“Amazing experience with the big cats of South Africa”
The staff at Tenikwa are fantastic and care greatly for each and every animal they look after. We were lucky enough to walk with the cheetahs which was a once in a lifetime experience and something I would recommend to anyone! We then had a tour around the sanctuary and were able to go in some of the cats enclosures which was fantastic. A truly amazing experience, thanks Tenikwa!
“Walking with cheetahs”
My partner & I visited Tenikwa Wildlife Awareness Centre on our recent holiday in South Africa & combined a one hour guided tour viewing at close hand the indigenous wild cats of South Africa with the unforgettable experience of walking with Thandi the Cheetah & her keepers Patrick & Msizi. To be so close to this wonderful animal & share her daily walk was a privilege, to be able to stroke & have her lick our hand while drinking from it was a memory we will always cherish. Her handlers Patrick & Msizi were very friendly & professional with our safety paramount.
“The most awesome day ever!!”
This has to be one of the most amazing places to visit EVER! The Crazee Cat day is a once in lifetime opportunity to discover exactly what goes on in a conservation centre combined with the excitement of talking the Cheetahs out for a walk and having the chance to actually sit and groom them. Both Len and Mandy (the owners) always do what is right by the animals – whether it’s rehab’ing them so the animals can go back into the wild or caring for them when it would be dangerous to put them back…………Both Len & Mandy combined with all the guides and carers, especially Peter, Uncle Jacob, Tawanda, ‘Gogo Wendy’ and Cheryl the vet make this one of the best experiences you’ll ever have!! Five stars doesn’t even come close to how great this place is! X
“Crazee Cat Day – Totally worth it!”
We did the crazee cat day and it all started off with a super delicious breakfast. After breakfast, we went on a short tour to get to know the different areas of the centre and the different animals – they have cute penguins and other animals as well! We even went on a lovely short penguin walk with Carol and another guide. After the walking around, we met up with Joel (a really funny guide) who showed us all the different cats they have at the centre, highlight was playing with the servals (with a self made toy with feathers on a stick). They have at the moment 2 lion cubs, they are absolutely adorable and i could have spent the whole day just watching them. But of course meeting up with the cheetahs was another highlight and definately a “will never forget moment”. We got served lunch, dessert and cake for tea time, everything was very delicious. Its a great place to spend some hours or the whole day, the whole staff there really cares for the animals and are really close to them. We had an amazing day with Joel and his passion for the cats and working for a brighter future for them is exemplary.
“Should be on everyone’s Bucket List”
We opted to do the Crazy Cat Day (full day) and we were absolutely delighted with the experience. We started the day off taking Duma, – one of the cheetahs – for his morning walk. This was followed by a freshly prepared hot breakfast. Thereafter, we were able to interact with a large range of animals, including: six week old lion cubs; servals; caracals; penguins; an egret; a water mongoose; a honey badger; a leopard; tortoises; marabous; a springbok; blue cranes as well as a few domestic dogs and cats!
At lunchtime, we were served bobotie (a traditional South African dish), which was delicious.
I would recommend the full day experience because you learn a lot more about the animals and also get to feed some (I fed a springbok, an egret and a penguin). Our main guides were Msizi and Wendy – they were a credit to the Centre with their extensive knowledge of the various animals and their passion for their work was evident, which was true of all the guides we interacted with during the day.
Delighted.
“Highly educational and informative!!!”
Although we were doing the usual trip around the premises and although it was fantastically explained and choreographed by the Tourguide Wilfred, I do recommend a Full Day Package or the Cheetah Walk. It is truly fantastic to know a place such as this exists and is run and orchestrated by such passionate and good hearted bunch of people. And if you are wondering ‘why high rates’ remember what you pay for… they need every penny to do the good job they are doing at Tenikwa!
“Spectacular”
I’ve never taken the time to review anything before, but this place is so great I had to. We did the whole “crazy cat day” and, for two inveterate travelers who have been many places and done many things, this was a peak experience for both of us. We also felt wonderful about the work Mandy and her group are doing, which isn’t always the case with wildlife encounters. can’t recommend this highly enough.
“Amazing Experience”
I booked the full day “Crazy Cat” experience and can’t recommend it highly enough! It was such an incredible day. The staff are so dedicated to the welfare of the animals in their care. On the full day experience you get to go behind the scenes and get up close and personal with the animals. I really enjoyed my day at the centre and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this place to those interested in knowing more about wild animals.
“Lovely Day”
I was in doubt which tour I should take. Finally, I chose the Crazee Cat, which is a tour for the whole day. I am so glad that I did that. It was an once in a life time experience to learn about these beautiful creatures and to have a look in the hospital. The guides know a lot and they answered all my question. I can assure you that I had a lot. I would like to thank everyone at Tenikwa for this beautiful day and a special thanks to Mthobisi and Wendy who took care of me the whole day!
We got SO much more from this visit than we originally expected! It is very well managed. My 7 year old aspiring zoologist was absolutely thrilled to meet REAL animal rescuers, and Mandy Freeman, the proprietor, spent considerable time with her. She will never forget the experience! The older kids loved visiting inside the cheetah pens, etc. Tenikwa rescues over 300 animals per year, and returns most of them to the wild after providing needed care. Their revenue is covered by visitors. The gift shop is also very nice with higher end items. We bought a nice bronze elephant statue for our coffee table; it is comforting to know that all profits from our purchases go towards running the nonprofit wildlife rescue operations. Such a special deserving place!