Fairy Glen Safaris, a family owned business about a hour from Cape Town is set at the foot of the world famous Brandwacht Mountains. It was the cherised dream of the latest owner, Piet de Jager to transform the land into a big 5 game reserve, which was eventually realised through his commitment and dedication over the years. Fairy Glen's name is derived from the dragon fly who used to fly over the Glen (Valley) and was so big, it resembled Fairies.
This was one of the best experiences of my South Africa trip. Kenny (Kensington) was a friendly and knowledgeable tour guide who helped us to see lots of animals up close and made the game drive an unforgettable experience. The accommodation is also great with large, comfortable rooms overlooking the reserve, with zebra, springbok, wildebeest and rhino wandering around outside. The only downside was the food. There were only a few guests for dinner so we seemed to be short changed with chops, chicken and Boerworst, salad and chips. No veg or sauces and a tub of ice cream left for us to self serve dessert. Breakfast was equally disappointing, with just Boerworst (again), fried eggs - we asked if we could have scrambled and got a curt no - beans, tomatoes and dry croissants and muffins plus, weirdly, dry chicken nuggets. No bacon, pork sausages, juices, mushrooms or most items you would expect. Lunch after the safari drive was very good.... when there were many more people. Coincidence? There is a bar with pool table but only one cue with a damaged tip and cards only accepted at the bar. We asked for another cue and again got a no without apology or explanation. When we left to go back to our lodges the steps were uneven, wet and slippery with no lighting at all. Would have been very dangerous had we not had our own phone and hat lights. The souvenir shop was meant ro open at the end if the drive but didn't. Having looked through the window at the limited stock, this didn't bother us too much. All in all a fantastic animal experience but management need to pay more attention to other aspects of the customer experience.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
We were initially a bit sceptical after reading a few of the more negative reviews but as this was more in our price range and the area looked stunning we decided to go with it. A great decision with no regrets as our accommodation was lovely! The food was yummy and homely. The guide was amazing, full of knowledge. It was lovely seeing the animals but if you are looking for a proper safari then this is not the place. They simply rescue the animals and appear to look after them well. It’s more of a game range but none the less, a great place not far from Cape Town. All in all I would recommend it to anyone looking for something different to do away from Cape Town central.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
We had a wonderful and memorable time at fairy glen. We were close to the animals. We absolutely loved the experience. Christian our guide was very knowledgeable, humble and helpful. We were only 3 people doing the safari the experience was very authentic. The food was excellent. Eventhough going to Worcester was quite a long drive, the trip was amazing and scenic.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
What an awesome experience. From the lions in the enclosure by the entrance, you can hear roaring from your chalet to the feeding the elephants. It was a memorable experience and we will most definitely return. For a place that's been closed for 4 years and only opened up a few months ago, you can see they are trying to fix it up bit by bit. Can't wait for the restaurant to be back in operation, but it was truly a memorable time spent there!
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Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:They are getting back on their feet, so its rustic, but worth it for the experience!
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.
Awesome!!!! Rinos, Zebras, lions and elephants. The game drive was also out of this world. They do their utter best to make you feel welcome and they are passionate about the animals. Never experienced wild animals so close. You can hear the lions and sit on your porch while rino and zebras walk past you. We went in a group and the children enjoyed every moment.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
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.
We actually weren't even able to get there. Because of an unfortunate wildfire, they canceled the booking the day before. Of course this is a terrible tragedy and I wouldn't write a negative review because of this. They ensured me that they will give a refund. The problem is that since then they disappeared. No reply, no refund, nothing. I tried to contacted them several times through several media (email, phone, whatsup) without any success. So that's that. :(
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
As owner of Fairy Glen I refer to a complaint by a visitor on 25th May 2011 visiting Fairy Glen.
I wish to comment on this complaint:
1. From time to time we receive complaints of the same nature. It appears that a neighbor with a similar adventure for Tourism is sponsoring persons to visit Fairy Glen and then thereafter make a very bad complaint about their visit. This is a very sad problem for us the complaint was most probably drafted by the owner of the Reserve in question himself.
2. Tourists have obviously different ideas about Game Reserves and Game Farms and we understand complaints of a reasonable nature and will always attend to it.
3. Fairy Glen is a private family concern in control of about 10 000 hectare of ground in the Breede River Valley well-known for one of the best Fynbos Valleys nearest to Cape Town to be visited by tourists.
4. It is not always possible to satisfy everybody but be assured that the owners of Fairy Glen will do their best for tourists visiting South Africa.
