Exotic Animal World / Stellenbosch

A hands-on encounter with the cutest animals.

This animal park is truly amazing for young and old as it allows you hands on experience with exotic and local animals and the kids will certainly enjoy it.

Exotic Animal World is a sanctuary for a variety of exotic animals, such as spiders, snakes, monkeys, meerkats, scorpions, many species of bird and much more. All their animals were either donated by their previous owners, or were confiscated by local authorities and given into the care of Exotic Animal World. Visitors to the sanctuary can see over 700 amazing creatures who are now all ambassadors for their species and carry the message: Appreciate, Don’t Keep.

Walk Amongst the Animals

In the specially designed enclosed tropical garden you can walk freely amongst tropical birds, lemurs and iguanas which not only gives our animals far more space to roam, but allows for special ‘no barriers’ interaction as you watch the animals go about their day. It also means you can visit on a rainy day without getting wet!

Memorable Encounters

On top of the tropical gardens they also have a walk in aviary, complete with birds above and guinea pigs below! You’ll also pass the reptile bay, home to their baby tortoises and beautiful boas (safely behind glass!). The aquarium doesn’t just hold fish, but other exotic creatures that many will have never seen before. From there you can move on to the creepy crawly house, as long as you don’t mind big spiders! For those more fond of the cute and cuddly, just cross the river to say hello to the meerkats and the Nigerian pygmy goats not to mention a whole crowd of other residents just waiting for a visit.

Live Talks

On weekends and public holidays, their trained and knowledgeable keepers hold with demonstrations of some of their animals. These sessions are held at 11am and 2pm, and give you an even closer look at some of their residents, and the chance to learn a little more about them.

Onsite Restaurant & Shop

In case you’re getting hungry, you can visit their onsite restaurant: Café Lemur! They are serving hot drinks, meals and cakes. And as a tipp: if you’re looking for lovely gifts at an affordable price, you’ll find amazing toys and crafts at the little shop directly at the entrance.

Our Experience

This is an awesome place to go with younger kids as they are super excited and interested to see all the different exotic and sometimes creepy animals. The best thing is, you can go there anytime – even if it’s raining outside. So it’s a perfect get away for any weather. Our kids love wandering around in the tropical garden and spotting animals that walk around freely or petting the parrots. I’m super amazed with the prices at the shop as they really make an effort to put cute things together at an affordable price. So whenever we go there, I’ll take some gifts home for upcoming birthday parties or small treats in between.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Checklist

Opening Times: Monday to Sunday 09:00 – 17:00
Rates: Adults = R88, Children = R49, Kids under 3 = Free, Students/Pensioners = R79, Family (2 adults/2 kids) = R225
Age Group: 0 – 99
Baby Changing Facilities: No
Kids Menu: Yes
Price Category: Low
Fun Factor: 5/5
Free WIFI: No