SPECIAL NOTES:
* At the Elephant Sanctuary, guests will join a public tour.
* On the Canopy Tour, guests might join up with other
participants.
* Comfortable closed walking or hiking shoes and sun hats and / or
sunscreen are strongly recommended!
* Children under 7 years are not accepted on the Canopy Tour.
In the early 1900's, the Magaliesberg mountains were rich in
wildlife and home to abundant elephants. As a result of pressure by
man, this sensitive animal disappeared from the landscape. One
hundred years later the elephants have returned to this area, to a
special place in the heart of the beautiful African bushveld.
Nestled in the Magaliesberg Mountains only one hour from
Johannesburg and Pretoria, the Elephant Sanctuary lies in a
malaria-free area - the greater part within the Magaliesberg Nature
Reserve. It is surrounded by natural indigenous bush and is home to
impala, klipspringer, baboons, porcupine, caracal, leopard, a host
of other small mammals, 350 bird species and of course, six
magnificent African Elephants. Your visit will bring you close to
these magnificent animals, an experience to cherish and remember
forever!
Guests are guided in small groups on foot through The Elephant
Sanctuary, with your guide providing information and insight into
African elephants. You will be introduced to the elephants in the
mountain area, an uphill walk of approximately 200m, and here you
will be able to touch and interact with the elephants. You will see
the special relationship that the elephant handlers share with
their elephants and become a part of it. Short walk with the
elephants trunk-in-hand. See where the elephant sleep at night in
their stables. Feed the elephants. On some hot days you may even
see the elephants swimming. After the tour, enjoy a light lunch on
the main deck overlooking the elephants.
Having walked with the elephants, you will now have the
opportunity to fly with the birds! Your guide will drive you to the
Sparkling Waters Hotel, which is the base for the Magaliesberg
Canopy Tour. After a tour briefing you will be transported a short
distance to the Ysterhout (Ironwood) Gorge in the company of two
guides, where the adventure begins. Eleven platforms have been
constructed high up on the rock faces of the gorge, joined by 10
cable slides, each up to 140m (460 feet) long, and up to 100 feet
above the valley floor. From these vantage points you can explore
the magnificence of the Magaliesberg mountains and, after ten
adrenalin charged slides down the gorge, you reach your destination
at the bottom of the gorge. A short uphill walk will bring you back
to the vehicle which will return you to the hotel.
There will be time to freshen up and perhaps enjoy a drink or a
quick swim, before returning to Johannesburg.