Oudsthoorn (South Africa)

I loved all the panoramic roads that you can take to Oudstshoorn: from Montagu across the Karoo mountains, from George via the Outeniqua Pass or towards Beaufort West in the Karoo. It's rather amusing to see cows and ostriches living together in the fields.

The visit to the ostrich farm is very interesting: you learn that the ostrich never buries its head in the sand; that only the male is endowed with pretty feathers; that in the mating season he has red legs and can be dangerous.

You see baby birds hatching out of their eggs; then you go straight to the boutique hut. There you can get the ever-fashionable ostrich egg (very securely packed in your suitcase), as well as feathered masks (most of which are sent to Rio for the carnival) and bags made of ostrich leather (if they haven't been despatched to Hermes, who have made them their signature item). The highlight for me was the end of the visit: I was able to have an ostrich ride for several minutes - very impressive! It's possible, within the limits of an acceptable weight for the animal, of course...

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the meerkat families on De Zeekoe Farm. This unusual outing is organised very early (around 6 o'clock in the morning) and well in advance, being fully booked for several months. Finally, don't forget to try out the restaurants ofOudtshoorn, where both the ostrich meat and Karoo mutton are incredible.