Montecasino Bird Gardens Are A Family Treat
I give the guys from Cape Town a hard time, I know. The truth is I love Cape Town, but my heart is in Jozi. One of the things that suck about Johannesburg though, and probably more than anything else, is that when you’re not working there’s not much to do – recreationally I mean.
There is the Zoo, which I love, but you can only go there so often. In Cape Town you’re almost spoilt for choice in terms of things to do with the family that truly renew the soul, and many of them are not 5 minutes from the city center. There’s waltzing up and down the beaches of Clifton, taking a jog along the promenade or if you’re feeling energetic scaling Lion’s head. Those are just the things this arb Jo’burger can think of.
This morning Wendy and I had a ‘let’s get out’ feeling, which normally requires weeks worth of planning and a trip to the Magaliesburg to satisfy. But today Wendy suggested we go to the Montecasino Bird Gardens (crikey, Montecasino website needs a revamp…).
Immediately I was hesitant – Montecasino, as it’s name suggests, is a casino. It’s smack bang in the middle of one of the fastest growing suburbs in Jozi. It’s busy, noisy and commercial. Not exackery relaxing. Anyways, I went along and was so pleasantly surprised.
The casino is still noisy and flashy, but the gardens are truly a breath of fresh air. They were spotlessly clean, highly organised and the service we recieved from everyone we came in contact with was above par. We had lunch at the Flamingo Cafe, which was superb – I had a ‘Gourmet-Garage-equivalent-in-taste-and-size’ cheeseburger for R30! In Fourways!!!
We caught the bird show which was well presented and very nicely put together. The staff were top class even though I could see some of the birds, notably a violent Marabou stork and cheeky Toucan, had other ideas of how things should’ve progressed!
I also took my gorgeous new camera along but like a tonsil, left the damn thing in the car. So will have to make another trip out to take some cool pics.
Also seems I’m not the only geek to have appreciated the quality of the gardens.
Sounds like you had a fab time.
Apparently the Lion Park is also a great outing…
http://www.lion-park.com/
You can even pet the cubs…
PS: Lion park is a bit pricey, but the people I know who have been have said it is worth every penny!
I recently went to the bird park, and found it pleasant as well
I have taken tourists to the Bird Park and they have been very impressed. Lunch is great at the Bushwillows and relaxing cos in a beauitful setting.
Also the balloon ride is a must for a panoramic view of Jozi.
Jozi has a vibe like no other and its go go go all the way!
Cape Town has the beaches but lacks the vibe!!!