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 offeredDuring 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.
- 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
The tour operator has provided the following answers to customers’ questions.- 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
Similar experiences
Itinerary
- 1Included: 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:
- OnAir5759990 contributionsLots of sweet, a little savory, you don't go for the food ;)hostess was amazing since I goofed up the timing of our reservation. The tea was ok (in fairness, I am not a super tea fan) and the food was ok but the experience was lovely. We came by after a tour of Langa township so that difference was jarring--the staff were lovely here and worth a look at the gorgeous grounds.Written 5 October 2024
- Janetboca0 contributionsTea Time!Beautiful grounds with a fabulous high tea offering. We had a wonderful waitperson - Thuli- who walked us through every little bite. Home of one of the only tea sommeliers in the whole rod with many teas to choose from. Would definitely recommend first r a relaxing afternoon.Written 29 August 2024
- marlenekV109UT0 contributionsWonderful high teaWe had a lovely experience at the Mount Nelson Afternoon Tea. Good service especially from Craig who made us feel so welcome. The Food and tea were exceptional and the lounge room so beautiful. Overall, a wonderful experience.Written 8 July 2024
- Road173430351500 contributionsMom'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!Written 4 July 2024
- Q3887ZDkellym0 contributionsTenacious tour guide finds giraffesMdu 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!Written 28 May 2024
- gagizzz0 contributionsRough SailingThe staff were incredible. The met every need. However the water and weather was way too rough to sail. There 8 to 10 ft swells and two squalls. 80 percent of the group was sick. The trip should have been canceled. Mr partner is a retired Navy Ship captain and was worried as was one of the crew.Written 23 May 2024
- lwethuk20240 contributionsExcellent service from Miss Silindile (waitress) at wimpy and the food was very delicious I'm willing to come back againThere's this waitress named Silindile, light skinned, she served me very well, I am coming back to wimpy just because of her service.Written 21 May 2024
- TitaElvie0 contributionsAfternoon tea experience I won't forgetSuch a special experience. A beautiful room, with lovely service and yummy tea and food. After the afternoon tea, they let us sit outside in the garden and enjoy. Felt welcome and blissful here. Wish I was still in that garden!Written 10 March 2024
- tarag4440 contributionsMarine 5The guides were amazing. They recognized we liked birds and made the effort to point them out to us. A beautiful ride there and back. We saw everything but the dolphins.Written 10 March 2024
- floridaherbie0 contributionsA must see!The view from God's Window over the eastern lowlands of Southeastern Africa is certainly impressive - especially on a day with clear air - but the real treat are Bourke's Luck Potholes. These unreal and bizarre cylindrical rock formations carved out by the Blyde and Treuer rivers look like Erik van Danickens phantasies about ancient aliens drilling these monstrous holes. A must see if you are visiting nearby Krueger NP!Written 23 February 2024
- FabGraS0 contributionsAfternoon tea ...amazing WisemanWoow what a wonderful come back at Beautiful Mount for iconic afternoon tea...Wiseman our waiter was just outstanding and looked after us like royalties. He was so attentive and made our afternoon tea very special. Stunning . Great pastries and tea and more.Written 21 February 2024
- 971bessief0 contributionsLet 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.Written 17 February 2024
- 54RJB0 contributionsAn unforgettable experienceJust fabulous, service , environment and food all first class and what great vfm when compared to The Ritz or Dorchester Not to be missedWritten 14 January 2024
- SashaSimitopoulos0 contributionsWonderful high teaWe went for Christmas Eve and had an amazing time !! The bottomless tea was such a treat. We could choose any teas we wanted (or coffee or matcha or even afogato etc) It is not cheap but the experience is very special. We sat outside and preferred it to inside )for a busy day) The only point is we are not fans of very creamy desserts and neither are our teen children. Just some delicious chocolate brownies, chocolate cake or simple tea items would have been better for us than ghe very fancy and very creamy little desserts. The scones and first course were AMAZINGWritten 3 January 2024
- dianedinky0 contributionsPleasant cruise with good lunch and seal/pelican came onboardLovely trip on a catamaran. Didn't get to see any dolphins but a seal and a pelican did come onboard at the start. Took longer than planned so was late back but ok.Written 31 December 2023
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.
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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
134 reviews
Excellent
70
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22
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Amanda J
1 contribution
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
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".
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
We are staying here in a few days, and I just wanted to know what the (alcoholic) drink selection and prices are like? I’ve looked everywhere but can’t find a drinks menu
Written 2 October 2023
There is no alcohol menu at the buffet. However, when you enter the place, you have an option of drinking alcohol; it is usually wine and it is supposed to be complimentary. There is another opportunity to have alcohol on the first break of the safari. I had an appertif. Wines are optional there as well.
Written 19 October 2023
Do you need to have Covid vaccinations to attend this trip? Do you need to evidence your certification?
Written 5 May 2023
No, there isn't any evidence of vaccinations needed.
Written 12 May 2023
How do i book for one adult? I dont seem to have the option to book for less than 2 adults.
Written 27 December 2021
Henrique P
Rio de Janeiro, RJ
I`m travelling with my family and we are staying there for a night. Is the Game included? There are 3 kids, two of them are 5y and one is 3y, is ti possible to to the Games? Thanks
Written 22 October 2018
Hello. Do you have a lodge on the reserve? I like the idea of the safari but would like to have a few days stay over as well
Written 25 March 2018
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