Oudtshoorn Ostrich Farms

Between roughly 1880 and 1914 ostrich feathers were a luxury commodity and Oudtshoorn supplied the world, which is why a small Klein Karoo town has sandstone mansions - the feather palaces - built by farmers who briefly had more money than anyone knew what to do with. The market collapsed almost overnight when fashion changed and the First World War closed the trade, and the industry survives now on meat, leather and eggs. Several farms run tours: the incubation and hatching, the birds at different ages, the mechanics of a creature that can outrun a horse and cannot fly, and the feather history. Ostrich riding was long the standard finish and is increasingly not offered - several farms have dropped it on welfare grounds and some ask that visitors do not request it. If that matters to you, ask before booking which farm does what.

What you actually see

• A working farm - incubation, hatching and birds at different ages.
• The feather boom - the 1880 to 1914 trade that built the town's mansions.
• The mechanics of the bird - speed, size and the reasons it cannot fly.
• The welfare question - riding dropped by some farms, still offered at others.

When to go

Spring and autumn. Two to three hours. Summer midday heat in the Klein Karoo is severe.

Honest expectations

Tours are commercial and fairly scripted. Practices differ sharply between farms - check what is included before booking. Summer temperatures regularly pass forty degrees. Handling and riding of birds remains contested.

Nearby

The Cango Caves are north; the Swartberg pass is beyond them.