Western Cape Animal Parks

Birds of Eden is the Garden Route’s very own world class free flight bird sanctuary. Boasting the largest dome on the planet, the unique two hectare dome spans over a gorge of indigenous forest. The sanctuary has its own mysterious ruin, which incorporates a walk-behind waterfall. Another feature is its amphitheatre, which has the ability to seat over 200 visitors.Like Monkeyland, the popular primate sanctuary next-door, Birds of Eden features a canopy walk. Slightly shorter than the 128 meter bridge at Monkeyland, it is higher and hangs above the clouds. The decision to develop Birds of Eden stems from the need to create a safe environment in which to release a large collection of free-flight African birds and miniature monkeys. The sanctuary also enables bird owners to apply to release their pet birds into the sanctuary, after undergoing rehabilitation.Birds of Eden opened its doors to the public December 2005. Currently over 3500 birds live at the sanctuary.

Experience the vibrant colours and fascinating flight of numerous butterflies in a lush, tropical garden.Butterfly World, one of the more unique attractions of the Cape Winelands, consists of a tropical garden in a 1000 m2 green house where free flying exotic butterflies feel right at home.The butterfly park is located at the cross roads of the Paarl, Stellenbosch and Wellington Wine Routes, near the small Boland town of Klapmuts. Just off the N1 at Exit 47 on the Route 44 (300m to the south), it is very accessible to the many tourists visiting the area.In a separate enclosures visitors walk in between birds, common marmosets, green iguanas and a couple of blue duiker, all free to roam the garden where they want. The Spider Room displays indigenous and exotic spiders and scorpions in locked glass terraria and teaches the public to respect and appreciate these animals. A new wing to the tropical garden is the Reptile Bay where Madagascan chameleons and lizards, tortoises, Australian skinks and bearded dragons and a couple of noisy parrots are housed.The gift shop has butterfly related items for sale and the Jungle Leaf Café provides light meals and refreshments for those taking a break from butterfly watching.The beautiful outdoor garden hosts a lapa for children’s activities, a meerkat enclosure and lots of free range ducks and chickens, waiting for children to feed them with packets of seeds and fodder bought from the gift shop.Opening hours:09:00 – 17:00Monday to SundayOpen all public holidays except 25 December and 1 JanuaryEntrance fee from 1 December 2009:R39.00 per adultR22.00 for children over threeR100.00 per family (two adults, two children)R33.00 for pensioners/college students.Discount for groups (conditions apply)Children under three enter free.Entrance fee from 1 December 2010:R43.00 per adultR25.00 for children over threeR111.00 per family (two adults, two children)R37.00

Experience the thrill of being almost tooth-to-tooth with a Nile crocodile or wrap yourself with a python at the Cango Wildlife Ranch and Valley of Ancients in the heart of the Little Karoo!Far more than just a petting zoo, this endangered species breeding facility is the oldest and largest cheetah contact centre on the planet. Visitors have the opportunity of interacting with hand-reared cheetahs as well as getting actively involved in conserving endangered species.Take a stroll on the ‘catwalk’ and view lion, cheetah, puma, white Bengal tigers, meerkats, pygmy hippos and many bird species. You can also visit rare and rather large reptiles at the snake park and crocodile pools.Run the race against extinction whilst having the time of your life and get involved with the Cheetah Preservation Foundation. Founded in 1988, the principal aim is to ensure the survival of the cheetah and other endangered species, as well as educating visitors as to the plight of the these animals.

The Donkey Sanctuary will warm your heart. The Sanctuary provides a home for abused, neglected and elderly donkeys. Here they can live out their lives with respect and dignity, surrounded by their own kind in a protective and natural environment. You can even adopt one of the donkeys. Facilities include a restaurant, farm stall and kids playground.

Take the kids to enjoy a quiet, relaxing farm environment and wide range of animal interactions at Ikkos Equine Sanctuary and Animal Haven Petting Farm. Meet horses, donkeys, dogs, cats, an angora goat, sheep, miniature pot bellied piglets, guinea pigs and rabbits. Come and pet them and feed them and even have a ride on one of the horses. It's an amazing, unique, interactive experience for the whole family!Older kids can walk with the horses and everyone can feed and pet the donkeys, sheep and goat or cuddle one of the friendly guinea pigs or the rabbit. Also on offer are short horse rides led by the owner in an enclosed camp - which makes for many great photos and memories.Ikkos Equine Sanctuary and Animal Haven Petting Farm help neglected and abused animals. The Greek word for horse is Ikkos, it also means the "Great Light", and the sanctuary aims to provide visitors with an enlightening all round equestrian experience.So, what goes on at Ikkos Equine Sanctuary?Rescue of abandoned and abused equines and other animals.Ikkos equine therapy - come and walk with their equines as well as groom, feed them and get to know them.Ikkos riding tuition - learn about horses in a fun and interesting way AND learn to ride.Ikkos eco horse riding trails and tours – absolutely stunning trails in natural veld private game reserve with a variety of game and stunning views!Adopt an equine or another animal here at the sanctuary – a unique gift for yourself or a loved one.Need to know? If you would like to make a booking (at least the day before) please send an SMS mobile text message to 076 6001115 to confirm your visit and get directions. The cost is R50 entrance fee that includes a tour round the farm to meet the animals, there is the option of pony riding at R40 per person and feeding the animals at R20.All entrance fees and donations go directly back into Ikkos Equine Sanctuary and Animal Haven Petting Farm for the care of the animals and towards the rescue of other animals in need of help.

