Hello everyone, I hope you're all doing
well! Today I have a Mallorca excursion tip for you. I'm taking you
to Artestruz, an ostrich farm in the south of Mallorca.
Ostrich Farm in Mallorca
Artestruz is a lovely ostrich farm and education center run by a friendly family since 1998. The farm brings some Africa feeling to Mallorca, which is not a big surprise since the family has lived in South Africa for many years. Artestruz offers both an educational and fun experience for all ages. You will enjoy a trip to the vastness of the steppe and get to know a lot of unusual birds.
At first I wasn't sure whether a visit to an ostrich farm would be a good idea since I'm not a big fan of zoos and other places that keep wild animals. However, Artestruz is one of the most animal-friendly places I've ever been to. It was so nice to see how the owners treat their ostriches, with so much love for the animals and passion for their job. They care about their animals and you can see they have a beautiful bond with them. The fascinating thing is that the guides, Johny and his brother Ohad who are the owner's sons, actually know all ostriches by name and could tell us their characteristics. At first, the ostriches looked pretty much all the same to us. We could only distinguish between males and females, of course. But at the end of our visit even we knew some of them by name. The ostrich farm itself is clean, organized and the animals look very well taken care of.
Guided Tour
Our visit started with an interesting and engaging tour. Along with a few other interested visitors we took a seat in front of the enclosure and Johny began to enthusiastically tell us about his ostriches. You could tell he has a lot of passion for his job. We were able to ask questions in between, which Johny answered very well and because of the knowledge we got, we became big fans of the ostriches! We learned lots of interesting and quite incredible facts about these beautiful creatures, about their history and extraordinary abilities. Did you know, for example, that ostriches are one of the most ancient animals on earth and are basically living dinosaurs? I mean, look at their feet!
Feeding the Ostriches
Once the informative part was over, we
got close to the animals to pet and feed them in a safe and
respectful environment. You can feed them however you like: with a
glove, wooden spoon or with your bare hand, depending on your
courage. Let me tell you, feeding an ostrich is a lot of fun. I went
all in and fed the ostriches with the palm of my hand to get a better
feeling for them. It was so interesting and funny to feel the curious
ostriches peck the food with their rock-hard beaks. After getting to
know the animals a bit better my boyfriend and I became much braver
and even carefully stroked some ostrich's necks which were super
soft.
Ostrich Ride
Apart from feeding and petting the
animals you can also book an ostrich ride (only for kids). Jambo, a
huge 150 kilo ostrich who takes the little ones for a ride, is such a
superstar. He just walks around the farm and relaxes wherever he
wants. Kids have the opportunity to ride the 2.50 meter tall Jambo
who struts obediently at walking pace.
Artestruz Shop
It is no coincidence that the word “Art” is hidden in the brand name “Artestruz”. In the farm shop you will find exclusive ostrich by-products made in Mallorca and art pieces that are hand-made at the farm, for example unique lamps made from the eggshells. You can even purchase ostrich eggs to cook and try them on site. Did you know that in terms of quantity, one ostrich egg is equivalent to two dozen chicken eggs? And it contains less cholesterol than a single chicken egg!
All in all, I can say we really enjoyed our visit to Artestruz. We arrived knowing little about ostriches and left feeling like we had gotten to know lots about these wonderful and fascinating big birds. Artestruz is a great place for anyone who is interested in wildlife and nature, and fabulous for both adults and children!
Artestruz Mallorca
Tel. +34 639721735
artestruz@hotmail.com
Ma-6014, km 40, 07630 Campos, Islas
Baleares
Find more information on the farm
website www.artestruzmallorca.com
