One of my favorite things about traveling is accidentally happening upon somewhere awesome when I least expected it.
That’s exactly what happened to us in Cape Town, South Africa, when we randomly decided to take the Hop On Hop Off Bus around Table Mountain National Park.
Editor’s Note: This post is part of a series on our series on South Africa.
Visiting The World Of Birds, Wildlife Sanctuary & Monkey Park (Cape Town, South Africa)
As we were driving around the base of the mountain, we saw a sign for the World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary that read “The Largest Bird Park in Africa”.
With a billing like that, how could we not check it out?
About The World Of Birds
Not only does the World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary have more than 3,000 birds from over 400 different species, it also has a large (and popular) monkey jungle – as well as a few other mammals and reptiles.
Location & Getting There
The world of birds is located on the back-side of Table Mountain National Park, in the Hout Bay Valley.
From the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, the trip will take about 30 minutes by car or taxi, or in our case – about an 45 minutes via the City Sightseeing Bus (AKA the Hop On Hop Off Bus “blue line” where the sanctuary is located at Stop #22).
Hours & Official Website
The park is officially open every day of the year from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Tickets are available at the front entrance (advance reservations are not necessary).
The Birds Of The Sanctuary
It didn’t take long for us to realize that the World of Birds was a special place. The exhibits were large, and all the birds appeared healthy and happy.
What impressed us was just how many birds were there, not just from Africa, but from all over the world.
Prior to this visit, we had never seen a Golden Pheasant, a Scarlet Ibis, or a White-naped Crane in person.
Our favorite bird there was also one of the most unique we’ve ever seen, an all-white “Albino” Peacock.
Peacock
Common Pheasant
[Not sure what species this little guy is]
Golden Pheasant
Scarlet Ibis
Scarlet Ibis
White-naped Crane
White-naped Crane
Albino Peacock
Marabou Storks
Secretary Bird
Ibis
Barn Owl
Egyptian Ducks (Wait a minute…these guys are the locals)
The Mammals
Although the mammal section was much smaller than the bird section, there were some interesting critters to be seen.
We saw a Cape Fox cuddling with a Meerkat and watched feeding time with the Common Genets.
The cutest thing ever? A Cape Fox cuddling with a Meerkat
Common Genets
Feeding time!
The Monkey Jungle
The most popular of the mammal exhibits was the monkey jungle “hands down”, where tourists lined up to hold (and take selfies with) the Squirrel Monkeys (which are actually from Brazil).
Squirrel Monkeys – moments before the go-pros were stolen
Final Thoughts: Visiting The World Of Birds, Wildlife Sanctuary & Monkey Park
The sanctuary is a fun, interesting and worthwhile excursion from Cape Town if you get the chance (just watch out for the monkey pickpockets).
In all, I think we spent about 3 hours in the sanctuary before catching the bus for a most scenic drive back to our hotel near the waterfront.
We had a great (and unexpected) time at the World of Birds, Wildlife Sanctuary & Monkey Park.
I can easily recommend it for bird and animal lovers, and tourists looking for something fun to do for a half day.
