Aquila Game Reserve Wildlife Safari from Cape Town
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From $153.97
179 reviews (3.92)
Price varies by group size
Lowest Price GuaranteePricing Info: Per Person
Duration: 9 hours
Departs: Cape Town, Cape Town
Ticket Type: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Free cancellation
Overview
Visit the incredible Aquila Game Reserve -- the closest game reserve to Cape Town – on this full-day safari tour! With hotel pickup from your central Cape Town hotel included, this day trip provides a worry-free experience so all you have to do is get excited for your exploration of the private, malaria-free reserve. Take an unforgettable game drive through the park, watching out for famous Big Five animals, as well as endangered species like the ‘Aquila’ Black Eagle.
What's Included
Game Drive
Hotel pickup and drop off (English Driver only)
Lunch
Professional Game Ranger - English speaking only
What's Not Included
Food and drinks, unless specified
Gratuities
Traveler Information
- CHILD: Age: 2 - 11
- ADULT: Age: 12 - 99
Additional Info
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Currently this tour departs Fridays and Saturdays only until 30 April 2021 (this is subject to change)
- Face masks required for travellers in public areas
- Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
- Temperature checks for travellers upon arrival
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Currently this tour departs Fridays and Saturdays only until 30 April 2021 (this is subject to change)
- Face masks required for travellers in public areas
- Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
- Temperature checks for travellers upon arrival
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
What To Expect
Included: welcome drink on arrival, 3 hour open vehicle game drive, & buffet lunch.
Drinks and all extras are for your own account
Drinks and all extras are for your own account
5 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Reviews
Great
Daniela_B, 21-12-2022
Was a great experience! Got to see the big five and our ranger shared a lot of interesting facts about the animals at the reserve
Great experience!
Erenay_D, 12-12-2022
Excellent guide! He was very informative and friendly. It was a bumpy ride but so worth it. The lunch at the restaurant was well prepared and absolutely delicious.
Amazing experience
Rachel_M, 10-12-2022
This was amazing ..... would highly recommend, we saw so many animals and the tour guide was fantastic.
Good Safari
Azhar_S, 09-12-2022
We were staying in Capetown, so a tour with pick up and drop service was much needed. The overall tour is decent. We did get to see the big 5, though the lion was a snoozer. The guides were friendly and made it a good safari
Dream come true
Sheila_W, 03-12-2022
This was everything i dreamed it would be only thing missing was the Leopard. The lunch the resort tour guide very knowledgeable took his time made sure we saw and experienced everything to offer
Best honeymoon ever
Michelle_M, 03-01-2023
If you have a short time in Cape Town- make sure this is one of your days. My husband and I did this for our honeymoon and we were blown away.
This was PHENOMENAL. We didn’t see all 5 of the Big 5, but the animals we saw, the facility, and the guides were FANTASTIC!
Especially a shout out to Trevor because he made sure to take time to explain things while we looked at the animals.
This was PHENOMENAL. We didn’t see all 5 of the Big 5, but the animals we saw, the facility, and the guides were FANTASTIC!
Especially a shout out to Trevor because he made sure to take time to explain things while we looked at the animals.
Great day, exceptional memories!!
Mark_T, 29-12-2022
Well organised trip from start to finish. Great traditional South African lunch, very knowledgeable rangers and lots of animals seen!!
Great Game Viewing
Zoe_H, 25-12-2022
Great experience, very knowledgeable guides, and got to see a lot of different game. Well worth it. Had a good lunch and good ride home.
My husband and I had a...
Patience_C, 13-02-2023
My husband and I had a wonderful visit to the reserve. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and we were able to get comfortably close to the animals. We recommended the trip to fellow travellers the next day!
Recent experience of Aquila
philippamachin2002, 25-01-2023
We had a fantastic time. The shuttle picked us up from our accomodation and was timely and comfortable. We drove for about an out before stopping to grab a snack or use the bathroom. After that we finished off the drive before getting a buffet lunch then going out on this safari. We were out for roughly 2 hours and our driver was very knowledgeable. There was lots of free drinks provided which was handy considering it was quite hot. We had an amazing time
Amazing experience
JOANN_C, 17-01-2023
The driver who took us from Cape Town to the Aquila Game Reserve and back was excellent. He was an excellent driver and knowledgeable guide.
