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.
The Schoeman family presents non-commercial and private tours of their working ostrich farm.
Join your knowledgeable guide on a round trip in a small minibus, on a tour of one of the largest ostrich farms in the world and learn more about the reason for farming with this big bird.
A visit to our hatchery completes this unforgettable experience. Our tours offer an animal-friendly alternative, with no riding of ostriches. These small personal tours are conducted daily after breakfast, and on request, in the afternoon. All tours are subject to availability.
Adults: R400 pp
Children 4 – 12: R200 pp
Duration ± 2 hours
Paying a sunrise visit to our local meerkat family is not to be missed, when staying with us. The minibus departs from Berluda parking, and 8km down the road, guests will change over to an open game viewer. Venture into our private game reserve with an accredited and experienced field guide, to visit our local meerkat family. Watch them emerge from their cosy bunkers to bask in the morning sun and learn more about these fascinating little creatures from your guide. Other animals in the reserve include springbok, wildebeest, nyala, kudu, eland, bat-eared jackal, and an array of indigenous birds and flora. Tours are weather-dependent and subject to availability. Departure times are early morning and subject to change (seasonal).
Adults: R700 pp
Childres u/12: R350 pp (Regrettably no under 8’s)
Duration ± 2 hours
Explore the starry skies of the Southern Hemisphere under the careful supervision of
a trained and qualified guide. Let the powerful telescope and advanced sky
recognition technology analyse star patterns overhead and calculate their position in
real time for your ultimate stargazing experience.
Take to nature at night in the company of an experienced and registered field guide to explore the wonderful world of the multiple scorpion species found in the Klein Karoo. Locate them by their glow under black light and let the guide enlighten you on their peculiar behaviours and habits.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
