The park opened in April 2007 as an educational portal for local schools and for visitors who would never see these animals in the wild, and education is still what it says it is for. Fifteen hectares of open ground carry four giraffe, led by Gerry, who was hand reared, alongside zebra, eland, springbok, blue crane, caracal, porcupine, meerkat, a crocodile, owls, tortoises and a farmyard. The animals are described as ambassadors rather than rescues, and the centre does not call itself a sanctuary. Timing matters here more than at most places. The encounters, the farmyard feeding and the shows all run at weekends, on public holidays and during school holidays, so a midweek visit in term time is a walk around the grounds rather than a programme.
Giraffe House is deliberately small, and that is the appeal. Children walk between the enclosures at their own pace to see giraffe, zebra, reptiles and birds, then hand-feed the goats, llamas and ostriches, which is usually the part they talk about afterwards.
Scheduled encounters run three times a day and bring out the snakes, spiders and other creepy crawlies with a handler. There is a jungle gym and lawn for the gaps in between, so an hour turns into two without much effort.
Highlights
- Four giraffe, including Gerry, who was hand reared
- Zebra, eland, springbok, blue crane, caracal, porcupine, meerkat and a crocodile
- Creepy crawly encounters at 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00 on weekends and during school holidays
- Farmyard feeding sessions at weekends and in the holidays
- A one on one giraffe experience, by pre-booking only
- Two jungle gyms, a lawn and a kiosk
- Fifteen hectares, about forty minutes from the middle of Cape Town
Tips
The encounters and shows run only at weekends, on public holidays and during school holidays. The site is open air, so winter needs boots and warm clothes and summer needs a hat and water. Tap water is not drinkable and bottled water is sold at the kiosk. Picnics are welcome but alcohol is not.