Founded in 1994, and the first of its kind in South Africa, the Knysna Elephant Park provides a home for orphaned elephants and offers visitors a glimpse of a bygone era when vast elephant herds once roamed. Join the elephants in their controlled free-range environment where you will be able to appreciate their magnificent presence up-close-and-personal. Whether you chose a daily tour, elephant back ride; exclusive safari or overnight accommodation; this is an experience that will stay with you forever. The Knysna Elephant Park is open every day of the year. Guided daily tours take you to the elephants every half hour from 08:30 to 16:30. Here you will have the opportunity to touch, feed and photograph these gentle giants. There are no barriers or fences to spoil your close encounter, and when the elephants chose to wander off again into the field, you are welcome to walk with them and watch them for as long as you wish. Elephant back rides offer the once in a lifetime opportunity to sit atop these incredible creatures. As you traverse through indigenous Cape fynbos, you will enjoy spectacular views of the Outeniqua Mountain range. Booking is essential.

One of the most popular and heartwarming places to visit along the Garden Route is Monkeyland. This unique sanctuary endeavors to rehabilitate and free previously caged primates into a harmonious forest environment.Entry to Monkeyland is free – this entitles you to spend time on the forest deck, which also doubles as a restaurant named The Blue Monkey Cafe. Primates moving about the forest are always seen and heard from the deck. An amazing thing to do is go on a monkey safari with one of the rangers (for which there is a fee).These walking safaris take visitors into the forest where the primates are free roaming. The rangers will track the primates and impart interesting information about them, the forest and anything else you come across. Part of the safari route takes you across the 128 meter canopy walk which rises above the forest canopy for a birds’ eye view of this primate paradise. The safaris last an hour and depart from reception each half hour. The tours depart daily, every half hour and are open-ended which means that you can go on more than one tour on the same day. Safari guides are multi-lingual. German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, French, Xhosa, Swedish and Finnish tours can be arranged by contacting Lara 082 979 5683 lara@monkeyland.co.za

If you’re travelling with kids on the Garden Route, wing them straight to Radical Raptors. Guaranteed to thrill the kids, a visit to Radical Raptors bird of prey sanctuary is a fun educational experience suitable for the whole family. Time your visit to coincide with the flying displays that take place three times a day. Several trained birds of prey are free flown around and to you. This presents a wonderful opportunity for you to watch, interact and photograph these amazing birds in the outdoors. Radical Raptors is a non-profit organisation and rehabilitation centre that focuses on community awareness and the rescue, rehabilitation and release of birds of prey. +27 (0) 44 532 7537 Show times – 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 Closed on Mondays except public and school holidays.

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, SANCCOB is a non-profit sea bird rehabilitation centre based in Cape Town. Their primary focus is to conserve and protect South Africa's sea birds, especially threatened species, for the benefit of present and future generations.SANCCOB rehabilitate ill, injured, oiled and orphaned sea birds on a daily basis, prepare for and manage the rehabilitation of sea birds during a major oil spill, raise awareness about conservation through environmental education and collaborate on research projects. SANCCOB has treated more than 83 000 sea birds throughout the last 37 years.Private groups may book an exclusive “behind the scenes” tour at SANCCOB. The tour includes a short video about the infamous Treasure oil spill and a tour of select areas of SANCCOB’s rehabilitation centre. Please note that some areas of the centre are restricted. Tours are 45 minutes in length. The maximum number of people per group is 8.

