Would You Go Swimming With Crocodiles?

Anyone who saw the fascinating BBC documentary on Sunday where Ben Fogle went swimming with crocodiles in Botswana would have probably had one of two reactions… either “he must be mad!” or “Great! where can I do that??”

Just for the record, I am very much in the “he must be mad!” camp….if you live in the UK, you can see for yourself  on the fantastic BBC iplayer.

Of course, we would definately not recommend swmimming with crocs in the same way the Ben did without the same expert support and advice that he had, however there is somewhere that it is possible to cage -dive with these ancient (and frankly terrifying!) animals.

The Cango Wildlife Ranch in Oudshoorn is one of a number of family-friendly wildlife attractions on the Garden Route, and a few years ago they started offering what is believed to be the world’s first Nile crocodile cage-diving experience.   Visitors aged 12 years and older can get into a cage which is then lowered into a heated pool containing giant Nile crocodiles, and the animals often get so close that you can count their teeth!

There is lots more to do in the area, and if this appeals to you and you are spending a couple of weeks in South Africa you might also like to combine this with whale watching and shark cage diving down at Hermanus on South Africa’s South Coast.