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.
Posted By : GaynelleStJ
Our transport there and back was great. Our driver was friendly, knowledgeable, and very safe. The first site of the facility increased our excitement. Beautiful place. Lunch was very tasty, everyone was polite and eager to assist. Our safari guide was friendly and very knowledgeable. Gave us lots of interesting information about the animals we saw. Though we did see lots of different animals, I wish there were more. However that didn’t dim the initial excitement. We all took lots of pictures and had a great time! It was a very good first safari!!!
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Posted On : 2024-05-16 05:53:27 
Posted By : timandliz2019
If you've never been on a game drive before, and/or are taking children, Aquila is great. Rustic lodge, good food, wonderful staff. If you've done a larger game drive/safari on a larger property, this may feel slightly underwhelming. It's always cool to see animals (and we did see hippos, giraffes eland, springbok, lions, elephants, baboons and zebra), but this has more of a feel of a conservation refuge (which it is) rather than seeing animals in the wild in their natural habitat. Kudos to staff for handing out blankets and ponchos, as we went on a rainy day!
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Posted On : 2024-05-10 11:21:19
Posted By : Eugene_R
Great! Tour contacted us the day before with time of pickup at the hotel. Arrived at hotel as scheduled. Group size was 6 people. Drive to the park was about 90 minutes but sights along the way were beautiful. We did see the big five and several other animals. Lions were sleeping but we did pull within 25 meters of the 4 sleeping cats. Would recommend and would do this again.
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Posted On : 2024-05-10 01:39:15 
Posted By : Marc_P
Relaxed atmosphere, good food and drinks to begin the tour. Our driver/guide, Randall, was knowledgeable, friendly, and had a great sense of humor. It was satisfying to see the animals in their natural environment, and to appreciate the care they receive at the Game Preserve. An excellent experience overall.
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Posted On : 2024-05-09 03:24:03
Posted By : LaTriece P
Loved this experience. My friend is an animal lover and I am happy she got to experience this. We saw all of the animals and I was particularly excited to see the lions. We saw them all gathered together like a family. It was amazing.
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Posted On : 2024-04-29 08:03:06
Posted By : Dreamer08065622723
It was an amazing and wholesome experience to see those gorgeous animals up close (most of them). Lunch was wholesome too.
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Posted On : 2024-04-29 04:18:12
Posted By : Mekita_P
Aquila Game Reserve Safari was fantastic. The drive there wasn’t bad, the facility was clean. The staff was friendly, and the animals were amazing! 🌺
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Posted On : 2024-04-26 09:17:58
Posted By : Carla_S
What a great experience. We had a lovely lunch buffet at the lodge and then we spent 2.5 hours seeing the most amazing animals. If you don't have a lot of time to go to Kruger, this is a great option near Cape Town.
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Posted On : 2024-04-25 10:27:51
Posted By : Lindsay_Z
I booked a day tour to Aquila Nature Reserve through Viator with this tour operator: Cullinan Guided Journeys.
Overall, the day tour was excellent! I had an incredible day, and the tour was excellent value for all of the inclusions.
Hotel pick-up and drop-off were seamless and on time. Communication from the head office was timely and professional. The day's itinerary was perfectly timed!
After pick-up from my hotel at 08H50, we continued to pick up the remaining guests. Then, we were on our way. The drive to the Nature Reserve takes approximately 2.5-3 hours, traffic dependent. The tour guide stopped about halfway so we could all use the toilet and grab some cold drinks.
Upon arrival (~11:50am) at the main lodge at the Nature Reserve (the departing area for the game drive), we were welcomed with your choice of a chilled glass of sparkling white/rose or a glass of juice for those who prefer nonalcoholic beverages. We were given out registration slips and proceeded to do a quick 2 minute check-in at the reception desk (the staff check and photocopy your provided ID).
The buffet lunch was timed perfectly for our arrival - already set out. The included buffet lunch exceeded expectations! There were many hot and cold dishes to choose from, for example, beef kebab, chicken schnitzel, grilled fish, rice, yams, potatoes, fresh cut vegetables, fresh cut fruits, dinner rolls, a large platter of cheeses, fresh salads and an assortment of desserts. It was delicious and great fuel for the upcoming safari. Drinks could be purchased from the bar. We were given about one hour to eat lunch, which was a perfect amount of time!
Lunch ended at 12:50pm, and we then set off on our 2.5-3 hour game drive, which was fantastic! We saw rhinos, elephants, zebras, giraffes, lions, ostriches, wildebeest, antelope, springbok etc. The game driver/guide had a keen eye and was eager to help us get beautiful photos. Also, he was full of information about the wildlife we saw!
About 3/4 through our game drive, we made a quick 20 minute stop at one of the camps in the park, where we were offered more sparkling wine and free bottles of water. This was also a good opportunity to stretch your legs and use the toilet again.
We returned back to the lodge to collect our vehicle at around 4pm for the drive back to Cape Town!
I had a terrific day, and was extremely pleased with how the tour went. The tour operator has executed an excellent itinerary for a very reasonable cost, and overall, I was very satisfied. I recommend this company and this day tour in particular. It was definitely a highlight for me during my stay in Cape Town!
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Posted On : 2024-04-25 09:02:56
Posted By : moas878
This was one of the highlights of our trip to Cape Town. We splurged a little bit and reserved a private safari vehicle and did not regret it. Our guide was exceptionally knowledgeable and explained things in a straight forward and fun way. We came so close to the lions we could almost reach out and touch them (although our guide gracefully reminded us to keep out hands inside the vehicle!). We hope to return one day and bring more friends and family with us.
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Posted On : 2024-04-24 16:12:33
