Things to do

Make sure you make the most of your stay, and book your spot today for one of the many activities that we offer on the farm.

The greater Oudtshoorn area is well known for its beautiful Cango Caves, the breathtaking Swartberg Pass and the magnificent Meiringspoort. Also worth visiting, are the many museums in Oudtshoorn, like the CP Nel Museum, the Le Roux Townhouse and Arbeitsgenot. Let us assist you with planning your day and optimising your stay in Oudtshoorn.

Ostrich Tours

The Schoeman family present tours on their farm and this non-commercial private ostrich farm tour offers guests a unique opportunity to gain an insight into the farming activities of a real working ostrich farm.

Join our knowledgeable guides on a tour of one of the biggest ostrich farms, and learn more about the unique products of this big bird such as leather, feathers, and healthy meat. A visit to the hatchery completes this unforgettable experience.

Our tours offer an animal-friendly alternative, with no riding of ostriches.

Meerkat Encounter

One of the highlights when visiting Berluda is the introduction of our Meerkat Family! Join us on an early morning drive down to their burrows. Your guide will introduce you to the daily lives of these cute creatures. Wait patiently with a cup of coffee/tea in the hand, as they start to appear in the early morning to start their day. A once in a lifetime experience, only possible in the Little Karoo.

Fishing

Come and join us for an afternoon or morning at one of the many dams found on the farm and try your hand at catching some Carp or Bass, pose for a photo and release your catch to be caught again. Your Guide will assist you with setting up and will show you the ropes on how to catch these sometimes-elusive fish.

Mountain Biking

The Garden Route and the Klein Karoo are quickly becoming well known for its mountain biking and with races like the Cape Pioneer Trek, Attakwas Extreme Mountain Bike Challenge and The 36One Mountain Bike Challenge making certain routes more well-known. Explore the different roads that course through the farms.

Hiking

Join us for a hike amongst the beautiful unspoilt veld that surrounds Berluda. Here you can take a closer look at all the smaller things that make the Klein Karoo ecosystem tick, from special adaptations that the plants employ to survive, to medicinal uses. Have a look at the finer details of many animals that are often overlooked. Enjoy the surrounding scenery and lose yourself in nature with us.

Things to do in the area.

Swartberg Pass and Prins Albert

The Swartberg Pass is considered one of the most spectacular mountain-passes in the world – an untarred road over the Swartberg Mountains north of Oudtshoorn, taking you into the Great Karoo, and the quaint town of Prince Albert. Much of the Swartberg is part of a Unesco World Heritage Site. Plant and animal life on the pass is abundant and very versatile, especially during flowering season, when king- and other proteas can be seen alongside the road. The Pass was built between 1883 and 1888, by Thomas Bain. The dry-stone retaining walls, supporting some of its hairpin bends, are still in place and over 130 years old.

This daytrip requires at least a 2 -night stay. If you do not dare drive up the steep mountain yourself, the Berluda team offers a day tour over the Pass.

Meiringspoort and De Rust

On your circular day trip, the road back to Oudtshoorn brings you via the towering sandstone cliffs and breath-taking rock formations of Meiringspoort. The ‘Poort’ follows the natural gorge hewn by the Groot Rivier (big river) through the Swartberg range connecting the towns of De Rust and Klaarstroom, respectively the Little and Great Karoo. Do not miss the Meiringspoort waterfall – just a 5-minute walk from the parking, so easy to do, also for the not-so-fit.

Cango Caves

The world famous Cango Caves is a cultural and natural landmark in South Africa.

The caves were discovered in modern times in 1780 by a local farmer named Jacobus van Zyl. Today these caves are one of the top tourist attractions in South Africa. Visitors can do a standard tour or an adventure tour through the magnificent caves. During peak season, these tours should be pre-booked.

Cango Wildlife Ranch

Far more than just a petting zoo, this endangered species breeding facility is the oldest and largest cheetah contact centre on the planet. Visitors have the opportunity of interacting with hand-reared cheetahs as well as getting actively involved in conserving endangered species. Take a stroll on the catwalk and view lion, cheetah, puma, white Bengal tigers, meerkats, pygmy hippos and many bird species. You can also visit rare and rather large reptiles at the snake park and crocodile pools.

Oudtshoorn Museums

CP Nel Museum, one of the best country museums in South Africa, tells the story of the unique ostrich industry that played out in the town of Oudtshoorn in the last 150 years. Inside the museum is the original synagogue from the Jewish community in Oudtshoorn, still in use today.

Arbiedsgenot

Cornelius Jacobus Langenhoven was an interesting character that was educated as an advocate, attorney and politician. He was the co-writer of “Die Stem”, the old South African National Anthem. Today his house, Arbeidsgenot, where he lived from 1903-1932, is a museum open to the public.

Le Roux Townhouse – in 1909 a wealthy farmer, Mr JHJ le Roux, had an attractive town house built for him and his family. One of the unique features is the stained-glass panel reflecting a distinct Nouveau and this is the perfect example of a typical “Feather Palace” from the early 1900’s. 

Klein Karoo Horse Adventures

Experience nature on horseback: up close, rugged, beautiful. We offer scenic guided outrides in the Klein Karoo routes on Doornkraal farm along old tracks and hidden game paths through the foot-hills of the spectacular Swartberg Mountains. Riders of all skill levels welcome, even beginners.

You can enjoy short outrides or day rides including a sumptuos picnic of fresh, wholesome farm produce served with local wine or delicious homemade cordials. Our horses are descendants of the Cape Riding Horse, a South African breed with a rich history. They have excellent temperaments and are sure-footed and big-hearted.