South Africa Day 6 - Wildlife, Wasteland and Winding Mountain Roads

We get up and head off relatively early today, saying our goodbyes to the friendly guesthouse owners and their two lovely dogs. First stop is the Cango Wildlife Ranch, just off the R328, where we have a short wait until the next tour to investigate the snake house, meerkat and porcupine enclosures by the entrance. I'm happy to read about the deadly snakes when they're safely behind glass, but I don't hang around longer than is necessary! Back out in the morning sunshine, the nocturnal porcupines are sadly tucked away in their cubby hole fast asleep, so we don't get to admire them in all their spiney glory. We wander back to the meeting spot for the tour guide and head off to see the array of animals looked after in this sanctuary. The entrance is through a slightly kitch skeleton-adorned passageway, which leads through to a very humid greenhouse. Overhead are a collection of large fruit bats or "giant flying foxes", who, unlike their smaller European cousins, use their eyes rather than sonar to navigate and as such are awake in the daytime. They hang fairly still as we watch though, I'm not sure how well I'd handle one of them swooping close, they can grow to a wingspan of 1.7m - taller than me! Also in this enclosure is a tiny blue duiker, with delicate features and a slightly nervous demeanour. We continue through to some decking, where we're introduced to a bush pig and his river hog friend. They wouldn't normally be brought together in the wild but they're great friends here. Further along are some cape vultures, here in the sanctuary because they've been injured in the wild. Since last year the cape vulture has been listed as an endangered species, estimated to have less than 10,000 adults left in existence.

Beyond these magnificent birds of prey, we pass some flamingos gathered in the sunshine, and cross a wooden bridge over the crocodile pond, where the centre offers a cage diving experience. The bridge is rigged to shake and sound some 'dramatic' noises, and there's another plastic skeleton in the corner. It feels like a slightly unnecessary gimmick, but perhaps it's one for the kids.

Further on there are 2 pygmy hippos, separated by a partition as they tend to make up for their small size with increased aggression. Our tour guide tells us that sadly they lost a calf born a few years previously due to health complications, which was a terrible loss for not only the wildlife centre, but also the species which is severely endangered.

Along from the hippos on the decking trail we see more crocodiles, who are all basking in the sunshine, sleeping with their teeth exposed. Apparently it takes many more muscles to close their jaws than it does to open them, so they're often seen relaxing with their mouths wide open, which is simultaneously mildly threatening and strangely endearing. It's like they were trying to be menacing, but they were so tired they fell asleep mid yawn. Perhaps that's actually the case.

We continue around to the end of the decking, passing another peacock who strolls alongside the snapping turtle ponds, and head towards the big cats. First up is the cheetahs, most of whom are currently enjoying the attention of some visitors and rangers during a "meet the animals" experience. It's a really hot day and they're all gathered in the shade of the wooden walkway overhead. In the next pen are 6 cubs, who despite the heat are playing with one another in the patches of shade, clamouring over the large branches and stones in their sizable enclosure.

By contrast, on the other side of the walkway there are 2 sleeping leopards, sprawled over logs to rest in the late morning heat. Further along is a serval who is being petted by one of the park volunteers. Their markings are very similar to the leopard / cheetah but their beautiful faces are distinctly different, it's strange to me how these animals aren't well known in the UK compared to many others in the big cat family.

Next up are two sleeping lions, a male and a female. Lions sleep for up to 18 hours a day, so it's not surprising that this is the most common state in which to see them. The male briefly wakes up, allowing the faster fingered camera owners to grab a quick picture of his magnificent face before he sinks back onto the grass to continue his slumber.

The final big cat is the white Bengal tiger, not native to South Africa, but rescued from a zoo and cared for here in Ooudtshoorn. We're told that white tigers aren't albino as they don't have red eyes, but rather they are like the feline equivalent of being blonde. Stripes and fur colour aside, they are stunning creatures, and it's once again sad to think that they're one of so many animals facing extinction in the very near future. We head onwards around to the end of the big cat area, stopping briefly before we leave to look at some bat eared foxes nestling at the base of a tree in the sunshine. These foxes were rescued as cubs by a farmer after their mother was killed in flooding.

We head back to the entrance area and take a seat in the open air café area for some well needed breakfast. Ordering full cooked breakfasts all round with juice, tea and coffee, we sit and watch one of the resident peacocks stroll around leisurely, whilst the snapping turtles are given their meaty breakfasts by one of the centre's staff. 

