Cape Town
Two Oceans Aquarium
The southern tip of the African continent is the meeting place of two mighty oceans, the Indian and the Atlantic. The Two Oceans Aquarium on the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town is ideally positioned to showcase the incredible diversity of marine life found in these two oceans. The Two Oceans Aquarium is a certified diamond member of the Heritage Environmental Rating Programme.
Experience a number of exciting exhibits including:
- the I&J Ocean exhibit, providing a massive home to rays, musselcrackers, green sea turtles, a giant guitarfish, and much more, viewed from the 10-metre long transparent tunnel or the giant viewing window
- the Save our Seas Foundation Shark exhibit gives you the chance to experience a close encounter with some exciting predators- meet a shiver of ragged-tooth sharks, watch schools of Cape yellowtail hunt for their next meal and watch the curious, but territorial, Yellowbelly Rock Cod stand its ground to much larger predators.
- Penguin exhibit, home to a colony of African penguins, some rescued rockhopper penguins, an African black oystercatcher, a mole snake, a Western leopard toad, and common platannas. A bird hide, overlooking the rockhopper rookery, offers a place to sit and relax in this peaceful riverine environment.
Boulders Beach
The beautiful Boulders Beach is one of Cape Town’s most visited beaches and the only place in the world where you can get close to African penguins. Boulders Penguin Colony in Simons Town is home to a unique and endangered land-based colony of African Penguins. This colony is one of only a few in the world, and the site has become famous and a popular international tourist destination. Currently, the population is estimated between 2,000 and 3,000 birds. The boardwalks were built as a measure to allow for the viewing of these wonderful birds, whilst keeping them safe. The boardwalk is also wheelchair friendly. Restaurants and B&B’s are found all in close proximity. Some fun activities in the area include swimming and picnics on the beach.
Boulders and its surrounding beaches also form part of the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area, ensuring the beaches are safe and clean, and the penguins are protected.
Eagle Encounters at Spier Wine Farm
Eagle Encounters is a non-profit wildlife rehabilitation, conservation, education, and eco-tourism centre based at the historic and scenic Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch. The center’s two-fold mission includes rehabilitation and education around these beautiful flying creatures. You can choose from four different eagle encounters and spectacular interactive flying shows. Get your adrenalin flowing by interacting closely with majestic eagles, hawks, buzzards, reptiles and more!
Giraffe House
The Giraffe House Wildlife Animal Awareness Centre provides easy access to some of Africa’s amazing wildlife and bird species. Meet Gerry, the centre’s hand-reared giraffe, and learn about giraffes as well as many other African animal species. On weekends, there are also interactive creepy crawly encounters where you can meet and hold various interesting creatures.
Oudtshoorn
Cango Wildlife Ranch
The Cango Wildlife Ranch facility has been in existence for over 30 years and currently comprises over 90 different species of animals and 100 full-time staff. Guided tours are provided, which are fundamental to the Ranch’s education programs, imparting knowledge to the public around animal and environmental issues in a fun and unique environment. The animals homed at the facility come from all over the world and are at the ranch for a variety of reasons, including rescues and injuries. Some have been rescued from the wild. Most of these animals are nursed back to health and released back into the wild depending on the nature of their injuries. The facility is home to birds, mammals, snakes, reptiles, lemurs, cats, turtles, and tortoises as well as many fish and water species.
The following attractions are available to visit: Cheetahland, Amazonia Rainforest, Lemur Falls, Snake Park, and the Valley of Ancients, a temple built by an ancient tribe to protect the hidden valley within. At the Valley of Ancients, you can walk across a deadly gorge over a suspension bridge while 4 meter Nile crocodiles watch you from the Cage Diving pool below. Crocodile cage dive encounters are also available.
Wild Meerkat Adventure Tour
Located in the centre of the Klein Karoo, at the famous Oudtshoorn, a tour of the facility’s wild habituated meerkat Meerkats are part of the so-called Shy 5 which also includes the bat-eared fox, the aardvark, porcupine, and aardwolf. Here, you will be introduced to these amazing little critters and get close to them in their natural habitat. The tours commence only at sunrise and are weather dependent since meerkat will not venture outside their burrows on rainy days.
On arrival at the meerkat burrows, enjoy a hot cup of coffee, after which you will be issued with a lightweight aluminium chair to sit in while observing the meerkats as they come out of the burrow into the sunshine and go about their daily routine of foraging and frolicking. These habituated wild animals are never fed or handled by humans. The tour is presented by an experienced tour guide, to ensure you leave full of knowledge and a new found love for these interesting creatures.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Plettenberg Bay
Monkeyland
Experience all the fun monkeys have to offer at Monkeyland – the world’s first free-roaming multi-species primate sanctuary in Plettenberg Bay. The facility’s mission is to educate and foster a greater understanding of our primate cousins and the threats and challenges they face. Around 500 + apes, monkeys and lemurs are homed at Monkeyland, and the sanctuary aims to give these animals a healthier, more natural life as well as raise public awareness about the plight of all wild animals. The primates in the sanctuary live in an indigenous forest, a habitat very similar to their natural home in the wild. On this guided tour, accompanied by an experienced ranger, you’ll encounter squirrel monkeys, Vervet Monkeys, Sakis, Capuchins, Lemurs, Spider Monkeys, and be able to hear the Gibbons and Howler monkeys.
Birds of Eden
The breath-taking Birds of Eden is the largest free-flight single dome aviary in the world, situated in South Africa’s beautiful Garden Route. The sanctuary is 2.3 hectares of partly forested land, with a 1.2 km winding walkway.
On the walkway, you will pass waterfalls, ponds, coves, and many other hidey-holes. You can explore the sanctuary either at your own pace or with the aid of an experienced guide.
At Bird of Eden, you will be able to see the vast number of birds homed here, 200+ different species and subspecies of birds totalling about 3500 birds, and witness natural avian behaviour. Many previously caged pet birds are also homed at the sanctuary and are able to spread their wings in a natural environment for you to enjoy.
