Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
canyons and quad-bike 'safaris' around the neighbouring 45-sq-km Yemen Reserve which
is home to deer, wild pigs, fruit bats and monkeys. Children are well catered for with a
petting zoo, a playground, giant tortoises, fishing and minigolf. Check out the website for
a full list of prices or spend some time at the information desk before the main entrance to
get a handle on how to spend your day.
If you simply pay the admission fee, you'll be free to wander the grounds, where you'll
see tortoises, a huge range of exotic birds and a few primate species in cages. And make
sure you pass by the Mirador restaurant (
Click here
)
which has fabulous sweeping views
of the coastal plain. If you pay an extra Rs 100, you'll be taken in a safari vehicle where
you get out and look at lions, tigers and cheetahs from viewpoints overlooking large,
grassy enclosures. If you pay an extra Rs 250, you board another safari vehicle to drive
through a much larger area roamed by lions, zebra etc.
The park is famous for offering 15-minute 'interactions' (Rs 500) with the big cats,
which means you're actually in the enclosure with them armed with nothing more than a
large stick, and the hour-long 'walking with lions' experience (Rs 3000). We don't recom-
mend either of these two options. These are wild animals, despite having been bred in
captivity. Incidents in which visitors have been mauled by big cats in similar places in
Africa aren't common but they do occur and participants are asked to sign an indemnity
form before they draw near to the animals.
Médine Sugar Factory
OFFLINE MAP
MUSEUM
( 401 6000, 452 0400;
www.medine.com/sugar
)
Rather unattractively spewing out smoke into the
countryside around Flic en Flac is the Médine Sugar Factory, one of the country's biggest.
During the cutting season (July to early November) it's possible to take a guided one-hour
tour of the factory. You can also visit the distillery, where the 'waste' molasses is turned
into rum. The visit ends with a tasting session. Call ahead for details. The factory is 6km
northeast of Flic en Flac. If you get stuck behind a sugar-cane truck overburdened by har-
vested crops, you can bet it's heading here.
Activities
In addition to the activities at Casela Nature & Leisure Park, the main activities in Flic en
Flac are watersports.
