Please find the overview of my Garden Route trip here.
Today we would explore the Klein Karoo region, a semi-desert valley to the north of the Garden Route. While crossing the mountains into the Klein Karoo again we were treated to some awe-inspiring views, and we held a quick photo moment at the Outeniqua Pass.
Our first stop of the day was at the Cango Caves. I was surprised to learn that the first big chamber of the caves was used as a concert hall for a few decades in the 20th century. I was very interested as to the acoustics of the caves, but unfortunately they had to stop hosting events in the caves because concertgoers vandalized them (unsurprisingly people once again prove they are stupid). We did the Adventure Tour, which took us through narrow tunnels and small holes with imposing names such as the Tunnel of Love (because it gives you a lovingly squeeze when you wriggle through), the Coffin, and the Devil’s Chimney. Some of these tunnels were only a few dozen centimeters wide, so while at first we were crawling on hands and feet, quickly we were sliding along on our bellies. Because of the relatively high temperature in the caves we soon worked up a little sweat. Previously I was under the impression that, because they are sheltered from the outside elements, caves are cool at all times, never excessively cold or warm. However, the Cango Caves are easily five degrees warmer than caves I have visited in Belgium because apparently cave temperature is constant around the annual average temperature for the cave’s location.
I am always impressed when thinking about how long it has taken to form these beautiful structures.
After our caving adventure we hopped on over to the neighboring Cango Wildlife Ranch, an animal park that puts a high priority on preservation through the breeding of endangered species. During a guided tour our guide exemplified this by giving a heartfelt plea on how poaching is destroying Africa’s natural wealth. A major attraction of the Cango Wildlife Ranch is the option to have animal encounters. This is actually a common practice in numerous facilities all over (South) Africa, unfortunately often with these animals living in deplorable conditions. I must admit to being a bit of a hypocrite as I immediately signed up for a cheetah encounter even though I am opposed to exploiting wild animals purely for commercial gains like this. Luckily, the Cango Wildlife Ranch has been awarded several exclusive accreditations showing that they treat their animals properly, and they seem to conduct these animal encounters in an ethical fashion under the supervision of passionate expert staff. And after always wanting to have a lion in my garden as a small boy, how could I pass up this opportunity to have a close encounter with a cheetah?
Of course cheetahs are known as the fastest animals on land, but during my encounter with them they (luckily!) were content to slumber in the shade. Unfortunately, because these animals have been raised in captivity and are so accustomed to humans, they can never be rehabilitated into the wild. We went into the cheetah enclosure under the supervision of three staff members (of which one was the designated photographer). We were led into the cage four people at a time, and everyone could pet the cheetah as long as desired while the handlers gave us some more information. When stroking the cheetah I remarked upon the fact that, contrary to our domestic cats, the fur of the cheetahs was quite coarse, while their black spots, which have a unique pattern for every individual cheetah, are actually quite soft.
Who's a nice kitty cat?
After my close encounter with the cheetahs it was time for lunch. Staying within the theme I decided to try the exotic option: an ostrich and crocodile fillet. In contrast to my unconscious assumption when I first received my meal the white piece of meat was the crocodile and the red piece of meat was the ostrich. I tried to discover any distinctive tastes, but unfortunately the very rich marinade drowned out any underlying flavors. And despite the exotic meats, as is all too often the case when abroad, the fries were rather lackluster from my Belgian perspective. A few people of our group, myself included, quickly gobbled up our food so we could see some more animals before having to leave.
We decided to reverse the roles: after having eaten some crocodile meat now we would serve ourselves up as crocodile snacks! Somewhat similar to the shark cage diving of a few days earlier, this time I was going crocodile cage diving. Arguably this was even more thrilling than the shark cage diving. We were lowered into a pool of crystal-clear water, so we had a perfect view of the crocodile swimming there at all times, as opposed to the limited visibility of the murky and roiling ocean water. Also, the sharks would swim by the cage in a flash, while the crocodile was clearly aware that there was some potential prey in the water with him, if not for those annoying cage bars… The crocodile would languidly circle our cage, sometimes sticking his paw and snout between the bars of the cage as far as was possible to probe. It was an amazing experience to be within touching distance of this apex predator: although the crocodile never made any sudden or unexpected moves, I could clearly see the bunched power in those strong muscles, no doubt ready to strike in a flash if only the slightest opportunity would arise. Exhilarating stuff!