming and both Rachel and I felt looked after throughout. All the animals were well looked after and stole the show on the feeding, very photogenic and vocal. This place is a MUST!!!!!

What a fantastic place. We had an amazing time on our Maya and Willow experience. The guides were very informative and friendly as we're the rest of the staff. Definitely a day to remember and one to add to your bucket list if you haven't done so 😀👍

What a fabulous day we had with Alma on the photography experience. There really is no way that they could have improved. The fast response at the gate, the warm welcome in the car park, the introduction (and much needed coffee) to Alma just set up the start of one of the best days of my life. Although Alma has a special bond with all of these animals, it was clear that there is a healthy respect for them from all the staff. They were all very relaxed in their habitats, and the entire site was meticulously maintained and clean. Every single member of staff and volunteers we interacted with were happy, knowledgeable and professional. Absolutely will be returning, and I'm extremely tempted by the lodges next time, they look great!

A great day. This is a unique experience with your own tour guide, a real variety of all the big cats, no crowds, a real insight into the individual inhabitants and an opportunity to hand feed (safely) a purring cheetah and a stunning jaguar. Topped of with lunch overlooking the lions enclosure. Very friendly staff made us feel welcome.

Had an incredible experience on the overnight stay package. Everyone was lovely, incredibly helpful, and went above and beyond to make it the best stay possible. Gives you an up close experience with all the cats, the kind of which I’m not sure is possible anywhere else, and even got to hand feed a couple of them. 10/10 would recommend to anyone, a must for animal lovers.

The Sanctuary is exactly that, a sanctuary, not a 'zoo'. The open days are kept to an absolute minimum throughout the year but are a necessary part of the sanctuary's existence. The open days raise awareness and much needed funds but the cats do not feel exploited. I'm pleased to say the cats appeared calm, in fantastic health, not bored, or stressed. I would recommend a visit here where, on open days, the keepers are available for questions and are a mine of information.

Before writing this, I read other people's views & all I can say is that those who left 5 stars are spot on. The venue is incredible: the staff are friendly, the cats are so beautiful & the area is well-maintained. Time flew by far too fast; I could photograph the gorgeous animals all day without any boredom. The gift shops are lovely & I left with some professionally taken unique photos to remember this place. I really hope to visit again.

Absolutely worth the visit, stunning cats, always something going on in the arena, plenty of seating spread around, will be going again in the near future. Also a free mini airshow & parachute display going on from a neighbouring airfield.

An absolutely amazing experience! Would recommend so much. Buy raffle tickets! They help with fundraising AND that's how I got to hand feed a beautiful tiger. Will definitely be going again 😀

Truly amazing unforgettable experience. We stayed in the Lion Lodge, very comfortable and has everything you need. Staff are brilliant, Nathan who took us on both tours was very professional and knowledgeable on absolutely everything. Food was lovely, we was made to feel very comfortable and we will definitely be returning next year! Definitely a birthday to remember!

We visited today for their open day! It was a wonderful day from start to finish. There was lots of things going on, food and drink stalls, market stalls selling animal related items, local honey etc. There was a bird of prey display, dog displays, music, lots of educational talks. Members of staff were stood at all the enclosures speaking to the public and answering any questions that they had. It was a brilliant day. I would definitely recommend visiting on an open day! Or even for one of their experiences. The sanctuary isn't massive and there's not a lot of walking to do like at other 'zoos' so it's suitable for all ages. The bonus was that they recently announced the birth of 2 snow leopard cubs! There was a CCTV screen set up so you could see them. All the staff and volunteers were really friendly and helpful. The facilities were all clean and tidy. The items in the gift shop were really well priced too.

The most amazing day. Went on the Ranger for a day experience. Spent the morning with Nathan & the afternoon with Chris. Both are a credit to the BCS. Super informative and their enthusiasm and passion for the big cats is evident. Every member of staff was cheerful and making sure everything was OK. Lunch was a handmade sandwich of your choice, Crisps, cake and fresh fruit salad. Fair amount of walking a slightly physical with cleaning out pens, picking up poo etc but worth every second. If you want to go the extra mile book a lodge and have dinner sitting beside the lion enclosure.