5. Lastly, we invite Tourists to visit Fairy Glen and enjoy a real BIG FIVE Safari closest to Cape Town and an area of nature and natural beauty.
6. According to our records the complaint was from a lady from Cape Town and not from the United Kingdom – her letter of complaint is available for tourists to see if necessary.
Best Regards from the Owners of Fairy Glen Game Reserve
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Date of stay: May 2011Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
The animals are either fenced in (lions, buffalos) or walked across the property following guards carrying a bag of carrots (elephants).... a rather pathetic sight. No leopards except a stuffed one, no giraffes, no khoi san rock art as advertised... unless the foot of the wall of the dam we were taken to for the 'walk' is considered such.... maybe the food was good when freshly cooked, but heated up twice lost its appeal. The bar was closed after dinner and all lights turned off - no way to enjoy a nightcap by the pool. If offering a muslim prayer room and facilities for the disabled is enough to win awards, we suggest the rules be changed as it can be very misleading. The best was the amazing scenery of the trip from Cape Town to Worcester.
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Date of stay: March 2015
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
I can honestly say that this is by far the worst “safari” experience EVER. The only good point was our guide Kensington. He was charming and knowledgeable but i do wonder how much he said was actually truthful! The owner has sold off 200 hectares to a grape farmer so the whole entrance area is trenches, exposed pipeworks and excavation. Not attractive at all.
Breakfast was awful, stodgy and hardly nutritious. 3 hour game drive we saw two elephants, springbok and a few other antelopes roaming free. Litter everywhere and heavy machinery used to drill for water. In 3 hours we seemed to go round and round in circles looking for animals that the guide knew were in enclosures. The poor lonely Rhino was in an enclosure and looked thoroughly miserable. 6 lions, seperated into 2 tiny enclosures. Zebra in an enclosure. Buffalo in an enclosure because apparently they chose to be in a cage rather than roam free!!
Lunch was greasy chicken, burnt chops, reheated chips and overcooked pasta. Vile 🤢 No fresh drinks on offer. The shop was a joke... overpriced and a load of rubbish.
‘ABSOLUTE WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY’
I took my friend who was visiting SA for the first time and i was embarrassed. Fairy Glen you should be ashamed. You took in excess of £200 off me and all i got was embarrassment, an upset stomach, a disappointed friend and sadness.
Thanks (NOT) AND YOU ONLY GOT A POINT BECAUSE I CANT SUBMIT THE REVIEW WITHOUT ONE. 😡
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Date of stay: July 2018Trip type: Travelled with friends
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.
I have been on a game reserve before and being in Cape Town I did not expect one of the major game reserves but I did expect more considering the money we paid. On arrival we were greeted well and breakfast was fine in a nice lodge, but once on the vehicle this is where it goes wrong. We drove no more than 50 yards to view two animals in a cage compound for near on 30 minutes, remember they advertise this as a 2-3 hour tour in the morning or afternoon. We then travelled no more than a kilometre to view a mixture of animals, such as springbok, zebra, etc which was fine. However then spent near on another 1.5 hours in the same area, it was starting to wear us out with boredom. The game keeper tried to keep us amazed with tiresome jokes and having a dig at the English and coming up with "childish jokes." After this we were driven down boulder ridden dirt tracks that pretty much resembled waste land and for some reason driven half a mile away from anything to visit some run down toilets. I did not expect anything fancy but it really started to feel like that they needed to justify the cost by elongating the safari which really there was no need. We then return to another caged area, possibly an acre or two which supposedly had roaming lions. After 15 minutes and nothing he drove us to a caged area and shake to one side and then we saw a couple of lions tucked away. Off we went again, now 4 hours later for some lunch which was ok and then waited another 1.5 hours until he finally got his act together to say we were off to see the lions again, yawn! Finally returning back to the main car park after 6 hours. Its such a shame because it is good to see the animals being looked after (especially the poor Rhino that had been attacked) but there was no need to charge so much and waste a whole day of our holiday if the quality of the trip was going to be so poor. In all seriousness, you can see all these animals at your local zoo as there was only a couple of each of the big 5. Save your money and more importantly save your precious days of your holiday.
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Date of stay: October 2012
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Daily from 08h00 includes:
Breakfast, 3 Hour Game Drive, Buffet Lunch
Adudlts: Selfdrive Day Safari - R1690 p.p.
With Transport Pick up from hotel - R 2390 p.p
Reagards
Fairy Glen Cape Town
There are more places to choose from in the Worcester area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
fairy glen hotel worcester
LOCATION
South AfricaWestern CapeWorcester
NUMBER OF ROOMS
22
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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