Archives: EcoKidz Family Challenge

Last year we took my son on the Big Cat tour as a birthday treat whilst we were on holiday from UK. It was superb. I bought him a T shirt as a souvenir which he loved and wore all the time. This year we lost it in a beach in Ireland!
Upon contacting Tenikwa, Elzette has given the best customer service I have experienced any where in helping to replace it and posting it to him. She went hugely out of her way to arrange all this. It arrived today and we have one very very happy boy (who is now wearing the t shirt and unlikely to be taking it off any time soon!!)
Thank you soooooo much, Elzette , you really went the extra mile and I hope to thank you in person one day xx

Great place! We learned a lot from our guide and enjoyed the tour. The kids were very excited 😊 Lions, cheetahs, leopard, CaraCals and even surikatas!

Date Experienced : September 2019

We visited as a family group of seven while travelling the Garden Route. Since we had our grandsons (9 and13) with us we decided to do the EcoKidz Family Challenge. We were fortunate to have Sizwe as our guide, and he gave us so much time and attention in talking both about the animals and the work of Tenikwa. Sizwe’s attachment to the animals and to conservation was very apparent. The boys loved making their pledges at the end of the tour, and were very happy to have Sizwe get them to work through their books at the end too. What was really special was that after chatting with the Operations Manager, and explaining the family’s connection to animals, he so kindly invited the boys to a private tour of the rehab centre, which they found extremely interesting and which was greatly appreciated. So, thank you Sizwe and all at Tenikwa. You’re doing a great job and made our family really happy.

Date of Experience: 25 April 2019

A fantastic place to visit for both adults and kids. You get up close and personal with the animals and the Kids Eco tour we did was brilliant. We have a 3 and 5 year old and they were enthralled the whole time, we were even allowed in the enclosure with the Servals! I don’t think our kids will ever forget it and I certainly won’t, the highlight being when one of the Servals decided to rub up against me, it was mind blowing. Our guide Mthobisi was great with the kids, very knowledgable and answered any questions we had.

I can’t recommend it enough!

Date of experience: August 2018

10 years ago, my husband (then boyfriend) and I did a cheetah walk with Tenikwa. This was a time before we realised that hands-on interactions with wildlife was not in the best interest of the animals themselves. We had a life-changing experience with the cheetahs then, that started a deep love for all wildlife.

When we were looking at our first holiday with our daughter in May, we knew we wanted her to experience the wildcats, but we were by this stage much more aware on the harm of hands on interactions. We were so happy to hear that Tenikwa had also moved with the times and is focusing more and more on learning and engaging with the animals in a more responsible way. While they still allow close up interactions with the animals, they do have a hands-off policy and people are not allowed to actually touch the animals themselves.

We did the Eco Kids Challenge with our daughter. It is designed for older children (between 6 and 12 years old), but our smarty pants 4 year old loved it. She really enjoyed the fun facts about the animals, their habitats and how to care for the environment. She was very proud to get her certificate at the end after answering the questions on what she learned.

We also enjoyed a delicious lunch at the cafe before heading out again.

Hubby and I really enjoyed revisiting. We loved that the guides remembered the cheetahs we had met years ago and it was very special to see how the resident leopard has grown since we first visited.

A very special experience for everybody

Date of experience: May 2018

We did the EcoKidz tour with our two little ones. The guide was Msizi and he did a great job of pitching it at the right level for them. They loved the cats but also the penguins and birds. The proof of how good it was came when my eldest had her quiz about what she had learnt during the tour. She remembered bits we had forgotten.

As adults we liked the fact that this was not one of those places that allow you to pat and stroke the animals before sending them off to a private reserve to be shot by some lame hunter.

Well done Tenikwa and Msizi.

Date of experience: October 2018

A definite must do when in Plettenberg Bay. Sizwe is a great guide. Very knowledgeable and experienced. Made my boys feel at ease and even got hubby to venture into the leopard enclosure with him. The important work being done here to raise awareness about these beautiful animals and to educate visitors is all thanks to the amazing people that make the Tenikwa experience so special. There’s also a restaurant which is a great place to quench a thirst and get a bite to eat. They even have vegetarian options. Highly recommend a visit here.

Date of Experience: 10 December 2018

We did the kids’ eco tour, and were the only people on it. Our guide, Sheldon, was knowledgeable, amusing and very good with our kids, who were kept engaged for the whole duration. We all learned a lot and really enjoyed it.

Date of experience: October 2018

“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.