The Garden Route

We just got back from a trip to the Garden Route, along the southern coast of South Africa From Port Elizabeth toward Capetown. It was an awesome trip! First, we traveled to a town called Knysna. This is a great town with lots of activities and restaurants. We began the adventure at an elephant park where we drove down a long road that took us to a large group of elephants, lounging around in the middle of a natural, open field. Once the elephants saw us coming, they migrated over, and we fed them from a bucket of food. Guides for the park were nearby to make sure we were safe and that the elephants did not get scared. When the elephants had enough to eat, they simply walked off and went about their day. That is when one of the guides came over to our family and had us follow the elephants, telling us all about the history of those particular elephants and information about elephants in general along the way. We got to pet them and get pictures with them as well. It was a fantastic interactive experience with such a large creature.

While in Knysna, we also visited a wild cat park where we got to see African cats such as leopards, caracal, serval, and cheetah. The park was sectioned off by different pens, holding the different types of cats. While we were not allowed to take the kids in a couple of the pens, most of them were open to us as long as we kept the girls in our arms. Some of the cats were very friendly while others were a bit intimidating. The serval cats, for example, were so eager to visit with us, that one in particular kept coming toward us and brushing up against our legs. He especially liked Justin and would weave in between his legs over and over again. The caracal cats were not as inviting, though. One of those cats also brushed up against our legs and then continued to "play" with Justin's toes. The guide had to step in because apparently the caracal could rip his entire toe off! We quickly left that pen after learning this news. The final pen was full of cheetahs, and this was the most thrilling part of the day. The kids were not allowed in, so the guide took Justin and I in one at a time. I entered first, and we set off searching for the cheetahs. We came across two of them laying down side by side, purring so loud that is sounded more intimidating than affectionate. Then the guide told me to walk in between the cheetahs and crouch behind one of them (all of the actions we were told NOT to do in the other pens!). I followed his instructions as my heart was racing, and then one of the cheetahs got up and started to briskly walk away. I was then told to run and follow him. After he stopped, I knelt down next to him and was able to pet him. By this point, we could hear the kids from the other side of the fence, and the cheetah immediately started his "hunting mode." He crept closer to the fence with his eyes on the target and certainly looked like he was hunting his prey. There is a reason why children are not allowed in the pen! Justin went in to the pen next and knelt down next to the cheetah that was not interested in eating our children. The overall experience provided a bit of a rush at times and was a great close encounter with some wild animals.

Our next stop on the trip was Outshoorn, and this was one of the major highlights. We went to an ostrich farm for a hands-on experience with these large birds. First, they took us to the incubator where we saw the eggs waiting to be hatched and then went to the newborn pen, filled with tiny little ostriches. Then we got to feed some adult ostriches, and this was really neat. Some of the ostriches would peck at our hands a little too roughly while others were pretty mild. Taelyn thought the whole experience was hilarious, and then she even got to feed one! The tour moved right along to the next station: ostrich riding! This is something that we have wanted to do since before we ever came to South Africa, and our expectations were not let down. Both Justin and I rode separate ostriches throughout a small pen and had a blast. After riding, we saw the pros show us how it was done as some jockeys raced a few of the ostriches on a small race track. Next, the guide took us to the breeding camp where a male and female ostrich took turns sitting on their eggs. The guide shooed the female off the eggs, and we got our picture taken on top of them; we learned that one egg is about 24 chicken eggs put together and can hold around 400 lbs! To finish the tour, we ate at the farm's cafe and had their specialty: ostrich egg omelet and ostrich burger. It was pretty tasty.

After Oudtshoorn, we traveled to a small town called Graaf Reinet, home of one of South Africa's many national parks. There were many monkeys, baboons, springbok, bleesbok, and some beautiful landscape. The rest of the town was a bit of a ghost town, though, because we were there on Christmas day. We were lucky to even find a place for dinner!

Finally, we finished our trip back in Port Elizabeth. The main attraction was Addo Elephant Part - a completely different elephant experience than in Knysna. This park was set up more like a safari park that we drove through, looking for any wildlife we could find. At one point, Justin had to slam on the brakes because out of no where, an elephant came out on to the road. We saw lots of elephant herd in the wild here along with a warthog, water buffalo carcass, and dung beetles the size of a human hand.

Our trip to the Garden Route was the best trip we have taken in South Africa so far! Here are some pictures and videos to recap the experience.

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