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De Wildt
Cheetah Research Centre
Departures:
Tu, We, Th, Sa & Sunday
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For Cheetah Run add
R100pp
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Normal tour
Departure Pretoria |
pp
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Normal tour
Departure Johannesburg |
|
R900
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1
|
R1200
|
|
R600
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2
|
R800
|
|
R590
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3
|
R750
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R575
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4
|
R650
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R550
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5
|
R600
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R525
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6
|
R575
|
|
R500
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7
|
R550
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R500
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7+
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R550
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R5000
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Private 1-7
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R5400
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R5800
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Exclusive 1-2
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R6000
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Booking in advance
is absolutely necessary, as space is limited.
Departures 1 hour before from Pretoria, 1,5 hours before from Jo'burg
Normal tours times: Tu, We, Th, Sa
& Su @ 13h30 & We @ 8h30
Cheetah Run Tu, Th, Sa & Su @ 8h00
Private and exclusive anytime if booked in advance,
exclusive includes a signed copy of 'The Cheetahs of De Wildt',
written by founder Ann van Dyk' as well as a photographic experience
with an ambassador Cheetah
The world famous De Wildt Cheetah Research Centre, now the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre, is a must for any visitor to Gauteng. They have been breeding cheetahs successfully in captivity for several decades now. They are also reintroducing "problem captured" cheetahs back into the wild. This research centre on the outskirts of Pretoria also cares for other endangered species such as the African Wild Dog for instance. They also have the king cheetah whose pattern differs strongly from the usual spotted coat of the animals. Everyone meets at either 8h30 or 13h30 next to reception. There will be coffee & tea available. If you were early you can wander around a bit and check out some cheetahs, king cheetahs, honey badgers and more. They normally start 5 minutes late as the Jo'burg crowd always run late due to traffic, but won't wait longer than that. Next up is a introduction to De Wildt - the humble beginnings, history, successes & other info like basic genetics - this takes about 20 minutes. Note that if you arrive after this you won't be able to join but will get charged if they showed other people away. Alternatively they might have sold your places. So after this you will get on a vehicle & do a rough 2,5 hours all over the place - owls, vultures, brown hyena, wild dogs, some tame game, more wild dogs, cheetahs, cheetahs & cheetahs. The time will really fly & before you know it it will be over. You will then have a chance to have a pic taken with Byron or 1 of the 4 other trained cheetahs. This is an extra at R100 for 1 or 2 pax together or R150 for a maximum of 4, subject to change. You can also support their Curio shop or adopt a cheetah for a fee, it all goes for a good cause.
The tour is very popular and often booked out long in advance - numbers are limited to 24 per session in the week & 48 pax on weekends. So a booking is necessary. Don't even think of trying to just arrive as you won't get past the security gate if your name is not on the booking list.
I have done the trip at least 15 times over the last 15 years. Even as a guide I learn something new every time. This is absolutely worth doing & I do it again every now & then. I have yet to meet an incompetent guide from De Wildt. They are excellent & love what they do. The guides in the week are full-time and on the weekends they normally use volunteers. 1 lady doing weekends sometimes takes up to 4 hours on the trip, she just get totally carried away...she is really cool. Lastly it is better doing this trip from Pretoria, the traffic from Jo'burg is atrocious. If you are in Jo'burg and want to do this you should try do it on a weekend, preferably Sundays. If you have a choice between staying in Pretoria and Jo'burg & you choose Jo'burg (good luck) & go in the week, take something to do with. You will be in the traffic at least 1,5 hours. You might also miss the trip & will still have to pay for it.