Ostriches are the largest flightless birds in the world. When fully grown they can reach heights of 1.6 meters and weigh over 130kg.

Have you ever considered riding an ostrich? Many people didn’t even know that you could, but if you’re feeling brave then a trip to Oudtshoorn in the Karoo, South Africa, will allow you to do just that.

Oudtshoorn, with its semi-desert like conditions, is famous for its population of Ostriches. Ostriches have extremely powerful legs with only two toes on each leg. Ostriches are also known to have superb eyesight and this combined with their powerful legs means that they can run of speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour!

Ostriches can become slightly aggressive, especially the male ones and they kick forwards not backwards, so when near or approaching Ostriches, always take the advice of the tour guide and be aware of how close you are.

Ostrich riding is not for the faint hearted, it takes skill and a lot of guts and usually a bit of practise too. To ride an Ostrich, visit one of the Ostrich Show Farms in Oudtshoorn, South Africa. Whilst there you can also visit the petting areas and feed some of the baby Ostriches called chicks and find out a bit about how they live.