Ease your boredom over the long weekend

Are you short on ideas of how to spend the time with your family during the long weekend without breaking the bank?

If you want to break away and leave the city behind you, this list will help you find that perfect spot. All of these places are within a two-hour drive from Polokwane.

Make sure to call and book your visit before you depart on your adventure to avoid disappointment.

What to do and where to go:

• The Tzaneen Lion and Predator Park offers animal interactions for big and small. Play with lion cubs, tigers, servals and caracals and see white lions and many other types of animals on the interaction tour and game drives. This park is part of the Letaba River Lodge Eco Park and offers game drives on request where you can view emu, impala, giraffe, zebra and many more. Contact them at 076 991 1111.

• At the Wegraakbosch Organic Dairy Farm in Magoebaskloof, you can see how milk is made into cheese without any electrical or mechanical equipment. Try their cheese platters with home-made sausages. You can also buy many types of delicious cheeses and preserves here. Call them at (015) 276 1811 or send an e-mail to cheese@haenertsburg.co.za.

• Thomas Educational Tours offers tarantula spider workshops, education about reptiles, demonstrations of essential oil extraction from plants, information on rainwater harvesting, worm farming and bee-keeping. This gem is situated in Haenertsburg on the Cheerio Halt road. Booking is essential. Call Julie at 076 418 1238 or send an e-mail to mark@thomac.co.za. The tour times available are at 11:00 and 14:00.

• At the Agatha Crocodile Ranch just outside Tzaneen you can touch baby crocodiles, feed adult crocodiles and go on guided tours of the breeding farm and the enclosures. Meet Rufus, a 4,2m long crocodile, around 50 years old. Contact them at (015) 307 4398.

• The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre in the Kapama Private Game Reserve used to be a breeding programme for cheetahs. Now it is the home of endangered wild dogs, black-footed cats, lion, traditional African wild cats, sable antelopes and more. The vulture restaurant is a must-see. Contact them at (015) 793 1633 or 083 654 2299.

• Meet, touch and feed the friendly animals at Mangela Animal Touch Farm near Tzaneen. Jacob the donkey and the miniature ponies Maya, Misty, Pepe and Inca are waiting for visitors to come and feed them with crunchy apples and carrots. Mangela Animal Touch Farm also has ostriches, emus, pot-bellied pigs, goats, ducks, chickens, rabbits and more. Pony rides are available with supervision by friendly and helpful personnel. Contact them at (015) 304 3172.

• Mystic Monkeys and Feathers Wild Animal Park hosts one of South Africa’s largest private primate collections featuring 44 species, in addition to a large number of beautiful exotic birds and predators.

Just off the Boekenhout/Hammanskraal turnoff from the N1 south, near Bela-Bela, this park offers a great day out for the whole family. No picnic baskets are allowed, but a wonderful fast food restaurant on the premises offers delicious treats. Contact them at 082 566 4929 or send an e-mail to l blouduiker@mweb.co.za

• The Thabakwena Crocodile Farm just outside Bela Bela on the R101 is the largest crocodile farm in the southern hemisphere. With more than 10 000 crocodiles and fully guided tours by excellent tour guides, it is definitely an experience not to be missed. Feeding times are especially interesting to watch. You can also buy interesting crocodile products here. Contact them at (014) 736 4774 or (014) 736 5059. You can also send an e-mail to albert@tkwena.co.za or wicus@tkwena.co.za.