What are the opening hours?

Monday 09:30 - 17:00 Tuesday 09:30 - 17:00 Wednesday 09:30 - 17:00 Thursday 09:30 - 17:00 Friday 09:30 - 17:00 Saturday 09:30 - 17:00 Sunday 09:30 - 17:00

Drakenstein Lion Park

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South Africa
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Drakenstein Lion Park

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One of the very few true, ethical lion sanctuaries in South Africa - a safe haven for rescued lions. The Park receives no governmental or grant funding.

Drakenstein Lion Park provides rescued big cats with sanctuary and a safe haven. All of our rescued big cats are provided with lifetime care. No breeding, trade, or visitor-animal interaction takes place. The Park is situated on 60 sprawling acres of fit-for-purpose lion habitat in the scenic Cape Winelands and offers visitors not only the opportunity to visit the rescued big cats, but also to support their care as well as to support the rescue of other big cats from abusive circumstances, as the Park is funded by visitors’ contributions. Drakenstein, established in 1998, is the longest-operating South African-owned big cat sanctuary, built, owned and run by the Hart family with their decades of hands-on experience in the rescue and provision of world-class care to previously abused and mistreated captive big cats. Drakenstein Lion Park is acclaimed for creating an ethical, non-intrusive and non-exploitative environment in which rescued big cats can be viewed by visitors without negative impact. Each rescue is treated as a sentient individual with care tailored to their unique psychological and physiological well-being. Our specialised care of previously abused captive big cats continues to evolve using our years of practical hands-on experience. The Park is not involved in commercial breeding or trade, and offers lifetime care to all of our animals. All the animals brought to the Park are captive-bred/hand-reared and cannot be rehabilitated to the wild. The animals at the Park are assured a chance of living out their natural lives in an enriched and safe environment.

30/10/2026

Little Leo is definitely an odd soul, but that does not make him any less happy. He was rescued from imprisonment on a 14th-floor apartment balcony in central Beirut – undeniably a highly unsuitable, and dangerous, environment for a lion.

Lions that fall victim to the illegal pet trade often do not survive past a year because of the abuse, malnutrition, and neglect they suffer in inappropriate conditions. Although the start of his life affected him significantly, Little Leo absolutely adores his life at our sanctuary for rescued big cats.

He is certainly a unique lion, but has an environment in which he could flourish and is truly happy because of us, free from exploitation or abuse – something that would have been impossible without our care or expertise.

This is who we are.

This is what we do.

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We are open daily from 09:30 to 17:00.
Our big cat feeding times are Mon/Wed/Fri at 16:00 – watch us feed our rescues.
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26/10/2026

Kala, undisputed queen of her castle, has developed quite the personality in our expert care. Although she mostly prefers keeping to herself, she has fascinating interactions with Ozzy and Sharon before feeding times.
Kala was rescued from the horrors of the barbaric canned hunting industry’s epicentre, which may explain why she is a remarkably feisty lioness. She has come out of her shell wonderfully over the years in our sanctuary care, and is completely comfortable in her space.

This is who we are.

This is what we do.

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We are open daily from 09:30 to 17:00.
Our big cat feeding times are Mon/Wed/Fri at 16:00 – watch us feed our rescues.

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20/10/2026

Sweet sun-kissed Stuart is known to be quite the stealer of hearts, though can you really blame anyone when sunset suits him this well?

Stuart was rescued from imprisonment in a private Lebanese zoo that had kept him chained to the ground in a barren concrete cage, and has grown to become one of our most relaxed lions since his rescue in 2019. It is very clear to see his happiness in his behaviour, and which might be part of why he is one of our most popular rescues.

Stuart is certainly one of our most curious rescued lions, and loves keeping an eye on the goings on in our sanctuary. He has blossomed completely in our expert care, and seems to revel in the knowledge that he is completely safe and free to do as he pleases at his forever home in our sanctuary.

This is who we are.

This is what we do.

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We are open daily from 09:30 to 17:00.
Our big cat feeding times are Mon/Wed/Fri at 16:00 – watch us feed our rescues.

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15/10/2026

Ena had to roar about this rare opportunity: we have a position opening up soon for a front-of-house/animal carer member of our team. If you or anyone you know local to us is interested, please email us for more information! Our contact info is on our page and website.

Beautiful Ena, rescued from a French circus, is an incredibly impressive lioness, and loves life in our care.
She was confiscated from imprisonment in horrific conditions in the circus, and was discovered hidden underneath a circus horse trailer in a wooden box, where she had been kept prisoner for most of her life.
The circus undoubtedly would have forced Ena to suffer through barbaric, inhumane training to be forced to act unnaturally for the sake of unethical “entertainment”.
Ena has progressed phenomenally in our expert care that is tailored to her individual needs, and is proof of how well previously abused big cats can do when rescued from abuse and given an opportunity to thrive in a spacious, species-appropriate environment.

This is who we are.

This is what we do.

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We are open daily from 09:30 to 17:00.
Our big cat feeding times are Mon/Wed/Fri at 16:00 – watch us feed our rescues.
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10/10/2026

Sweet Simba, nearly 19 and a half years old, seems very happy in his self-appointed role as kind older neighbour to Pi and Freya.

Simba was rescued from the horrors of life in a French circus, and it is easy to tell how grateful he is to be away from the torture he would have undergone prior to being rescued.

