Cape Town Central Tours
Big Five Game Reserve Wildlife Safari from Cape Town
4

Big Five Game Reserve Wildlife Safari from Cape Town

By Springbok Atlas Day Tours
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About
This tour is ideal for travelers who would like to see African wildlife without traveling too far from Cape Town. Spend several hours on a safari at Aquila Game Reserve, home to the “Big Five” game animals and Verreaux’s eagle. Everything is planned: transportation, lunch, and pickup and drop-off from your hotel.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 2-99, max of 20 per group
Duration: 9h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Live guide: English
More

Highlights
  • Take one of the easiest safari tours near Cape Town
  • Don’t stress about lunch or transportation: both are included
  • Get a chance to see the Verreaux's black eagle
  • See the “Big Five” game animals, including African elephants and Cape buffalo

  • Lunch
  • Game Drive
  • Hotel pickup and drop off (English Driver only)
  • Professional Game Ranger - English speaking only
What's not included
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks, unless specified

After pickup from your central Cape Town hotel in an air-conditioned coach, journey to the southern Karoo region and the private Aquila Game Reserve. Meet your guide and game ranger and climb aboard an open-air safari vehicle. Start the drive while your guide tells you about the “Big Five” animals in the reserve. Keep your eyes out for them as well as African elephants, buffalo, lions, hippos, and other animals. Pass a large wetland area known for its abundance of bird species, including Verreaux's black eagles. Have lunch after your safari and then meet your guide again for the drive back to Cape Town, where you’re dropped off at your hotel by late afternoon.

Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.
    Pickup details
    • Should your Hotel not be listed, please contact us 48 hours so we can confirm if we would be able to pick up and drop off from your hotel.
    Hotel pickup offered
    During checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.
      End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

        • Not wheelchair accessible
        If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2382SC9

        • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
        • Not recommended for travellers with back problems
        • Not recommended for pregnant travellers
        • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
        • Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
        • Not allowed for children aged under 2yrs old
        • A minimum of 2 adults per booking is required
        • Tour accommodates maximum 8 guests, however there will be more guests at the Reserve and on the game drive.
        • Cullinan Guided Journeys strictly follow the SA Government approved TBCSA Health and Safety COVID-19 Protocols. Should guests present COVID-19 symptoms, COVID testing and quarantine will be at their own cost. We recommend that you ensure that your guests take adequate personal travel insurance cover before departure from home.
        • If guests are making their own way to a listed pick-up point, they need to allow sufficient travelling time (ie... traffic delays etc...) in order to arrive at the pickup point in time for collection.
        • Should guests not arrive by the scheduled departure time, the tour will depart and no refunds will be given.
        • It is compulsory that guests contact us 48 hours prior to tour departure to re-confirm pick up and drop off details. Should clients not make contact with us by 48 hours prior to travel date, the booking will automatically be cancelled.
        • It is compulsory that guests contact us 48 hours prior to tour departure to re-confirm that they will still be travelling on the tour. Should clients not make contact with us by 48 hours prior to travel date, the booking will automatically be cancelled.
        • When more than one person is travelling – we require names and last names of all guests travelling (reason being if tour booking is made with one person and the hotel reservation is made under another, we will be informed by the hotel that there ais nobody by that name at the hotel which will result in delays and could cause the guests to miss the tour).
        • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travellers

        • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

        The tour operator has provided the following answers to customers’ questions.
        Is hotel pickup available from the cruise port?
        Cruise port pickup is not available. Guests arriving by ship will need to make their way to the nearest pickup point, located at the Radisson Red Hotel Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.
        Answered May 2023

        If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2382SC9

        From
        R 2 895,00
        per adult
        Select date and travellers

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        Itinerary
        • 1
          Included: welcome drink on arrival, 3 hour open vehicle game drive, & buffet lunch. Drinks and all extras are for your own account
        About the operator
        Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
        • Springbok Atlas Day Tours
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          South Africa
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        • OnAir575999
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          Lots of sweet, a little savory, you don't go for the food ;)
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          Mom's memorable 50th!
          We enjoyed a lovely high tea experience for my mother's 50th birthday. We were attended to with great care by our waitress Cheslyn and everything was explained perfectly by Craig. This was definitely a memorable outing, and the scones - believe it or not - was the absolute BEST I've ever had! Thank you to Munchi (I hope I got this right!) at reception who greeted with such enthusiasm as we left, biggest smile ever!
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        • Q3887ZDkellym
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          Tenacious tour guide finds giraffes
          Mdu was a terrific tour guide. He honored our request to find giraffes close up. It took 6 1/2 hours of searching the Hluhluwe Reserve and he found them. A group of 12 giraffes grazed 10 yards from us. Amazing trip, thanks Mdu!
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          Let them eat cake!!!!
          Overall afternoon tea was a delight, excellent service, superb selection of teas, pastries and cakes totally indulgent. Sandwiches and baby brioche lacked sufficient filling and were tasteless and quite boring in relation to the rest of the afternoon tea.
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        • 54RJB
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        • SashaSimitopoulos
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          Wonderful high tea
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        • dianedinky
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        See all 293 reviews
        These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

        Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

        Popular mentions

        4.0
        4.0 of 5 bubbles134 reviews
        Excellent
        70
        Very good
        22
        Average
        12
        Poor
        9
        Terrible
        21

        These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
        This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.

