Knepp Wilding

Knepp Wilding Guided wildlife safaris and luxury campsite in the heart of the Knepp Rewilding Project

The Knepp Wildland Project is a pioneering experiment in habitat creation, the largest of its kind in lowland Europe. Part-funded by Natural England it is at the cutting edge of current environmental thinking in terms of landscape-scale restoration which allows natural processes – driven by large ungulates – to take place on a significant and influential scale. Over the course of little over a dec

ade, since the project began, we have seen a remarkable come-back of species, many of them red data species or nationally scarce. We can now boast 2% of the UK’s population of nightingales and one of the largest populations of purple emperor butterflies. From observing just these two species at Knepp, ecologists have gained new insights into their behaviour and habitat needs, demonstrating that the Knepp Wildland Project, with its open-ended, non-goal orientated ethos, has ground-breaking scientific value. Join us on one of our vehicle-based safaris or guided walking tours and experience our profusion of birds, mammals, butterflies, beetles, reptiles, plants and fungi in a setting that feels as wild and dynamic as the African bush. Stay in one of our beautiful shepherd’s huts or luxurious tents, or simply pitch your own in our exclusive Wildland campsite. You don’t have to take one of our safaris to stay here, and you don’t have to stay here to take a safari – though naturally we hope you’ll be tempted to combine the two. For reasons of safety and to ensure quiet observation of our wildlife we operate a 12yrs+ policy.

02/06/2026

Meet Reuben Martin, an amazing seventeen-year-old herpetologist who has been monitoring Knepp’s snakes and lizards with his father Tim. 🐍

Reuben’s ability to read a landscape and know where snakes and lizards lurk is extraordinary.

He is passionate about communicating the wonders of these secretive creatures to those of us who may be a little less certain of their charms.

Reuben and Tim join Isabella Tree for the latest episode of the Knepp Wilding Podcast, ‘Snakes and lizards’

Listen to the new Knepp Wilding Podcast wherever you get your podcasts – out now.

📹 Charlie Burrell

28/05/2026

Did you see this on Springwatch last night? This is the nest featured in the White Stork Project’s live web cam.

This clip shows the remarkable way that white stork parents keep their chicks hydrated in a heatwave. The chicks are exposed in the nest, and can’t yet fly to find their own water, so the parent gathers up water and ‘hoses’ it into the chicks’ beaks.

Tonight, White Stork Project manager Laura Vaughan-Hirsch will be on Springwatch explaining the amazing story of Knepp’s white stork colony.

Tune in at 8pm on BBC 2.

Even better, join us on a White Stork Safari yourself. Link in bio.

27/05/2026

Ever wondered how the Springwatch team prepare for their live broadcasts from remote locations? We went behind the scenes with them in the beaver habitat to find out.

BBC Springwatch are broadcasting from Knepp all this week, until Thursday.

They’re covering some of the most exciting species who have made Knepp their home – from purple emperor butterflies and nightingales to white storks and beavers and more.

Tune in at 8pm on BBC 2 or catch up with the episides on iPlayer.

20/05/2026

Let’s hear it for bees on World Bee Day! 🐝

Everyone loves a honeybee, but we’re championing other bees, like bumblebees and solitary bees including mining bees, mason bees, and hairy-footed flower bees. They’re brilliant pollinators and they need our help.

In our Rewilded Walled Garden, our gardening team has been creating ‘bee banks’ by placing piles of fine sand around which native solitary bees like to burrow into.

Here’s how you can help bees at home:

Carefully drill different sized holes into wooden things like a timber gate posts. Different bees like different hole diameters, so creating a range of openings will support a diversity of species.

Love weeds! Thistles and foxgloves are perfect for long-tongued bumblebees, while brambles, goat willow and hairy bittercress are great for short-tongued bumblebees.

Be(e) sceptical about signs on garden-centre plants which say ‘perfect for pollinators’ – some may have been grown in nurseries using insecticides. Choosing reputable, independent and organic nurseries is a good idea. Or even better, grow from seed yourself.

Avoid pesticides. And be mindful about flea-killer on pet cats and dogs too.

Visit our Rewilded Walled Garden or join a workshop. See link in comments.

Photos: Charlie Burrell, Anna Ford

17/05/2026

Last year’s inaugural White Stork and Nature festival was a soaring success 🪶

It’s back on Saturday 23 May in Storrington. Join us, if you can, for a day celebrating white storks and nature recovery. 🌿

10/05/2026

Yes, migrating birds are impressive. But what about the trillions of insects that migrate with them?

In the new podcast episode, Erica McAlister and host Isabella Tree discuss how scientists are only just discovering the astonishing ways in which insects migrate to our shores every year.

Erica is principle curator at the Natural History Museum and a devoted advocate for bugs.

📻Listen to Bug Life Garden on the Knepp Wilding Podcast, where you get your podcasts.

09/05/2026

When we think of insects, we think of winged flying things. But most of an insect’s life is spent in the larval stage. So why aren’t we gardening for that?

In the new episode of the Knepp Wilding Podcast, Isabella Tree’s guest is Erica McAlister.

Erica, a principle curator at the Natural History Museum, is an expert – and die-hard fan - of all things insect.

📻Listen to Bug Life Garden on the Knepp Wilding Podcast, where you get your podcasts.

08/05/2026

Happy 100th birthday David Attenborough! Isabella Tree, co-owner at Knepp, says this today:

“With the rest of the Living Planet, we’re celebrating Sir David Attenborough’s 100 years of Life on Earth. He’s our lodestar, our guru, our guiding light – a bodhisattva for the natural world.

“He’s been to Knepp three times. He launched the Earthshot Prize from one of our tree platforms, celebrated our nightingales in ‘The Wonder of Song’, and filmed our rewilded wood pasture and rutting fallow deer for ‘Wild Isles’.

“Back in my early twenties, I wrote him a fan letter after he praised my first book and called him ‘a god’. I remember sweating with embarrassment, wishing I could un-post the letter. But I received a reply, hand-written, by return of post and his kindness and amusement spared my blushes.

“Thank you, Sir David, for being such a friend to every living creature on this planet. You’re still a god in my eyes! Hope you’re having a wild and wonderful birthday somewhere surrounded by birdsong.”

Footage credit: BBC. David Attenborough filmed at Knepp for the Earthshot Prize.

06/05/2026

“Everybody likes a wobble.” 🐝🪰🍃

Join the peerless Erica McAlister in Knepp’s Rewilded Walled Garden alongside Isabella Tree for the latest episode of the Knepp Wilding Podcast – released today.

Compared to other insects, bees are pretty hopeless pollinators. Flies, on the other hand, can pollinate plants and kill your aphids.

Erica McAlister is a Principal Curator at the Natural History Museum and a bug-crazy fly aficionada.

📻Listen where you get your podcasts.

Join Erica's 13 June safari - 'A Garden of Incredible Insects': https://knepp.co.uk/view/garden-visits/a-garden-of-incredible-insects-with-erica-mcalister/

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New Barn Farm, Swallows Lane
Dial Post
RH138NN

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