Circuses like the one Simba was rescued from subject animals to brutal and barbaric “training,” and confine them to cramped “beast wagons” with barely enough room to move.
Fortunately, Simba was saved from that miserable existence, and has peace and happiness in our expert care.

This is who we are.

This is what we do.

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We are open daily from 09:30 to 17:00.
Our big cat feeding times are Mon/Wed/Fri at 16:00 – watch us feed our rescues.
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06/10/2026

Tarzan is not the biggest fan of the camera, but his reclusiveness is understandable given his origins. Tarzan was rescued from the epicentre of the barbaric and morally repugnant canned hunting industry, but has found safety and peace with us.

Tarzan, just like Kala, is a very formidable lion, but has come out of his shell fantastically in our care and clearly feels safe enough to be himself.

This is who we are.

This is what we do.

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We are open daily from 09:30 to 17:00.
Our big cat feeding times are Mon/Wed/Fri at 16:00 – watch us feed our rescues.

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30/09/2026

Simba and Sara, now roughly two and a half years old, are in an extremely boisterous phase of their teenage years – something you can undoubtedly see here! Although their introduction to each other took time, they are now inseparable.

Sara was rescued from a criminal lion seller in Lebanon who had brutally scarred and abused her, treating her as nothing but a prop. Despite everything she suffered, including being frighteningly close to bombed areas, she is a confident and happy lioness thanks to the safety we provide.
Simba is yet another lion rescued from the illegal pet trade in Lebanon. He was surrendered by his owner to Animals Lebanon so that he can live out his life with the respect, dignity, care, and space he deserves at our sanctuary. Simba has recovered fantastically from the rough start to his life thanks to our expertise.

This is who we are.

This is what we do.

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We are open daily from 09:30 to 17:00.
Our big cat feeding times are Mon/Wed/Fri at 16:00 – watch us feed our rescues.
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23/09/2026

Ozzy and Sharon, now nearly 18 months old, are most certainly deep into their hooliganish teenage phase, as you can see here! These two have made a habit of zooming around their enclosure together as the sun sets over our sanctuary.

Although general admission tickets to our sunset picnic in November have sold out for the month, picnic-for-two tickets are still available – check out the Quicket link on our page for more info.

Ozzy and Sharon were confiscated from an illegal zoo in Lebanon that was abusing them as photo props, letting them be pawed at by the public without a second of thought for their wellbeing or needs. Videos of them being beaten at the zoo also surfaced.
Despite all they went through prior to being rescued, these two are loving life in our expert care that is tailored to their exact needs, with far more space than they could have ever imagined previously, and freedom to spend their time however they please!

They were in poor condition when they were discovered, weighing a mere seven kilograms each, but began their journey to recovery with Animals Lebanon before making their way to our true sanctuary for rescued big cats, where we will continue to provide expert care to them for the rest of their natural lives.

As an ethical safe haven, we do not and will never allow any public interaction with our lions, and are strongly opposed to that exploitative practice.

This is who we are.

This is what we do.

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We are open daily from 09:30 to 17:00.
Our big cat feeding times are Mon/Wed/Fri at 16:00 – watch us feed our rescues.
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18/09/2026

Join Ozzy, Sharon, and the rest of our rescued big cats on the 7th of November for a sunset picnic at our sanctuary! Come for the sunset, stay for the lions.

Come together for an evening in the Cape Winelands, enjoy a picnic as the sun sets, and hear the roars of our rescues echo through the park - if the lions feel like it.

Tickets have been selling fast, so book through the link on our page to avoid missing out.

One lucky ticketholder will win a voucher for two people for an overnight stay at our Ingonyama Tented Camp, meaning Stuart, Sharon, and Ozzy will be your neighbours for the night!

EVENT DETAILS
Date: 7 November
Location: Drakenstein Lion Park
Time: 5:30pm

Tickets are limited. No tickets will be available at the door.

Tickets available via Quicket.

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15/09/2026

Pi and Freya, both rescued from horrendous circumstances in Lebanon in 2024, were rescued separately, but have grown to adore each other and have developed a wonderful bond at our sanctuary.

Pythagoras was rescued from existing in constant abuse as the victim of a social media influencer, who had posted videos of himself dragging Pi along the ground by the neck on a chain, as well as tied up to be passed around a crowd as a helpless prop.
Freya as surrendered to Animals Lebanon so that she could find refuge in the expert care we provide at our true sanctuary for rescued big cats – the oldest in South Africa.

Without intervention and the care we provide, Pi and Freya would have fallen victim to the circumstances in which they were imprisoned, and Pi specifically most likely would not even have survived to six months old.
Because of us, they live extremely happily in a fulfilling environment catered to their individual needs – something we have created and maintain with our decades of expertise and unquestionable expertise.

This is who we are.

This is what we do.

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We are open daily from 09:30 to 17:00.
Our big cat feeding times are Mon/Wed/Fri at 16:00 – watch us feed our rescues.

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Address

Drakenstein Lion Park, Old Paarl Road, Paarl South
Paarl
7625

Opening Hours

Monday	09:30 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:30 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:30 - 17:00
Thursday	09:30 - 17:00
Friday	09:30 - 17:00
Saturday	09:30 - 17:00
Sunday	09:30 - 17:00

Telephone

+27218633290

Website

http://www.lionrescue.org.za/

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