The giraffe house is a new establishment that has only been around for a few years, improving leaps and bounds from the muddy, rustic areas where some antelope used to roam and the famous Gerry the giraffe lives. I remember watching him when he was still very young being bottle fed by his keepers when it first opened.
Today the giraffe house is aimed at being an educative center where more is learnt about South African wildlife, with the occasional non-native creatures. Some of the animals have been rescued from the pet trade or were abandoned. With scheduled encounters about birds, reptiles and other smaller critters a few times throughout the day. This is forever changing as the place is new and still finding its feet.
There is a small kiosk (shop) where basic snacks and refreshments can be bought. You can bring your own picnic basket and refreshments, but no alcohol is permitted. Take note that the water is not drinkable, so be sure to take your own or be willing to buy some from the shop.
A sweet activity is buying a bucket full of treats for the different animals, being able to feed them yourself. This interaction is only if the animals would like to, they are not forced to be in your company, the goats are always up for some food and games if you don’t have many takers with your bucket.
The giraffe named Gerry is the funniest, when we visited the first time he had a caretaker who always used to wear a beanie, we found out on our more recent visits that he tends to be more inquisitive with people wearing hats or beanies, so be sure to pack one in just in case you need a little extra attention. He has a new friend that was still being kept apart, adjusting to the new environment, I’ll be excited to see how that friendship is going.
The giraffe house is really trying to push education about wildlife and their importance, to help with this it is open to school trips and available for children’s birthday parties. With 15Ha of land, filled with over 15 mammal species, many reptiles, birds and many domestic animals, open lawns, jungle gyms it’s bound to be any child’s happy place. Feel free to click on this link taking you to their page with all the contact information.
It is only closed one day of the year! That being Christmas, so feel free to make is a last-minute decision, being open from 9am-5pm (they do however close early sometimes if they have offsite educational programs).
PS: They do not yet have card machines, therefore do not forget to bring cash. The prices are currently in 2019 +- R50 for adults and +-R30 for children.