        Amanda J
        1 contribution
        2.0 of 5 bubbles
        Jan 2024 • Friends
        When we first arrived we were really impressed, the reception was welcoming and we were excited for our day ahead. The game drive ranger was very robotic and it felt like his knowledge was scripted and lack lustre. There was only one route that all game drive vehicles took so it was like a large scalextric track, everything felt staged.
        As we were heading out the park at the end, our truck broke down. We had to walk, whilst we were inside the reserve from one truck to another. Then to our surprise our ranger thought it would be a good idea to try and bump start the truck with us all still onboard. This brought a lot of distress to the full truck of people including children. Health and safety was not taken into account at all and all but one person decided it was safer to get off the truck and walk out the reserve back to the main building. This incident has aggravated by back and made the flight home very uncomfortable.
        I filled in n incident form at the time with McKenzie and was offered a massage which I gratefully accepted and was told that this matter would be taken seriously and escalated, I’ve sent over 10 emails and I’ve had no response from anyone from customer service. The after care service has been non existent and extremely disappointing.
        If you are looking for a safari I would not recommend this, it just feels like a conveyor belt and money making exercise. The visitor safari experience is not value for money. The facilities are good and it’s clear to see where the money has been spent, spa experience not safari.
        Written 17 February 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
        Good Afternoon Thank you for your feedback received. We are so sorry that you were disappointed with your visit to the Aquila Private Game Reserve. We will share your feedback with the management of the Reserve.
        Written 22 February 2024
        This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

        Matilda N
        6 contributions
        1.0 of 5 bubbles
        It was just awful. The place advertises with the big five, I expected small groups and better accommodation for those prices. It is a tourist trap, the room was so dirty, I even found a hair stretch from previous occupant, the paint was flossing, you could hear door slamming and the conversation from neighbouring rooms. There was a for the average food, and they gave us to sign under a different bill for drinks. Our guide was knowledgeable, but the safari itself was very disappointing, he also said they have not seen the leopard in almost a year, the lions were in enclosure and did not behave as wild animals. One of the safari cars almost run over one of the lioness. The guides were competing against each other. Just stay away from this place. The most dreadful experience I have had
        Written 15 January 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        Martin H
        Dubai, United Arab Emirates48 contributions
        2.0 of 5 bubbles
        Disappointed. We chose Aquila as we wanted to have a safari experience and this was on our route back to Cape Town. The trip got off to a bad start as it was freezing cold and very windy and the bus was ten minutes late and all the staff had disappeared so we all cowered miserably trying to stay warm. When the bus did show we asked about the ponchos which reception had told us would be given out on the bus but none were available and the driver gave out some blankets which were grabbed by two women at the front of the bus leaving the children huddled and wet. The bus followed a rutted route past the animals which were clearly being fed so that they could be seen by the tourists. We got very limited amounts of information about the animals or conservation efforts (to be fair to the driver, it was clear everyone was freezing and wanted the trip to end). The lions were in a dismal patch of fenced off upland. Overall, we felt this was basically a large zoo and very different to the type of safari experiences that we’d previously had in South Africa (and wanted our kids to experience).
        Written 22 April 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        Germaine S
        Alphen aan den Rijn14 contributions
        1.0 of 5 bubbles
        Feb 2024 • Family
        A touristtrap that is the Aquila ‘Game’ resort. Besides that it is overpriced it is worse than Disneyland, worse than a zoo. In any case it has nothing to do with a safari. 6 trucks in each truck around 24 people inside, driving altogether to the poor small herd of elephants, then to the 3 rhinos. Worst are the 4 lions which are in a separated area and the poor animals are looking at you with one message: please get me out of here. 5 hippos are getting fed so that people can see them. Ofcourse the lion’s are separated otherwise they will eat the 15 zebras and then the park can close down. Worst however is that during the 2 hour safari all the trucks are stopping at a bar for a drink. Why? Basically because this park is too small to fill 2 hours. So we end up with 120 people in a bar….., on a safari….
        Do not go there as it is a waste of your money. The food is not what you expecting with regards to quality price ratio. the game is looking poor and it is just a sad entertainment industry filling the pockets of the owners. I have never seen a touristtrap like this in my life. A joke, a sad place for these few animals. Nothing positive? Well if you have kids plan just a 2 hour drive as they will enjoy it and then leave and enjoy beautiful Africa.
        Written 8 February 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        Rafiqua I
        Shanghai, China15 contributions
        1.0 of 5 bubbles
        Save your money and book elsewhere.

