Oudtshoorn in South Africa - caves, ostriches and boat accommodation on land

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Oudtshoorn in South Africa - a special town known both for its huge stalactite caves and for having the largest concentration of ostriches in the world. Here we also found very special accommodation - in boats on land.

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Oudtshoorn in South Africa

The area around Oudtshoorn was originally inhabited by the San people, who left cave paintings in the surrounding Swart Mountains. The first Europeans arrived in 1689 and built a church, among other things.

Today, Oudtshoorn is the centre of the most ostrich-dense region in the world and specialises in ostrich farming. The main reason for the ostrich's popularity was that the feathers used to be in high fashion in Europe, where they were mainly used in hats. The sale of these feathers contributed to the construction of the church ...

Oudtshoorn is located in the Western Cape of South Africa, in the Little Karoo semi-desert area, about 64 kilometres north of the town of George.

Driving to Oudtshoorn

You can drive to Oudtshoorn from several different directions, and many tourists are likely to arrive via the roads from George or Mossel Bay, which lie along the popular 'Garden Route'. The surrounding landscape, which can be described as semi-desert, is beautiful with high mountains, and the car journey to Oudtshoorn can be quite beautiful.

Cango Caves - a mighty dripstone cave

Oudtshoorn is not only famous for ostriches but also for its mighty stalactite caves. The Cango Caves are a major attraction that draws many tourists.

You can take a guided tour of the Cango Caves - either the "standard" tour or an adventure tour, which after the standard tour adds a lot of crawling and climbing in tighter parts of the cave. The latter didn't appeal to us, so we settled for the "standard" tour, which suited us just fine.

We went with a larger group and a guide, who first told us about how people used the cave as a home in the past.

We then entered one magnificent hall after another. The cave halls are huge, and the mighty stalagmites and stalagtites are impressive.

It is always around 20 degrees centigrade in the cave all year round, so summer clothes are fine. Comfortable and walking-friendly shoes can be useful.

Today the cave is illuminated with lights, so you can see all the amazing shapes. At one point the guide also switched off the lights, so you can experience the compact darkness inside the cave. An interesting tour!

Safari Ostrich Farm - visit to an ostrich farm

There are several different ostrich farms in and around Oudtshoorn, and many offer guided tours. We chose to visit the "Safari Ostrich Farm" which, from what we understand, is the only ostrich farm that offers guided tours by tractor trailer.

When we arrived at the farm, it turned out that this is a big place with a restaurant and shop, where you can buy products made from ostrich skin, ostrich feathers or ostrich eggs.

Every full hour there was a guided tour of the farm, and that was the main focus of our excursion. We travelled in a wagon, following a tractor, and the guide told us about the ostriches as we drove past them.

When buying a ticket, you can also choose to buy a small plastic bucket with ostrich feed, which we did. Then you can feed the ostriches during the tour! The ostriches are not shy, we can say, and it is important to hold on to the jar while they do their best to eat as much as possible, in as little time as possible.

The guide told us that the ostrich's eye weighs more (60 grams) than its brain (40 grams). So this is not a smart bird. If you are chased by an ostrich, you can throw yourself down on your stomach and lie still. The ostrich's memory is so short that it immediately forgets that it was chasing you ...

After a round among the ostriches, it was time to get off the tractor trailer and walk a bit on foot. Among other things, we saw ostriches incubating eggs and the guide also told us about the eggs. Among other things, she stood on some ostrich eggs to show how strong and durable they are.

At the Safari Ostrich Farm there are three types of ostrich, and the guide talked about them in front of educational life-size pictures.

She also showed us how to use the different products. Among other things, we learnt how to distinguish real ostrich skin from the fake variety, and we were told that the feathers are popular for carnivals around the world.

Mount Noah Lodge - boat accommodation on land

There are many different places to stay in Oudtshoorn, from fancy hotels to simple guesthouses. We had found an accommodation that we thought looked particularly exciting. Mount Noah Lodge is a guesthouse where guests can stay in a boat. But isn't Oudtshoorn in the semi-desert, a long way from the sea? Yes, that's why this accommodation is so special!

When we arrived we were greeted by a gate with a catamaran on it... I mean, what kind of place had we booked?

Mount Noah Lodge is a personal and cosy place, located on the edge of town, overlooking the semi-desert and the blue mountains. In front of the main building, where you can borrow kitchenware and buy drinks at the bar by putting money in an honesty box, there's a small pool where a small boat is bobbing.

Other boats are on land. It is the owner's late husband who collected the boats and created this unique place.

Each boat has its own history. Today they are equipped to live on, with toilet, shower and air conditioning.

We stayed in a boat called "Sagetta". There is room for two people in a double bed in the boat's small cabin. In the small house next door there is a toilet, shower and fridge. Different, and a bit chilly at night, but very, very cosy!

More to see and do in Oudtshoorn

There is of course more to see and do in Oudtshoorn than what we found. Here are some more tips and suggestions:

• Buffelsdrift Game Lodge offers activities such as bush safaris, meerkat safaris and the like.
• Little Karoo National Arts Festival is an annual cultural festival of Afro-Caribbean culture.
• Restaurants are many, and almost everywhere you can eat ostrich meat.
• Outdoor activities are various, such as hiking, cycling, horse riding, quad biking, bird watching and nature reserves.
• Swartberg Mountain Circle Route is a beautiful motorway in the mountains.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

From Oudtshoorn it is not far to the city of George. You can also get to nice coastal towns along the Garden Route such as Knysna or Mossel Bay.

Have you visited Oudtshoorn in South Africa?

Have you visited Oudtshoorn in South Africa? If so, how was your experience? If you have not been here, is this a place you would like to visit?

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