Testimonials:

“The Most Amazing Experience”

This is by far worth a visit above all the other ones in the Crags. We spent 3 hours with our fantastic guide, Msizi and then joined by Joel who supported us with the Cheetah walk. We were not prepared to see the variety of animals and have close encounters with them. The sanctuary does great work and they are truly a refuge for all types of animals. They mourned the loss of a sea otter that was attacked by a shark. By far, we will always savor our experience.

“Tenikwa – An experience not to be missed”

We spent a morning walking with the Cheetahs. The guides were brilliant the owners fantastic. Attention to detail and safety top class. Thank you for your wonderful work looking after our stunning cats. Will definitely recommend your establishment to everyone and when in Plett will pop in for coffee. Warm Regards Jenean and Famil

“Special Day”

This place is really special, not only does it rehabilitate sick, injured and orphaned animals but also works with communities to educate them. We didn’t do the cheetah walk but still got up close to the big cats. A wonderful time and definitely worth a visit, you will learn so much.

“A wonderful experience”

I recently took my two grandchildren (aged 7 and 5) to Tenikwa for the second time. They loved it so much the first time and have been begging me to take them again. I must say that they loved the experience and took in so much of what our guide was saying. Our guide was Jacob and he was excellent. His explanations suited not only the adults but could easily be understood by the children. What a wonderful experience this was for myself and my grandchildren and I am thrilled to say, they still remember a lot of what they were told. I’ve already been told that when they next visit Plettenberg Bay they want to go again.

“Excellent”

We booked EcoKidz family challenge, it was an excellent experience for all the family, our guide Mthobisi was extremely knowledgable and really engaged our two children aged 9 and 12.

“Awesome once in a life time experience!!!”

I booked the Sunrise Cheetah Walk and Wild Cat Combo. Our guide was Joel and we were joined by Mthobisi for the cheetah walk. Joel took us around the centre and was extremely knowledge. He clearly loves his job and his enthusiasm is infectious. He is a real asset to the centre. We learnt a lot and got to see some of the great work that is being done to help sick animals in need. They are even using penguin prosthetics! The cheetah walk was amazing. The cheetah was beautiful and it was wonderful to be so close. Throughout Joel and Mthobisi were fantastic, they took lots of photographs for us and answered all of our questions. What was really reassuring was that throughout it was constantly made clear that the walk was about the cheetahs and not about us. I did some research about this experience before I booked as I did not want to do anything that was merely exploiting animals for profit. I discovered that cheetahs in captivity need to be walked. The places are limited and carried out at times of the day to suit the cheetahs and not the tourists!

“Purrrrrfect Puddytats!”

One cannot but feel so very privileged to actually take a cheetah for a walk! What an experience it was to interact with Zimbali and Chester, two of four cheetahs at Tenikwa. Joel, Patrick and Mzizi, our guides, were most competent and knowledgeable and the preservation of cheetahs was one of the many topics covered. Walking a cheetah on a leashed harness took a bit of getting used to! The best was sitting with Zimbali, scratching the scruff of her neck as her purring got louder and louder. It was so tempting to give her a hug! Note though – the rules must be adhered to at all times and if you can do that, then you are in for the experience of a lifetime.

“Great experience”

Went as a group of 6 for the sunset Cheetah walk. At first we were a little skeptical that maybe we had booked one of these unethical wildlife tourist traps. We were relieved when we arrived at the centre and talked to the guides about the centre and mission statement. I think the centre should publish a little more information about the great work they do with their animal hospital.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and answered all out questions. When it came to the walk with Cheetahs, we felt very safe and they made the experience very enjoyable. One of the cheetahs was purring the whole time.it was a great experience and we certainly have a much greater appreciation and respect for big cats.

“Beautiful Cheetah Walk”

OMW, there are so many words for our wonderful experience that morning. Thanks to Jacob, Msizi and Mthobisi for the great cheetah walk on that beautiful Monday morning. My heart was pounding from being scared and excited all at the same time. What a wonderful experience to walk with one of Gods beautiful creations and to be in their environment on their terms.

Thank you Tenikwa for the work you do and the love and respect you show your family. Even though they are behind cages, they are cared for and loved and only their best at heart.

Thank you most of all to the two beautiful cheetahs that allowed us to walk with them and hear the beautiful purr that came out of them. Awesome beautiful creatures.

Keep up the good work Tenikwa.

“This is an absolute must-see visit!”

Whilst perusing the “What to do in the Plettenberg area” we came across the Tenikwa Wildlife Awareness Centre. Being avid cat people, this seemed like a must-visit place, especially when we found that we could do something called a “Sunset Cheetah Walk and Wild Cat Combo”. Cheetah Walk? Tell me more. Well, it turns out that what you actually get is an hour or more spent in the company of an extremely knowledgeable ranger who actually took you into the large cages where the wild cats live, with one exception, the leopard. So you get the opportunity to be up close and personal with African cats, most of whom are on the “Species Endangered” lists, including a couple of awesome (sorry), 4 ½ month-old lion cubs, one of which will grow up to be a white lion, and his regular-coloured sister. And you end up going into this enormous cage with two cheetahs. Then, it’s back to the main building to discuss how was that for you? But what about the Cheetah Walk…..OK, we’ve reached that point, the second part of the Combo. After a short safety film, it’s a case of girding one’s loins and following the rangers……..back into the cage where the cheetahs we saw earlier live. At the ranger’s call, they trot across to have their walking harnesses fitted, the door of the cage is opened and you are given a lead…..and off they go. It is emphasised that this is their walk, not yours, so you go wherever they want to go and they want to go off into the forest. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life as you would be able to tell if you could see any of the many photos that the Rangers took with our cameras. Our walk lasted about 1½ hours which I gather is about par for the course. Eventually you end up back at their cage and bid them a very fond farewell, aware that you won’t be doing anything like this anytime soon. If you have any feeling for cats (small or big, domesticated or wild) then this is an absolute must-see visit!