        It's been over FIVE WEEKS since I applied for a refund which was approved, and yet, I've still not received the money owed to me. 🤬

        I've sent countless emails and made numerous calls, but all I've received in return are empty promises and excuses. This level of incompetence and disregard for customer satisfaction is utterly unacceptable.

        Aquila Game Lodge Refund department has you running in circles and after all the communication to be refunded, they revert back with "we are experiencing a backlog".
        Written 9 February 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        lynne
        Wrexham, UK3 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        2 hours out of Cape Town finds you at this amazing place, we booked to see the Big 5 and Aquila did not disappoint only the cheetah felt a bit shy on the day. Our driver Max was very knowledgeable and a real character making sure everyone got the best view possible and had a great day……. Thank you Max and Aquila for the hard work and ongoing care given to the beautiful wildlife
        Written 24 August 2022
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
        Good Afternoon, Thank you for taking the time and provide us with your feedback. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your Safari experience with us.
        Written 25 August 2022
        This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

        Jamie K
        Doncaster, UK11 contributions
        2.0 of 5 bubbles
        After a fantastic 2week in cape town /wine lands we headed to our finale which was supposed to be the highlight / crescendo of the holiday - Aquila safari . Not so. On booking you are promised a luxury experience the rooms are delightfully described as is the food /service etc as high end luxury. Our expectations were high and were sadly not met in any respect.

        The food…buffet style slop, tasteless, very poorly presented, like being in a low end all-inclusive.

        The Karoo cottage…far from luxury accommodation, a tired dingy space with no outlook.

        The service…was acceptable but by no means award-winning like the website said.

        The safari…,4 tame pet lions, a handful of buffaloes, 3 elephants, apparently some rhinos
        Disappointing ..
        I feel the whole experience is grossly misrepresented and very overpriced for what it actually is.
        Written 5 March 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
        Good Afternoon Thank you for your feedback received. We are so sorry that you were disappointed with your visit to the Aquila Private Game Reserve. We will share your feedback with the management of the Reserve.
        Written 6 March 2024
        This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

        Yolaine d
        71 contributions
        3.0 of 5 bubbles
        We had a bad experience with booking our overnight safari with Aquila. I noticed a mistake in our booking date and that the date booked for had already passed. Aquila did not contact me to confirm the booking, neither did they contact me when we did not arrive on the booked date. When I noticed the mistake days later, the customer service agent was very rude and unhelpful over the phone stating that it is unreasonable for me to expect them to call hundreds of guests that are no shows. I eventually got a hold of a manager who was able to move our date- for an additional price of course.
        The game drive was as most reviews state: feels like you are driving around in a zoo.
        The rooms are average- very very noisy, strange noises coming from the electrical DB board and had a strange smell.
        The food was decent and the highlight of our stay.
        Written 9 July 2024
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
        Good Day Thank you for your feedback received. We are so sorry that you were disappointed with your visit to the Aquila Private Game Reserve. We will share your feedback with the management of the Reserve.
        Written 11 July 2024
        This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

        UBe
        50 contributions
        3.0 of 5 bubbles
        Game various perfect but the accommodation (we had the most expensive one) was not clean. We stayed 2 nights in a room where the fan didn't work and on the 2nd day neither water nor coffee was refilled. The worst thing is the restaurant area. Of the 150 guests who can sleep there, only 20 eat outside and the rest inside. Seating like in a youth hostel and a buffet that was 80% empty and it took over 30 minutes for food to arrive.
        Google
        Written 16 November 2023
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

        Leigh L
        Aldergrove, UK10 contributions
        5.0 of 5 bubbles
        Jan 2023 • Couples
        Excellent from when we arrived until when we left. Food at all meal times was tasty, hot and well presented. Room was second to none with the view of the watering holes (on the reserve) and the pool area of the hotel excellent. One of the highlights has to be the family of elephants walking across the reserve in clear sight from our balcony within 10 minutes of arriving. Game drives were all fascinating, with plenty of sightings of the animals. Particularly when the lioness started to stalk the truck, the angry male elephant thrashing about in the water and the baby rhino. Special thank you to our driver, Randall, who was so enthusiasm and knowledgeable. Lovely couples massage too.
        Written 5 April 2023
        This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
        Good Afternoon Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. We are pleased to hear you enjoyed your time at Aquila Reserve and will pass on your comments to Aquila.
        Written 6 April 2023
        This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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        Big Five Game Reserve Wildlife Safari from Cape Town provided by Springbok Atlas Day Tours

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