Meerkat Safari

South Africa’s most endearing wildlife celebrity, the meerkat, has taken the nature loving world by storm over the last few years. The previously little known member of the mongoose family has captured our imagination through series such as Meerkat Manor which showed us their humanlike qualities.

The best place to see these animals is at the Meerkat Magic conservation project situated near Oudtshoorn in the Klein Karoo. Here you will have the opportunity to get within a few metres of a meerkat burrow and observe their comical behaviour as they interact with each other in the complex social structure of their clan which can contain between 20 and 50 meerkats.

Meerkats are well regarded in the African culture, especially in Zambia and Zimbabwe, where it is known as the sun angel. Popular belief is that it protects the villages from the moon devil or werewolf which is believed to attack stray cattle or lone tribesman.

Visitor numbers are limited to ensure the meerkats are not disturbed as they go about their daily business of foraging and caring for each other. The best time to see these entertaining creatures is at sunrise or dusk.

You will also learn about the “shy 5” – the bat eared fox, porcupine, aardvark, ant bear and aardwolf and after your meerkat safari you could visit one of the ostrich ranches or drop in at one of the wildlife rehabilitation centres.