The Garden Route!

The Garden Route extends along the south-eastern coast of South Africa. Our journey started at home in Rondebosch and went all the way to the Wilderness. This was a three day trip of exploration and excitement!

On the first day we stopped at a conservatory of African animals, which was similar to a zoo. After a little scare on a shaky bridge over the crocodile habitat, my friend Laura and I had a bigger scare in the bird habitat. As we stood trying to capture a bird perching, his friend hopped up and chomped at us; all in good fun, of course. For lunch we ate ostrich and crocodile. Afterwards we each took turns playing with baby cheetahs, young tigers, lemurs and more. In the afternoon we went caving, climbing in and sliding out of small places.

The next morning started at the Ostrich Farm, where I fed and kissed an ostrich. Some people even had the opportunity to ride an ostrich, which could be equated to riding a headless chicken. Our next stop was at an elephant conservatory. This was by far my favorite part of the trip. From walking and feeding to riding the elephants, it was bliss. I am a little bias, but these elephants had a human-like spirit and a wonderful warmth. After the elephants we went to see my second favorite specie: monkeys. Monkeyland is a rescue center for monkeys who are unable to be cared for by zoos or private owners, but wouldn’t be able to survive in the wild alone. So, in Monkeyland the have the best of both worlds; they are cared for by trained staff, but also live in a very natural jungle-like habitat.

Late on the second day we arrived in the Wilderness, and indulged in the beautiful ocean backdrop of our hillside hostel as we watched the U.S. world cup game by the fire. The next morning we embarked on a kayaking and hiking trip to a hidden natural pool. Although it was too cold to swim, the view was breathtaking.