The sleeping rhino is so close that I can hear him breathing. Slowly, he opens his eyes, swivels his ears in opposite directions, and hauls his one-tonne bulk to a stand.

Next to me, my wide-eyed four-year-old is mesmerised. “Look at his nose spike!” he whispers, as we watch the rhino scratch an itch against a branch, and flick his tail like a windscreen wiper.

We have the Eastern black rhinos all to ourselves for a magical 10 minutes, which is the kind of intimate moment that would make a safari in Africa memorable, but all the more remarkable since we’re just a few minutes off the M53, at Chester Zoo.

Having access to explore the zoo’s newly-added Heart of Africa zone for a precious hour before the crowds descend is just one of the benefits offered to guests of The Reserve – a new complex of luxury lodges adjoining the Heart of Africa, which seek to offer a little taste of the African safari experience here in the UK.

The Reserve has a total of 51 units, with the big draw being the Look Out Lodges and VIP Giraffe Lodges that surround the giraffe paddock, in which guests can sit on their balcony and watch giraffes, zebra and antelope grazing in the paddock just metres away.

We stay in two of the Lakeside lodges that look out onto a pretty lake and the dining terrace instead – which are more keenly priced and also more flexible for larger groups, offering two or even three interconnecting units.

I love the safari-inspired palette of khaki green, sand and taupe, with fabrics of different textures and beautifully crafted wooden side-tables and lamp stands, and how the super king-sized bed is positioned in the centre of the room to afford the best view.

The accommodation is also incredibly sustainable, with solar panels on top of the lodges generating almost enough energy for The Reserve to be self-sufficient, and living roofs to create habitats for native wildlife.

Attention to detail inside the lodges includes toiletries from ‘green chemistry’ brand Origins, little glass bottles of milk instead of plastic, and even compostable coffee pods for the Nespresso machine.

Several of the top category rooms have copper roll-top bath tubs on the balcony (with privacy screen and kids’ bath-robes provided) to offer guests that oh-so-Instagrammable chance to soak in the bath while watching the savannah wildlife across the moat.

The two VIP Giraffe Lodges even have a feeding platform from which guests can feed the giraffes under supervision at certain times of the day, and a funky shower inside that doubles as a steam-room.

There is a striking main building with an exterior of rich red layers of “earth”, with Amboseli restaurant downstairs and the relaxed Tsavo Lounge upstairs, both named after Kenyan national parks which will be some of the recipients of the additional profit generated by The Reserve.

Guests can choose one of three packages for their stay, which include either a £25 dinner allocation or a full three-course meal at Amboseli.

Service was rather slow during the restaurant’s first-ever dinner service, but the menu of dishes such as pan-seared sea bream, mussel linguine and steak platters was executed beautifully.

Dinner on our second night was a much more relaxed South African braii, with a huge selection of lamb, steak, jumbo prawns and specialist sausages barbecued to perfection on the restaurant terrace beside the lake.

Behind the scenes

Our Savannah Adventurer package saw us spend our first evening on an after-hours tour of the giraffe kitchen with their keepers, before Ezra was able to gleefully stuff hay into a feeding ball which would be given to the giraffes as an enrichment activity the following day.

We also enjoy an after-hours guided tour of the Heart of Africa zone, going behind-the-scenes in the Hidden Savannah building (home to smaller, often overlooked African species like dung beetles and naked mole rats).

Guests on the Savannah VIP package, meanwhile, get to wake the giraffes up in the morning and release them into their paddocks, and take a tour of the zoo’s new International Centre for Zoo Science - the largest wildlife research lab in Europe.

And in between our special experiences, we enjoy the thrill of a private entrance straight into the zoo, and being able to pop back to the lodges for lunch and a rest each day, which makes our weekend far more relaxed, especially with two little ones.

All scheduled activities are escorted by one of The Reserve’s rangers, and just like on an African safari, the knowledge and personality of the rangers is absolutely key to our experience.

The young team of rangers have been in intensive training for a month before the official launch this weekend, and are eager to deploy their facts and stories.

Ezra loves trying to match native species’ footprints to the animal with ranger Eleanor; ropes ranger Sophie into colouring with him on the floor, and is amazed to touch a replica lion skull with ranger Tom.

At one point he has four different rangers taking part in his game of hide and seek (which was not in their training, I suspect).

Supporting conservation

The Reserve has been created by Chester Zoo expressly to raise more money for conservation, and expects it to bring in £10 million of revenue per year, meaning a further £1.5 million for research, reintroduction of species and field-work projects in 20 countries in Africa and beyond.

Pricing for the product is therefore rather bold; at the very top end, a family of four on the Savannah VIP package in a VIP Giraffe Lodge over an August weekend in 2026 might be looking at £3,500.

Rates certainly haven’t put people off: the highest room categories are fully booked until December (though I’d seriously consider the Lakeside accommodation as an alternative; bear in mind the giraffe paddock is home to just two bachelor giraffes, who aren’t out at all times, and our more affordable package felt good value).

But The Reserve certainly needs to deliver something pretty special at these price points – and general manager Adrian Erasmus has been brought in to ensure that that’s the case.

He’s a South African with decades of experience running game reserves and luxury hotels in Africa and the Caribbean – including Richard Branson’s Necker Island and even launching Branson’s Ulusaba in South Africa.

Of course, seeing giraffes and rhinos at the zoo in the changeable British weather cannot quite compare to watching them run free out in Kenya or Uganda, but the quality of the accommodation, the knowledge and passion of the rangers, and the magical moments that we experienced really did remind me of safaris I’ve been lucky to go on in Africa itself.

And in terms of creating a really special experience that makes a significant contribution to wildlife conservation, The Reserve at Chester Zoo is right on the rhino’s nose. 

Book it: The Reserve at Chester Zoo is offering travel agents 20% off published rates for bookings made by the end of August 2026, so that they can add their own commission when selling it to clients. The Savannah Explorer package is priced from £410.83 per night for two adults sharing a Lakeside Lodge for one night in November. The Savannah Adventurer is from £510.25 per night, based on two adults sharing a Lakeside Lodge in November. The Savannah VIP package is from £1,505.69 per night based on two adults sharing a VIP Giraffe Lodge in mid-December. Four of the lodges are fully accessible. For reservations, contact reservations@thereservechesterzoo.com

Now read: Should travel agents sell zoos?