Cheetah's Rock — Attraction in Unguja

We started our experience at Cheetah's Rock on the first day with the VIP Otter Experience. It was such a wonderful and amazing experience to feed the little Otter pirates and play in the water with these lively and joyful animals, which were full of energy. They made us smile the full time, we immediately fell in love with Bloody Mary, Cpt. Hook, Cpt. Blackbeard and Cpt. Jack Sparrow. There won’t be any other way than to fully enjoy this encounter. We are recommending the program to everyone. A big thank you as well for Leaveil and Stephan who made us feel very comfortable. They did a fantastic job, they were very kind, friendly, also took pictures about us and the animals and could always answer our questions. They ensured that the animals were always looked after while we (and they) played with them. This created a very pleasant atmosphere.

The Great Wildlife Experience took place on the next day. The tour starts with a welcome coconut water and a mandatory briefing. From the beginning you could see with what dedication, love and passion the employees in Cheetah‘s Rock look after the animals. Their well-being always comes first and is their top priority. They are making no profits out of the tours, all the money goes directly to the animals and helps the team sustain their operations. They are not getting any support from the government, that’s why the entrance fee for such an experience is more than justified. We learned a lot about their vision and goals and about the current situation concerning the flora and fauna in Zanzibar. That’s why their conservation work is even more important. From the staff we learned a lot about the animals at Cheetah‘s Rock. About their species but especially about their individual, mostly very sad back story. The most of the animals are rescued and adopted and due to ongoing physical impairments they will never be released to the wild as it would mean their certain death. At Cheetah‘s Rock they can live a happy, sheltered life in a large and spacious enclosure, which is adapted to their natural habitat. With so many different wild animals living in one place it is of course necessary to have fence between the different enclosures as a safety restraint. The resident Zoologist Stephan had a great deal of knowledge and could answer all the visitor questions in detail. The same applies for Leaveil and the rest of the employees, who led the group through the afternoon in a well-structured manner.

One of the highlights of course was the interaction with the different animals. This was again an experience for a lifetime. For example the soccer play with the zebra stallion Chaka, or having the opportunity to sit beside the cheetah Maktoum and touch him. Or feeding the bush babies, lemurs or monkeys treats while they are jumping from shoulder to shoulder, or helping the white lion Aslan having his 10kg meat per day, while having a refreshment for yourself with sparkling wine or water. It is very nice to see what a great deal of trust there is between the trainers and the animals, which is transferred to the visitors. For example the zebra stallion Chaka is trained to loose its fear of people and to build trust in order to get medical care. That is very important because at Cheetah‘s Rock the animals are not declawed, defanged, drugged in order to treat them nor forced to do anything by force. The interaction with the trainer or the visitors also enriches their lives so that they do not get bored.

We definitely recommend visiting Cheetah‘s Rock and if it’s possible to book both available programs. You do not only get educated very well, you also get the opportunity to get very close to a lot of wild animals, to touch and feed them, which leaves you with a breathtaking feeling. At Cheetah‘s Rock they mediate perfect consciousness for wildlife conservation. Your visit will not only enrich your, but also the animals life. A big thank you to the staff for making it an unforgettable experience and providing us two of the best days of our...

