Oudtshoorn Things to Do

Near the base of the staircase, stands an impressive formation known as The Pulpit , complete with angel's wings, sculptured by nature's own chisel. They say that at the base of this formation imaginative eyes may make out the shape of The Kneeling Camel, against the side of which nature's artist has left an unusual stain known as The Moses Figure. It represents the biblical Moses, dressed in a flowing, brown robe, his arms outstretched in blessing. I was not able to see this. But the Pulpit is a magnificent piece of art from nature.

The first hall you enter in the caves is the Van Zyl's Hall which is dominated by the giant Organ Pipes, a spectacular dripstone/flowstone combination. However, your eyes are drawn to a tall, slender stalagmite which rises nearly 10 metres towards the ceiling, called Cleopatra's Needle. Still active and growing, the Needle is estimated to be in excess of 150 000 years old. For her age is she looking remarkably well.

Upcoming Events Oudtshoorn and surrounding area

Event Place Category Starts Ends
ABSA KLEIN KAROO NASIONALE KUNSTEFEES ( Oudtshoorn) Festivals -21 March 2008 29 March 2008
ABSA Cape Epic ( Knysna )Sport -28 March 2008 5 April 2008
National Trampoline Trials (Oudtshoorn) Sport- 4 April 2008 9 April 2008
Springbok Trampolien Proewe ( Oudtshoorn) Sport -8 April 2008 8 April 2008
Prince Albert Town Festival (Prince Albert) Festivals- 25 April 2008 27 April 2008

Buffelsdrift Mountain Bike Challenge ( Oudtshoorn )Sport -24 May 2008 24 May 2008
Wacky Wine Weekend ( Robertson) Festivals- 6 June 2008 8 June 2008
SWD/Klein Karoo Kickboxing Challenge ( Oudtshoorn )Sport -7 June 2008 8 June 2008
Drummie and Cheerleading Nationals (Oudtshoorn) Sport -28 June 2008 5 July 2008
SA Race Walking Championships ( Oudtshoorn) Sport- 8 July 2008 8 July 2008
Kaapprovinsie Gimnastiekkampioenskappe ( Oudtshoorn) Sport- 10 July 2008 12 July 2008
Volstruisfees ( De Rust) Festivals -11 July 2008 13 July 2008
Meiringspoort Prettrap ( De Rust) Sport- 12 July 2008 12 July 2008
Calitzdorp Portfees 21,1 km running (Calitzdorp) Sport- 19 July 2008 19 July 2008
Weskaap Interdistrikte o/13 Hokkie ( Oudtshoorn) Sport -8 August 2008 10 August 2008
Acker and Maloney Business Relay ( Oudtshoorn) Sport- 17 September 2008 17 September 2008
Medi-Clinic To Hell and Back Cycle Race ( Gamkaskloof) Sport -8 November 2008 9 November

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Many people like to ride the ostriches. I gather they arent aware of the permanent damage the ostriches sustain when ridden? I do wish this sport was stopped.

They are strong animals and adults can ride on them, but their ankles are thin, and, over time, become damaged, and they are unable to run.

A good option then is to rather ride camels!!!

There are quite a few around Oudtshoorn, one being at Wilgewandel.. which has restaurants, rides and antiques.

Wilgewandel Holiday Farm is close by, with more camel rides, an obstacle course, 100m foefie slide, mountain bike and walking trails, donkey cart trips, boat trips, trampolines and accommodation. Great for the kids!

Wilgewandel Restaurants is more for the passer-by.

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This was something I had always wanted to do! The caves have been declared a National Monument and has breathtaking beauty and charm.

The tunnels, halls (called 'phreatic chambers') and rock formations here are formed of limestone and rock, after many thousands of years of water dripping into the cave through cracks.

The cave itself is 5.3km in length, with some massive halls and smaller and narrower tunnels. The speleothems, stalagtites and stalagmites (please excuse my spelling?) are awesome, as are the crystal and flow structures.

A standard tour can be done in one hour, or a more involved adventure (and dirty!) tour and a half hours... but you need to be rather slim to do this one! I opted out ;)

The tour guide was very good and knew his stuff... although he did tell a few 'trying-to-be-funny' stories too... but some people enjoy that I guess! We tipped him R10 when we exited as a thank you.

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The Cango Wildlife Ranch is a particular favourite for visitors, especially those with kids!

They have ostriches to ride on, cheetahs, Pygmy hippos, Nile crocodiles, white lions, Madagascar Ring-tailed Lemur, Campbell ducks, King Cobras and even Bengal tigers.

On their website they say 'Welcome to Cango Wildlife Ranch the conservation heart of the Little Karoo'

And they mean it.

They are a big part of the conservation process of various animals.. and many animals here arent local (South African, or even African!) animals, as seen in the list above.

They have breeding programs too, whcih mean some animals are only here for s short time, during their breeding season.

THE CHEETAH CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

This foundation was founded in 1988 and aims to ensure the survival of the cheetah and other endangered species. It is a registered non-profit organisation and depends on private funding and visitors to pay for the upkeep and ongoing running of the program.

They have an 'adopt a cheetah' facility, which is an excellent way to bring funds in for the cheetahs.

You cannot come to the town of Oudtshoorn and not visit an ostrich farm! The Wildlife Ranch is a popular one to visit.

The South African ostrich farming industry is centred here.

They have lovely things for the kids to visit, go for rides etc... and are educational and fun. Adults riding them does damage their thin ankles and hinders their running ability, so I wouldnt personally ride them.

Many visitors do though.

After visiting a farm one realises how magnificent these huge flightless birds are, and how we should be wary of them... they run very fast and can hurt people quite easily. They stand taller than the average man and weigh about 150 kg.

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This place was AMAZING. There are no other words to describe it!
You take a guided tour, and you can choose from the standard tour (which we did) or the adventure tour, which will see you on your front wiggling through small spaces and all that!

On the standard tour we were guided through the caves and taken to many chambers, as always certain formations have their own names etc etc!

It is a stunning place though, the caves are outstanding and it is well worth visiting.