We finish up and make a quick visit to the "Kuranda Forest" - and aviary full of noisy and colourful lorikeets. After a little while looking at their rainbow coloured feathers, a couple of them land on my head and shoulder. It's quite unnerving having a bird wandering over your head, secretly I'm really hoping it doesn't suddenly decide it needs the toilet! Rather, the one on my shoulder seems to have confused the beads of my necklace for berries and is gently pecking away. The beautiful birds eventually get bored and fly off, and we leave the aviary through double doors, passing some emu and Australian wallaby, resting in the shade. 

We leave the park and head a little further along the road to a nearby Ostrich farm in the hope of having a quick tour. Unfortunately it's a bit of a wait, and the tour lasts 45 minutes which we don't really have, as we need to get to Cape Town before dark and it's a long drive. Instead we stop by the side of the road further along the way, and marvel at the sheer number of ostriches in one farm alone. It's clear they are kept in age groupings, with the younger, pale brown birds in one area, all the way up to the adults with their larger bodies and matured black feathers. There's just time for a couple of snaps before we head back on the road, driving through the Karoo - a barren wasteland north of the Cape Fold Mountains. 

After a couple of hours driving we make a quick stop on the R62 at the iconic "Ronnie's Sex Shop", a roadside pub which became a landmark as a result of a local prank updating the shop name. It's just soft drinks for us today though, and we continue our drive up into the mountains and through the Tradouwpas, stopping for a couple of photos into the impressive gorge. 

As we approach Cape Town, the sun is setting and painting the sky a gorgeous golden colour, the mountain ranges silhouetted against the darkening sky. There's another mountain range to drive over, and we finally see the streetlights of Cape Town stretching out in front of us. We're staying in Noordhoek, on the South Western side of the city, at the top of a little peninsula which frames False Bay. We make a quick stop off at the supermarket just before our lodgings and pick up some chicken skewers, salad and a few bits for breakfast before heading to our home for the next week. As we arrive at the Horizon cottages, we collect our keys and join the extended family for our first braai before settling in for the night. It's been a long day with a lot of driving. so we're grateful for a comfy bed and an early night.

South Africa Day 2 - Safari, Stroking a cheetah and South African Hospitality

All four of us are up for an early start today, grabbing a quick breakfast of eggs on toast and coffee at the guesthouse and heading to Addo Elephant National Park for a guided tour. We arrive at the Crisscross Adventure centre and sign a waiver absolving the company of any liability should we get mauled by wild animals. We bundle into the jeep, and head out to Africanos resort (where we had dinner last night) to pick up some other guests, so there are 9 of us altogether, in a comfortable van with open windows all around. Our tour guide Michael tells us that we're not guaranteed to see any particular animals, as the park is huge and it all depends where the wildlife is roaming today. We strike lucky immediately though, with a Buffalo chomping on some grass just inside the entrance gates. Our guide tells us about the habits of these animals, when they stay in groups and when the males become more solitary as they reach a certain age. It's all very educational, like watching the nature channel but a million times better in real life.

As we drive along the winding road through the reserve, we see a small group of elephants on the corner of a road. Cue lots of picture taking and some more information about these magnificent creatures. We discover you can tell if an elephant is left or right 'handed' by looking at their tusks, where  one side will be more worn than the other. We spot a couple of warthogs too, these come to be a very common sighting, small groups travelling, feeding and resting all over the reserve.

Some more driving looking for animals leads us to a group of red hartebeest, and further up we see a herd of zebra crossing the plain. We learn some more about these beautiful creatures and continue on our way.

After a little more driving, spotting more warthogs, herons, and even a tortoise, we come to a spot on the road where lots of jeeps are stopped. There are 3 lions resting in the shade of the small bushes next to the road; 2 male and one female. We're lucky to catch a glimpse of these big cats, as there are only 11 of them in the park. The males in this group are brothers, and they travel as a group with the female. As we wait and watch, one of the males wakes up and casually strolls right behind our jeep to cross the road. It's so amazing to see these magnificent mammals right up close.

We leave the lions and continue on to a high point of the reserve, spotting some eland on the way. The biggest of the antelope on the reserve, they are slower and easier to catch than some of their smaller, nippier cousins. The view is breathtaking, and our guide tells us how the land has been gradually bought from farmers to extend the park, so the old partitions are still visible across the expansive open space. We're allowed to stretch our legs here, it's high up so presumably the animals don't tend to venture this far. After a quick photo opportunity we bundle back into the van to continue our adventure.