Tenikwa Wildlife Awareness Centre offers guests the opportunity for a close, safe, inter-active encounter with indigenous cats of South Africa. Guests will meet leopard, cheetahs, caracal, Serval, African wild cats and black-footed cats. The Tenikwa encounter is a great follow-on to a game reserve or safari experience to study these beautiful creatures at close quarters. Tenikwa also has a Meerkat Meander where visitors can see meerkats and tortoises and there is also a variety of indigenous waterfowl, Blue Cranes and Marabou Storks to delight bird watchers. Programs include one hour guided tours and cheetah walks. Entrance fees fund Tenikwa’s NPO Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release Programme. Open 09:00 – 17:00 daily 365 days a year, including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Amenities include a tea garden for light meals, parking, wheelchair friendly, Mothers Corner and liquor licence. +27 (0) 44 534 8170 +27 (0) 82 486 1515 info@tenikwa.co.za www.tenikwa.co.za

Look no further if you're at the Waterfront on a mission to find an entertaining and educational spot to occupy children! Head straight for the Predator Tank exhibit and make sure your visit coincides with the action at shark feeding time when they get hand fed by divers. Large ragged-tooth sharks, nervous looking gamefish, rays and giant turtles glide past you in a seemingly endless procession. Gaze from a seat in the amphitheatre at the enormous picture window or get up close and personal with their toothy smiles in the curved plexi-glass tunnel.The Diversity Hall houses weird creepy crawlies like giant spider crabs, octopuses, exquisite but deadly firefish and delicate beasties like seahorses and box jellies.There's an activity centre with organised activities, touch exhibits specially for very young children and the Diving Animals display where Cape fur seals entertain with their playful antics.The Kelp Forest Tank is mesmerising. Drift away with the swaying dense thicket of giant seaweed whilst shoals of shimmering little fish flit about in the shafts of sunlight.There are loads more creatures and an amazing variety ranging from rainbow bright tropical fish found in the Indian Ocean to the more subtle silvery beauties residing in the Cape's cold Atlantic waters.If you have your diving ticket you could also scuba dive with sharks in the Predator Tank or amoungst the teeming fish in the Kelp Forest Tank.Check out amazing frogs at Beyond the Pond. This themed and highly interactive gallery was created to raise awareness of the plight of frogs, to inform visitors on what can be done to create frog-friendly environments and to raise funds for the Amphibian Ark www.amphibianark.org. Jump in to find out more about these quirky yet threatened creatures.Need to know?Open daily 9:30 – 18:00. Feeding times at Two Oceans Aquarium: I&J Predator Exhibit – 15:00 daily, Kelp Forest Exhibit: Wednesdays and Saturdays – 12:00, Penguins in the Sappi River Meander Exhibit – 11:30 & 14:30 daily.It is recommended to allow one to two hours to enjoy the diverse and magnificent displays. Wear comfortable shoes!

Situated only twenty minutes from Cape Town's V&A Waterfront, the Westcoast Ostrich Show Ranch is a popular tourist destination offering informative tours with a high quality, great value leather and curio shops and an ostrich meat orientated restaurant. The business is family owned and run, with Gavin and his son, Pawel, on hand to greet visitors. The farm lies on the sea facing slopes of the Durbanville Hills, which offer magnificent views of Table Mountain and the Hottentots Holland Mountains, an area steeped in local history.History reveals that ostrich chicks were traded by the original Khoi inhabitants with the Dutch Settlers in 1652 and exported from Cape Town to Batavia (now Indonesia) in 1656. Ostriches were also exported to India and the Emperor of Japan in 1658.The first documented ostrich farm was established in the centre of Cape Town in 1679. The Westcoast Ostrich Ranch has pioneered the revival of ostrich farming in the shadow of Table Mountain (Hoerikwagga). Guided tours in English, Afrikaans, German and Frenchare on offer. The tour comprises a forty-five minute informative trail that includes a visit to the display room, the leather factory and the cactus garden. The tour travels through the ostrich breeding enclosures and it is not uncommon to see a newly hatched chick or to witness an egg being laid. The ranch has over 220 birds ranging from one day old chicks to 20 year old breeding couples.The ranch stocks a variety of ostrich species and other birds, which include, the Westcoast white ostrich, dwarf ostriches, black-neck ostriches, emus, rheas and peacocks. The highlight of the trail is the ostrich show, where each member of the tour has the opportunity to sit on a live ostrich, stand on an ostrich egg and feed an ostrich. Tea and coffee is included.

If you are visiting Cape Town with kids then a stopover at the World of Birds is sure to be a big hit. This bird and wildlife sanctuary is home to over 3 000 birds in natural surroundings. Scrutinize some curious species in semi-tropical aviaries – it’s a very colourful and noisy experience!Visitors are able to walk through the large aviaries and come into contact with flamingos, crowned and blue cranes, guinea fowl, tiny squirrel monkeys and even meerkats, hawks, owls and eagles. You can see them feeding their youngsters, socialising, singing, nest building or incubating eggs depending on the season.The sanctuary is also a breeding centre for endangered species and cares for injured birds.