This was an excellent experience that I would highly recommend if you have some free time in Zanzibar. First, I want to say that this is a TRUE animal sanctuary through and through (based on the research I did before visiting and also everything I observed while there.) I have visited other rescues in other parts of the world that because of political or economic pressure, have made certain compromises to stay open and be able to maintain operations, but at some expense to their animals. In the situations they are in, they reason that the animals are at least better off there than where they were before (and usually they are), but they have to make their location more lucrative in order to stay afloat. At Cheetah’s Rock, I didn’t witness any such compromise. Their policies always appeared to put animal welfare and visitor safety over gimmick-y tourist attractions (which is much rarer than you would think!), while still maintaining an enjoyable and educational experience for visitors. For example, once lions reach maturity (they are much more aggressive than cheetahs when fully grown), they no longer allow photos with visitors- which is the safest and most humane thing! — For a more detailed account: A round trip driver to and from your hotel (for most areas on the island) is included in the price. Our driver was on time, courteous, and got me excited for the visit. Upon arrival, our guide, Shane, was very welcoming and told us what we could expect, briefed us on safety procedures, and was very up front about any risks with specific animals and experiences. It was raining when we arrived, so we started under a covered area, where we met an adorable zebra, Chaka. We were told how staff only use positive reinforcement to build trust in the animals, which not only allow visitors to interact, but more importantly, allow vets to treat the animals without using tranquilizing drugs for routine check-ups, which is much healthier. Then we met a gorgeous puma (who was in heat!) and were told her heartbreaking story before being rescued. We then got to go into an enclosure with some lemurs, who we could feed as they sat on our shoulders, and one of the rarest species in the world, Ploughshare Tortoises!! We also visited a psyches blue monkey and two playful vervets. One of my favorite encounters was with the bush babies! The are super interested in you- sniffing you, preening your hair and giving you lots of love. Then, we were served champagne and refreshments before meeting Aslan the lion! He stays in his enclosure for safety, BUT, volunteers who would rise to the challenges can start by making eye contact, leading to a race up and down the grounds. I volunteered and it was so cool to connect with this lion and get him excited to race, switching back and changing direction while maintaining eye contact. We later saw some beautiful and very rare golden tabby tigers. Finally, of course, we were able to pose with the cheetahs. There were two separate cheetah encounters, both allowing photo opportunities. The only advice I would give is that someone in your group take your pictures (allowed only for the first cheetah encounter). I was a solo traveler so relied on the staff to take pictures and unfortunately did not get a single usable picture with the cheetahs (almost all were blurry or the cheetah was cut out of the frame). But, the couple that was in my car took their own photos and were very satisfied with theirs (and were a little more pushy with getting photo time). If I went again, I would just have another guest take my pictures☺️. On the second cheetah encounter, our group was a bit time pressured and because of the rain, the sunlight was gone, but we were still able to get very close to an even bigger cheetah and learn about why some were named after the royal family in Dubai. We later saw the adorable otters when passing outside their “night house”. Thank you Cheetah’s Rock for maintaining your integrity and staying true to...

I'll start with the positive points.The booking procedure was smooth. They explain their prices clearly on their website. You can write to them on whatsapp and they answer quickly. Everyone was friendly and the employees make sure that you get a good picture with all animals.

It seems like the animals are well cared for. They mention that they have access to top vets in Austria, Italy, and South Africa. It was just the part about these lion cubs that made me feel uncomfortable and regret my trip.

This place was a lighter version of Tiger King. I started the visit hoping that I would be supporting someone who was providing a haven for animals that had nowhere else to go. I was on board for the story of most of the animals until we met Jenny, the founder of the park.

She explained that the female lion, a white lion of which none exist more in the island, Savanna recently had two cubs. A few days later, they realized there was a dead cub in the placenta and it was removed. The mother lion was in severe pain and incapable of caring for the living cubs. Jenny said, "The cubs are with me."

I assume that means that the cubs are living at her home with her. Then I asked why the cubs aren't with the mother. She answered the question openly explaining that the mother wasn't able to care for the cubs due to the medical emergency. They can't reintroduce the cubs to the mother because they don't have her scent anymore.

These are all probably true comments, but she also said that her background is as a lawyer. I don't see how this was an educated decision made for the welfare of the cubs. Then Jenny explained that they do VIP tours with the cubs to expose them to humans.

She didn't try to hide the fact that the cubs do provide the park income that helps the other animals. In the end, it's a business that has to run like any other place, but it just felt awkward for me after that.

They also have a white male tiger named Garfield that they have in an enclosure with one of the other white female lions. When she's sexualy mature, they may mate to create a tigon.

I asked one of the employees if they have a vet or work with conservation groups to motivate these decisions. Granted it was toward the end of the tour, he said that they do have vets and thinks they cooperate with some conservation groups in Germany.

This part also seemed off because it's one thing for the animals to keep each other company but another if you hope they have cubs for no natural reason.

I also often wondered what the educational background of the employees were, like did they have prior experience with animals. They introduce themselves but you don't know their background. One said that he was / is a safari guide in Uganda and Tanzania so I'd imagine that he has specialized training.

I wish that I hadn't have come and had done something else with my time and money. I hope that this review will help others who are on the fence...