Oudtshoorn is located at the one end of Route 62, which is one of the most popular self-drive routes in South Africa. There are various activities and adventures lined up for travellers with varied interests. From hot air ballooning to exploring the famous Cango Caves, the possibilities are endless. If you have mainly booked your tickets to spend a holiday amidst the rich fauna of the area, here are a few activities that might catch your interest.
Dive with crocodiles
If you want to experience the thrill of diving in a heated pool, full of crocodiles, head over to the Cango Wildlife Ranch. The dive is safe and you will be placed inside a carefully designed enclosure which is lowered inside the clear pool. You will encounter 4 metre long Nile crocodiles, snapping their jaws around your enclosure for about 10 minutes. This is sufficient to give you an adrenaline rush for hours after the experience. We recommend you not to take this dive, if you have heart conditions, anxiety issues or claustrophobia.
Ride an Ostrich
Oudtshoorn is also known as “The Ostrich Capital of the World” as the place is home to a large population of ostriches. In fact, some even say that Oudtshoorn is synonymous to ostriches because of the large ostrich population. If you would like to get a firsthand experience of how ostriches are raised, you can visit one of the many ostrich farms in the town. There are various activities in these farms that you might enjoy, including standing on an ostrich egg, riding an ostrich, hugging ostrich chicks and buying a feather duster.
Go for a a Meerkat Safari
If you like Timon, the popular meerkat from the popular cartoon series “Timon and Pumbaa”, you will love the Meerkat Safari Tour offered at De Zeekoe Guest Farm. De Zeekoe offers daily tours which start at sunrise. Meerkats are part of the Shy Five animals found in Africa; the others are porcupine, the aardvark, the bat-eared fox, and aardwolf. Generally, the meerkat tours last 2 to 3 hours and it is recommended to make the bookings at least 24 hours in advance. The tours depend upon the weather as these shy creatures don’t come out of their burrows on rainy and extremely cold days.