My partner and I purchased the overnight experience. We were warmly welcomed upon arrival, shown to our Lion Lodge and told all necessary information. We had 30 minutes before enjoying afternoon tea with a glass of Prosecco over looking the lions. My only minor comment is that the afternoon tea contained too many sweet foods compared to savoury. Perhaps at least one sandwich would have made a difference. After afternoon tea, we were shown around half of the cats by a fantastic keeper, Nathan. Nathan was a brilliant guide and provided us the opportunity for to feed a big cat. We then had a refreshing drink and returned to our lodge until dinner. The dinner was a little disappointing because the pork belly was the driest and least flavoursome I'd ever had, and the chicken, fish and potatoes were dry and overcooked; although the Tirimasu was lovely. That being said, staff provided a great service and our first drink was on the house. Before going to sleep, we heard the lions roaring through the night which was a treat. The next day, we had breakfast at 08:00. There seemed to be some confusion between tables and the breakfast orders, however the cooked breakfasts were tasty. We were then shown around the second half of the cats and again, our guide Nathan was fantastic. After hand feeding another big cat, Nathan finished the tour. My only comment about the end was the unusual checkout process. We had to checkout through the gift shop, but no one asked us if we had a good stay or whether we enjoyed the experience, or asked us anything really. It completely lacked the customer care experienced in everything else. My final thoughts are; 1. We enjoyed the experience 2. Accommodation was good 3. Customer service was good overall 4. Food could have been better 5. I'm not convinced the value for money was there, however, as I know its going towards looking after the big cats, I'm happy we did the experience

Fantastic place to visit Only open 4 times a year Big cats are beautiful And staff really knows their stuff about the cats . Lots of places to eat and drink Have a wonder around before you pick your eating place . We went to the first place we saw and the food was pants tbh . Can't remember what it was called but it's right at the start . Great entertainment in the square and they even had st johns there who were so helpful to my partner who got stung by some insect . Recommend this for a good day out .

I donate a small amount monthly to the sanctuary and was visiting from Australia so decided to book a big cat experience in May 2023. It was absolutely amazing. Because it was just me that booked, my travelling companion had already returned home, I had my own personal guide, Li, who was lovely and had extensive knowledge of the cats, their history, personalities and the breeds. I fed one of the jaguars and Baikel the huge white tiger. The experience was around two hours and so worth it. The cats were just beautiful, it was actually a bucket list item for me, loved it, thank you Li and the sanctuary.

Absolutely the easiest 5 star review I've ever written! I bought the Big Cat experience for my cat mad partner as a gift for Christmas, and I think I'll be dining out on it for months! Getting to see these wonderful cats up close is a real treat, and hand feeding them is very special too. Our guide, I believe was Izzy, was ridiculously knowledgeable, despite apparently being an intern, fielding all our questions effortlessly. I hope she gets the position she deserves BCS! The whole experience was just first class, the grounds are idyllic the staff are very friendly and the stars of the show, the big, beautiful cats, look very happy, have plenty of space and look in really good condition. Can't recommend this place highly enough!

Beautiful place, well maintained and the cats were so relaxed. The tour was amazing, quiet, just 2 of us with the very knowledgeable keeper Abi who was amazing and giving knowledge on a massive range of topics relating to the cats. Such a fantastic experience and would highly recommend supporting this amazing charity.

What an amazing experience..we would suggest arriving an hour early and having lunch in a nearby pub like we did just to be sure of timings with traffic. We did 4 hand feeds between us - 2 jaguars, a lion and a leopard. All the cats are very content in their surroundings and extremely well looked after. Our experience was just us and a keeper 1:1 and she was a joy to be with for 2 hours. Please support this wonderful place if you can.

What an extraordinary place. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable. I just participated in a 1:1 photography workshop with a professional. Although pricey, it is definitely worth the cost. A reservation is necessary in advance. I would strongly recommend it.