My husband and I will be visiting Cape Town in September with a tour. However, we're arriving a few days early and want to do the cheetah encounter at Spier in Stellenbosch:
http://www.cheetah.co.za/default.htm

In your opinion, would we be better off renting a car and driving ourselves or hiring a driver/guide for the day?

We appreciate any advice!

We booked a tour with Hylton Ross in 2003. At this time they only ran small group tours or private tours, but it could be different now. It was a mini van, but there was only one other couple besides ourselves, os it was erally nice. I was disapointed though that we didn't have more time to drive around Stellenbosch itself, it looked like a nice place to explore for a bit. Next time I'd book a private tour with them and ask them if we could visit the cheetahs, skip the wine tour and then see more of Stellenbosch.

I just read that the original cheetah of this outreach program has passed on. We didn't meet him/her though, or if we did, I didn't know it at the time. We were sure thrilled though with the cheetah we did get to pet - it was an awesome experience!

I'd definitely get a car, maybe explore the winelands a bit more - Franschhoek, maybe Hermanus... much to see.

the spier cheetah encounter is just that you see the cheetahs or pay and get allowed to pet one of these cheetah cubs hihgly controversial topic with conservationists!

what about a visit to drakenstein llion park (lion rescue) in stellenbosch:

http://www.lionrescue.org.za/news10.htm

paul hart, the owner does an incredible job. he has dedicated his entire life to lions which have been confiscated from either zoos or privat owners in order to grant them a save heaven.

visiting lion rescue also means supporting that cause.

div

and yes - i support gardy's suggestion: selfdrive in order to get the most of the time and do whatever you want.

sa is a pretty easy going selfdrive destination.

div

You should get a private tour from Companies such as Springbok Atlas or Ikapa Tours etc.

A tourist guide would be able to take you to some very interesting places....AND PLACES THAT TOURIST GROUPS DON'T NORMALLY VISIT.

REMEMBER..tour companies compete with one another so they all tend to do the same routes and places...

Cheeters cannot be returned to the wild, once they have been hand raised...so they are used for awareness purposes

Lions on the otherhand can.....

Thanks for all the replies! Very helpful information!

Andrea

My husband and I did this in 1999 with a rental car (arranged by our agenct here in US) and enjoyed exploring the Stellenbosch area. Easy driving. At that time, there was also an Anatolian sheep dog at Speir. These are the dogs that Cheetah Conservation raises and places with farmers to protect their herds from predators. The Cheetahs one visit with had to be hand-raised and, as Africanj said, cannot be released back into the wild -- instead they act as ambassadors for their species. Once you have touched a cheetah, . . . .
Have fun.
Samcat

The Cheetah experience is absolutely worth the time, and having your own driver would be best as sometimes it can be crowded, and you need to wait as only 3-4 people are allowed at any one time tp pet and photograph the cubs or adults. It would be a shame to get there, and not be able to have enough time should a large group already be there.

Also, there as some great shirts, etc. to buy, but take cash as they are not set up for credit cards.

If I had a few extra days, I would have stayed in Stellenbosch. It is a beautiful area, and there are plenty of things to see and enjoy. The slow pace for one.

Enjoy!