We head down to the watering hole, where there are herds of elephants drinking and cooling themselves with the precious water supply. It's fascinating to watch them fling the water over themselves with their trunks, with a baby circling around their feet for protection.

We head off towards the park exit, where our guide spots the horns of a kudu amongst the undergrowth. We leave the reserve and head back to our car, just as it starts to rain, marvelling at how lucky we are to have had great weather for the morning excursion and seen so many wonderful animals.

There's more! After a quick stop to pick up some lunch, we head out to the Daniell Cheetah Sanctuary near Kirkwood. We've bought bread and filling to make our own sandwiches, and as we sit in the car eating them and watching the rain pummel down outside the windows we could well be on a British summer holiday. Only we're waiting to go into a cheetah sanctuary and we spent the morning hanging out with elephants. Lunch eaten and rain subsided, we join a tour of the sanctuary after disinfecting our shoes and hands stop any nasty bugs getting into the enclosures. First up we meet some meerkats, who we learn can dig through virtually anything and can easily bite through flesh. Not quite the cuddly creatures they seem.

Next up we cross a wooden walkway over a cheetah enclosure where one of the females is relaxing. She doesn't seem phased by us and rolls on her back at one point, something that seems common to all cats, great and small.

Talking of smaller cats, we come to some smaller pens containing serval and caracal. I've never heard of either of these animals before, the serval with a stunning coat not unlike the cheetah, and the caracal a glossy reddish brown with long pointed ears. The serval are potentially becoming endangered but the caracal aren't, they're actually seen as a pest by farmers, since they're opportunistic hunters who will kill a farmer's entire stock when they only need one animal to feed and survive. We also learnt that they're the strongest of the big cat family pound for pound, with the strength to hunt prey 3 times their own bodyweight.

Moving on, the next enclosure has leopard adults and cubs. It's clear to see how the leopard uses strength in comparison to the cheetah's speed. They're considerably bigger and stockier, and they watch us with their beautiful faces as we walk past. One of the cubs is on his hind legs looking at us through the fence. He looks so adorable, and the cat lover in me just wants to give him a cuddle! This wouldn't be wise though, as we can see that one of the adults has a shortened tail; this is where he tried to steal his sister's food as a cub and she took part of his tail clean off. They might look pretty but they're fierce predators, even the cute cubs could do some serious damage to humans.

The last enclosure we reach houses 2 male rescue lions, who were bought by the sanctuary to prevent them being sold for canned hunting. It baffles me that it's legal to hunt lions with the correct permits, I can't imagine wanting to kill one of these magnificent beasts for a trophy, it saddens me that others don't feel the same and it's not safe for these animals to be released to the wild. It's illegal in South Africa to release animals that have been hand reared. They're too used to human contact and wouldn't be able to fend for themselves, so these 2 lions will live out the rest of their lives in captivity. They're pacing up and down which concerns me slightly, but our guide tells us this is just because they can see some pigs in a nearby enclosure that have been brought in as part of a petting zoo for the younger visitors. I hope this is true and the lions are happy, but part of me doubts this. They look healthy, and at least they'll be cared for here rather than being drugged and tracked for hunters to kill elsewhere.

That's just about it for the tour, but before we leave we get a chance to stroke a cheetah! His name is Khaki, he's a young male and seems quite happy to have lots of strangers come into his enclosure and gawp at him. The cats aren't forced to interact with the visitors, so they only get stroked if they're in the mood for it. His fur is coarse and wiry, and he's purring an enormous purr as he reclines comfortably and we approach him slowly, one by one, to give his head a good scratch and tickle his chin. Whilst it's a special experience, ethically I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the Daniell Cheetah Project as a sanctuary rather than a profit making endeavour. I believe that the staff here truly care about the big cats housed in the centre, and want to successfully breed the animals to help conserve the species, but whether it's actually right to keep these animals in relatively small enclosures and encourage contact with humans is questionable. We say goodbye to the cheetahs, and the other animals in the sanctuary, and head into nearby Kirkwood to meet one of Erica's old school friends who runs a citrus farm here. 

We meet up for a quick drink in a nearby bar and discuss our plans for the evening (we don't really have any!) We're quickly invited back to the farm for dinner, where we are served tasty bobotie, a traditional South African dish made with mince, spices and fruit. I've never met these people before but I've been welcomed into their home, fed a delicious dinner with wine and made to feel at home. It's a wonderful example of true hospitality and we have a lovely relaxing evening with great company in a beautiful setting.