Does the Wild Cat Experience need to be booked beforehand?

No, you do not need to book for the Wild Cat Experience.  We run the tours from 09h00 every half an hour and the last tour goes out at 16h30.  You can just arrive and book in on the day.  If the group numbers get too big, we may ask you to wait until the next tour departs.

Does the Cheetah Walk need to be booked beforehand?

Yes, because we only allow a limited number of guests to join the Cheetahs on their daily walk, you need to book beforehand in order not to be disappointed.  If you arrive on the day without making a booking we may unfortunately not be able to accommodate you on the walk.

Is the Wild Cat Experience suitable for children?

The Wild Cat Experience is suitable for children of all ages provided they are well behaved and kept under control by their parents. We do enter the enclosures of most of the animals on the Wild Cat Experience.  If the child is small, the guide may ask you to carry the child whilst it is in the enclosure for safety purposes.  No prams are allowed in the enclosures and no toys are allowed to be carried by children into the enclosures.

Is the Cheetah Walk suitable for children?

There is a recommended minimum age of 12 years and/or height restriction of over 1.3 metres for the Cheetah Walk primarily because we are walking alongside the cheetahs through natural vegetation and small children may become a target for the cheetah. Children must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardian on any program. Children younger than 12 years are not allowed on the Cheetah Walk unless they meet the height requirement of 1.3m. Infants may be taken along on the Cheetah Walk provided they remain in the parent’s backpack for the whole walk (Backpacks are not provided by Tenikwa).

Can I touch the animals?

The animals at Tenikwa are unrestrained and whilst we use close interaction with them to instill a sense of empathy, using all our senses, it is not appropriate or fair on the cats to allow physical contact with every single guest on the Wild Cat Experience.  Please respect this and enjoy the whole experience of visiting Tenikwa. The animals will sometimes come up and initiate contact of their own accord.  Beforehand, the guide will explain how you are to behave in this regard. No animals will be posed or restrained for a photograph. At times of the day, the cats are more active (morning, late afternoon).  If the cats are sleeping it is natural behaviour and it would be invasive to disrupt a midday snooze.  The guide will determine whether it is safe to approach the animals based on an assessment of the people and the animal’s behaviour, please respect his/her judgement - they work with the animals every day, and know each animal intimately.    The Cheetah Walk program affords a high level of interaction because of the fact that a small number of guests accompany the cheetahs and also because you are walking right next to them for 1 ½ hours, so you get to spend some really close, quality time with them.

When is the best time to visit Tenikwa?

Since most of the cats are nocturnal or crepuscular, they are more active in the early morning and late afternoon, preferring to take their quiet time during the heat of the day.  So for a really interactive tour, come for the first tour at 09h00.  We are normally quieter in the morning then the afternoon, so if you want to avoid the busy time, come for a morning tour. The animals are normally fed just after 16h00, so if you want to see their feeding, come in the late afternoon, although they do tend to be quite distracted in preparation for the food, which means that you will not get nice, quiet relaxed photographs of them in the natural vegetation.

How fit do you have to be to do the Wild Cat Experience?

Although this is a walking, guided tour, the pace is slow and there are frequent stops and places where you can sit down. If you have a problem being on your feet for any length of time we are quite happy for you to split the tour in two and spend a bit of time inbetween relaxing at Chesters Tea Garden.

How fit do you have to be to do the Cheetah Walk?

A reasonable degree of fitness is required, because we are walking at the pace of the Cheetahs and sometimes they do want to run short distances.  The terrain is uneven and the whole walk is between 2-3km in total with plenty of rests inbetween.  If you are concerned about not keeping up, speak to us beforehand and we will walk the pair of cheetahs who like to take it easy!

Can I take photographs whilst on tour?

Yes, you are most welcome to take photographs whilst you are at Tenikwa, but please respect and adhere to our Photographic Etiquette :

1. No flash photography is allowed.
2. The animals will not be posed, restrained in any way, or forced to behave in an unnatural way for photographs.
3. Cameras are not to be shoved in the face of the animal if it approaches you.
4. No disrespectful poses or hand-signs will be tolerated in a photograph.
5. If someone is taking a picture of you in close proximity to the animal, you may not restrain the animal to get the photo.
6. The guide is there to provide knowledge and ensure your safety.  He/She is not there to take photographs, and is not allowed to move back out of the picture frame as he will not be in a position to intervene if an unsafe situation presents itself.
7. Camera straps must be held and not left dangling, as this may encourage the cat to play with the strap.
8. Camera bags and backpacks may not be put on the ground in the enclosure and it is preferred that they remain outside the enclosure.
9. Do not approach the animals directly, crouching down with your camera.  This may be seen as confrontational behaviour.
10. Do not stray from the group whilst taking photographs in the enclosure.
11. It is not safe for very small infants to be in close proximity to the animals, so parents, please do not place your child in a risk position just to get a photograph.

We have a daily photographic tour available which is aimed at amateur or semi-professional photographers.  If your main purpose for visiting Tenikwa, is to get photographs, please consider joining this tour instead of the normal Wild Cat Experience.

Can we pay by Credit Card?

Yep, Visa and MasterCards are accepted.

Can I get something to eat at Tenikwa?

Yes, we have a Tea Garden called Chesters which caters for light meals.  Tea, coffee, cakes, scones and toasties are served daily. (And Hazel bakes fantastic choc-chip muffins every day)