Sleep with the lions, 30 Minutes from Cape Town.

The Drakenstein Lion Park was recently brought to my attention as offering close contact with lions only 50km from CT.

5 minutes from Paarl (straight up the N1) the park is a sanctuary for captive bred lions that are unable to be reintroduced to the wild.

A number of opportunities exist for coming into close contact (but no touching), casual day trips, Volunteering and overnight tented accommodation within earshot of the blood curdling bellows.

Drakenstein Lion Park is privately funded and does not rear lions commercially for hunting or further captivity. You can also adopt a lion for R1000/ year.