Introducing Oudtshoorn
That it bills itself as the ostrich capital of the world is no overstatement. These birds have been bred hereabouts since the 1870s, and at the turn of the 20th century fortunes were made from the fashion for ostrich feathers. Oudtshoorn boomed, and the so-called ‘feather barons’ built the grand houses that lend the town its distinct atmosphere today.
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The town still turns a pretty penny from breeding the birds for meat and leather, and the ostriches also pay their way with tourists – you can buy ostrich eggs, feathers and biltong all over town – but more importantly Oudtshoorn is a great base for exploring the different environments of the Garden Route and the Karoo; the latter is a desolate and harsh landscape dotted with eccentric little towns.
Last updated: Sep 24, 2008
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