The entire experience at the reserve was awe inspiring. The animals, facilities, guides were all great
The entire experience at the reserve was awe inspiring. The animals, facilities, guides were all great
What do you call a group of people scouting out animals from a vehicle? A safari!
Jamie_C, 16-01-2023
This is a great trip especially for someone who has never done a safari. It’s good to keep in mind that this is a reserve so while the animals roam freely they are contained to a spacious 24000 acres. You will see the big 5 and many other animals. The highlight for me was the baby Zebra and seeing my friends react to seeing all of these animals in Africa. Some were brought to tears having realized they never thought they’d actually see an African elephant in Africa.
We were greeted with a welcome drink and a delicious buffet lunch before we boarded our safari vehicles. We had a wonderful day.
We were greeted with a welcome drink and a delicious buffet lunch before we boarded our safari vehicles. We had a wonderful day.
Drive thru zoo.. Bad driver.
ms8qb4gpmc, 26-12-2022
Pick up from hotel was on time, even after I made last minute changes. The park itself is nice. I don’t think it’s worth $150. The elephants were the highlight. Otherwise, it was like being at the local zoo back home. But I guess pick up, 2hr drive, and lunch makes it worth the price. I gave 3 stars because of the driver Garth. He drove way too fast and we didn’t feel safe at all. Even through curves he went fast. Someone needs to talk to him about that before he flips the van causing injuries or worse.
Nice park but no private transfer as booked
Debra_H, 23-12-2022
Seeing the lions and elephants. We had booked private transfers to the reserve but were picked up in an Aquila van that held 12 people. We were first of six pick up stops so our travel time to the reserve was lengthened by another hour. This is not acceptable as our booking included private transfers to the park, then a group safari. I expect to receive a percentage of our tour payment refunded due to this. You can’t sell a private transfer then send a van that holds 12 people! Not acceptable.
Like Going Your Local Game park
DavidGail_K, 21-01-2023
The day started quite well. The night before our trip we were told that pickup would be at 09:10. It was good that we were at reception early because our driver, Sam was there at exactly 09:00.
It was 2 hours to Aquila but Sam made a quick stop at a rest area half-way into the drive. It was also a stop for Sam to give us the forms for us to sign that even if they are negligent Aquila is not responsible for anything that happens. It was then another 45-minutes to the park.
Once at Aquila it was a welcome drink and then into lunch. We got to the park at 12:00 and the game drive was to be at 1:30. We had to meet at area B at 1:15 for the game drive. The line for lunch took another 1/2 hour and that left 45 minutes for lunch.
Lunch is a buffet. It was chicken-a-LaKing, fish, lamb curry and various vegetables. There was a grilled vegatable platter but that and the fish had way too much garlic and we could not eat it. The chicken was dry. Desert was fresh fruit and cake. Anything to drink is extra including water. It was then onto the drive.
All the vans were going to leave for the game drive at the same time. There were way over 100 people at lunch. Much more then we expected as we had been on many safaris in Africa. Don’t worry our driver said, you will see the big five of Africa.
They loaded 26 people in an open looking army truck. Four in the back seat then two together on either side of the aisle. We sat in the back even though the driver said the back is the most bumpy. We were there for photography and thought the back would be better for taking pictures. The precautions said no children under 8 were allowed in the game drive. So why were there two young children under 5 - go figure!
At 1:30 PM it is the hottest time of the day. In our experience game drives are very very early or afternoon when the sun begins to set. While they say there are no fences - that is not true. The entire reserve is fenced and you are next to the highway. The driver said to guard against pouchers. The area where the two lions are is double fenced to protect the other animals.
