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Best Safaris From Cape Town - Why Aquila Game Reserve?

A safari should be on everyone’s African bucket list. It’s an amazing experience to see animals roaming in the wild in their natural habitats. And while there are plenty of unique things to do in Cape Town, you simply must escape the city one day and take a safari. You can come face to face with a dazzle of zebras, a pride of lions, and a thunder of hippos. Which I can’t help but think is a slight against their thick hippo thighs. But I digress…

I knew a South African safari had to be on my itinerary when I traveled to Cape Town. But I wondered, what is the best safari from Cape Town? Contrary to what many people think, the area isn’t just one vast wilderness waiting to be explored by off-road Jeep. You won’t find Cape Town safari tours in the immediate vicinity of the city. So forget about taking a safari in Cape Town proper. You’re going to at least need to take a day trip from the Western Cape.

With only 6 days in South Africa, I knew I didn’t have time to journey from Cape Town to Kruger National Park or drive the garden route. What I needed was a quick day trip or overnight safari from Cape Town. In reading reviews, I could see that there was one clear winner when it came to game reserves in the Western Cape, Aquila Game Reserve. This nearly 25,000-acre game reserve features all the famous Big 5 animals, plus zebras, ostrich, giraffes, and more. It’s the biggest and best safari near Cape Town. It’s also the closest game reserve to Cape Town, meaning I could easily make my day trip safari from Cape Town and be back at my hotel by sunset. Perfect!

The only downside I will mention is that if you’re looking for a proper African lion safari you will have to travel further outside of Cape Town. While Aquila does offer an up-close view of lions, they are behind a fence. They are the only animals in the park to be kept behind a large partitioned area. Otherwise, you will be having up-close encounters with all other animals in the wild setting.

How to Get To Aquila Game Reserve from Cape Town

The drive time from Cape town to Aquila Game Reserve is about 2 hours. To get to the park you’ll need to travel approximately 80 miles on the N1 highway from Cape Town. If you didn’t rent a car, it’s also possible to arrange a day trip with a local tour company or through the game reserve itself. I highly recommend this Aquila Safaris Experience from Get Your Guide.

And yes, the round-trip drive to Aquila and the safari itself are both wheelchair accessible.

What’s the Difference Between A Big 5 Safari and Game Drives?

You may notice the terms “safari” and “game drive” being used somewhat interchangeably and wonder what’s the difference. Is there a difference? Yes. There is a slight difference. A game drive refers to an excursion where wildlife viewing is the main focus of the trip. A safari refers to the entire trip or itinerary. For example; you’re going on a 2-day safari from Cape Town that includes 3 game drives. Which is entirely possible if you choose to stay overnight at the Aquila Game Reserve Lodge. But more on that later…

How Long Is An Aquila Private Game Reserve Safari?

Aquila Game Reserve offers half-day, full-day, and overnight packages. A half-day trip ranges from 4 to 4 1/2 hours and includes welcome drinks, a snack or meal (depending on the time of your booking), and one 2-3 hour game drive. A full-day safari experience includes welcome drinks, breakfast, lunch, leisure time at the Aquila property, and one 2-3 hour game drive. Guests can also opt to take a quadbike safari or horseback safari or a combination thereof.

Those looking for an overnight safari experience can choose to stay at the Aquila Lodge or at one of the many adorable cottages on the property. The lodges offer several wheelchair-accessible rooms. The spa and restaurant are also wheelchair accessible.

What to Bring On Your Cape Town, South Africa Safari

I opted to go on the sunrise half-day safari in mid-October. While this is spring in South Africa and traditionally mild during the day, be warned mornings are cold. I was one of the few people who brought a heavy jacket and it was definitely needed. Our driver handed out blankets to everyone in the vehicle, but it’s best to pack a jacket. You will be in an open-air off-road vehicle and it does get very chilly, especially in the morning and at sunset.

I also recommend packing a good camera. I tried to use my Go-Pro during this trip, but it didn’t get a great shot of many of the more aggressive animals like hippos which need to be viewed from a safe distance.

Guests should also pack mosquito repellant, comfortable walking shoes, sunglasses, and some sunblock. There’s plenty of time to wander the property and enjoy the scenery, but there’s not a lot of shade. Plan accordingly.

What You’ll See On Your Aquila African Safari

As with all game reserves or safari tours, there’s no promise that you’ll see all of the big 5. Any South Africa safaris that promise you will see all of the Big 5 should be questioned. These are wild animals that have free reign to roam a 25,000-acre property. Your guide will have a pretty good idea of where you’re likely to see lions, leopards, buffalo, rhinos, and elephants, but it’s always a possibility that it will be too cold, too hot, too early, or too late in the day for some. It’s also a lot of land to cover. That said, the guides at Aquila understand that for many of the people who visit, seeing the Big 5 is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so they will go the extra mile to make sure you see as much wildlife as humanly possible.

Booking A Room At Aquila Private Game Reserve

Click here to book your room or cottage at Aquila Private Game Reserve. Aquila Game Reserve rates start at around $200 USD a night.

Aquila is also one of the best safari tours from Cape Town because they offer round-trip transportation from your hotel in Cape Town to the game reserve, making it super easy to make the trip.

Aquila Game Reserve accommodation ranges from basic lodge rooms to super posh cottages that make you feel like you’re miles away from civilization. With most rooms, it’s possible to peer out your window and spot some elephants wandering in the distance. It doesn’t get much more exciting than that.

Other Cape Town Safari Options

If you have more time you may want to check out some of these safaris near Cape Town. Though I use the term “near” loosely as most of them are a long drive from the city and will be better as an at least 3-day safari from Cape Town. While they are rated as the best game reserves near Cape Town, many aren’t suitable for just a day trip. But these are the best private game reserves South Africa has to offer.

Grootbos Private Nature Reserve - This is the only option aside from Aquila that makes sense for a day trip. A little over 2 hours away from Cape Town it is possible to make the round-trip drive in one day.

Gondwana Private Game Reserve - 4 hours and 15 minutes away from Cape Town, this is best as an overnight or 3-day trip.

Kruger National Park - Kruger National park is the gold standard when it comes to safaris in South Africa. However, it’s a plane ride away from Cape Town clear across the country.

Garden Route Game Lodge - a 4-hour drive from Cape Town.

Inverdoorn Game Reserve - at 2 1/2 hours from Cape Town it’s also possible to visit Inverdoorn on a day trip from Cape Town.

Wheelchair Accessible Safaris

As previously noted, facilities and safaris are wheelchair accessible. The only downside is there are only two adapted rooms so if you’d like to spend the night at Aquila, the selection is unfortunately pretty sparse for wheelchair users. Still, I recommend Aquila for a day trip as it is easily the most conveniently located and the best safari from Cape Town.

Enjoy Your Aquila Safari

Aquila Game Reserve was the highlight of all my South Africa tours. There’s nothing like seeing these amazing creatures roaming in the wild. Our ranger was incredible and gave a wonderful tour, making sure we saw all of the Big 5.

I hope you consider visiting Aquila Game Reserve, the best safari from Cape Town, on your South African trip.