It seemed our driver knew exactly where to go to see the various animals. He was correct we saw the big five. On our drive around the area we saw:
Ostriches
Hippo
Water Buffalo
Elan
Lion and Lioness
Giraffe
Rhino
Elephant
Wildebeest
Zebra
A few birds
It was a 2-hour game drive with a 20-minute rest stop to use the bathroom and to buy refreshments. The only difference between this and the Bronx Zoo is at the zoo they have signs for the different animals.
If you ever took a game drive at a safari park at home this is very similar. You only see a few of each animal. When we’ve been on real safari game drives you see herds of game animals - not just a few as here at Aquila. When we got to the giraffe area the driver didn’t even stop for photos. I guess because it was close to the 2-hour time of the “safari” he didn’t want to stop.
At the back of the truck we could not hear the driver talk about the animals. At photo stops He would stop the truck and talk but really did not give the people on the other side of the truck equal time for photos. We had to be done by 3:30pm for the 4pm return to CapeTown. We left the park exactly at 4:00 and after our quick stop at the rest area we were back to out hotel at 6:30.
This was over priced and a tourist business for people who never went to a zoo. If you just want to see The Big Five outside of a cage and don’t have the time do a real safari then do this game drive. Or save your money and go on a real safari.
It was 2 hours to Aquila but Sam made a quick stop at a rest area half-way into the drive. It was also a stop for Sam to give us the forms for us to sign that even if they are negligent Aquila is not responsible for anything that happens. It was then another 45-minutes to the park.
Once at Aquila it was a welcome drink and then into lunch. We got to the park at 12:00 and the game drive was to be at 1:30. We had to meet at area B at 1:15 for the game drive. The line for lunch took another 1/2 hour and that left 45 minutes for lunch.
Lunch is a buffet. It was chicken-a-LaKing, fish, lamb curry and various vegetables. There was a grilled vegatable platter but that and the fish had way too much garlic and we could not eat it. The chicken was dry. Desert was fresh fruit and cake. Anything to drink is extra including water. It was then onto the drive.
All the vans were going to leave for the game drive at the same time. There were way over 100 people at lunch. Much more then we expected as we had been on many safaris in Africa. Don’t worry our driver said, you will see the big five of Africa.
They loaded 26 people in an open looking army truck. Four in the back seat then two together on either side of the aisle. We sat in the back even though the driver said the back is the most bumpy. We were there for photography and thought the back would be better for taking pictures. The precautions said no children under 8 were allowed in the game drive. So why were there two young children under 5 - go figure!
At 1:30 PM it is the hottest time of the day. In our experience game drives are very very early or afternoon when the sun begins to set. While they say there are no fences - that is not true. The entire reserve is fenced and you are next to the highway. The driver said to guard against pouchers. The area where the two lions are is double fenced to protect the other animals.
It seemed our driver knew exactly where to go to see the various animals. He was correct we saw the big five. On our drive around the area we saw:
Ostriches
Hippo
Water Buffalo
Elan
Lion and Lioness
Giraffe
Rhino
Elephant
Wildebeest
Zebra
A few birds
It was a 2-hour game drive with a 20-minute rest stop to use the bathroom and to buy refreshments. The only difference between this and the Bronx Zoo is at the zoo they have signs for the different animals.
If you ever took a game drive at a safari park at home this is very similar. You only see a few of each animal. When we’ve been on real safari game drives you see herds of game animals - not just a few as here at Aquila. When we got to the giraffe area the driver didn’t even stop for photos. I guess because it was close to the 2-hour time of the “safari” he didn’t want to stop.
At the back of the truck we could not hear the driver talk about the animals. At photo stops He would stop the truck and talk but really did not give the people on the other side of the truck equal time for photos. We had to be done by 3:30pm for the 4pm return to CapeTown. We left the park exactly at 4:00 and after our quick stop at the rest area we were back to out hotel at 6:30.
This was over priced and a tourist business for people who never went to a zoo. If you just want to see The Big Five outside of a cage and don’t have the time do a real safari then do this game drive. Or save your money and go on a real safari.
