Aquila Game Reserve is a popular Big 5 safari destination. This private nature reserve is famous for being a malaria-free Big 5 safari destination near Cape Town. Located in the Karoo, it is hugely popular with visitors who want to see African animals like elephants, rhinos, and lions up close.
We recently visited Aquila Private Game Reserve for a morning game drive and a tour of the safari lodge.
Aquila Private Game Reserve is an easy 2.5-hour drive from Cape Town city centre, making it accessible to most visitors to the Mother City.
It's an easy drive because the route travels straight up the N1 highway, a large national road in excellent condition that offers some spectacular scenery along the way.
We travelled from Cape Town and having left early, decided to take a short detour to the charming town of Tulbagh. Surrounded by mountains and part of the Cape Winelands, Tulbagh is South Africa's fourth oldest town. We soaked up the atmosphere and stopped at Kole & Deeg for an excellent lunch.
For an Aquila safari from Cape Town, you can hire a car and self-drive to the reserve. But, for those who’d rather avoid the hassle or logistics of driving, there are several other options. Aquila offers a private sedan transfer, a mini bus shuttle, or for those well-heeled patrons, a helicopter transfer.
The name of the game is accessibility and Aquila Game Reserve makes certain that there is an option that suits any safari budget.
For our half-day Aquila Safari, we spent the night before at a nearby guest house along the N1. Our itinerary started at 7 am and we wanted as much time in bed before our morning game drive.
We were met at reception by Timothy, Aquila’s head of guest relations, a local South African who lives Touws River. Tim’s story is remarkable. He started working at Aquila Game Reserve as a gardener 20 years ago and has worked his way through the ranks, as a field ranger, a safari guide, and now the guest relations manager.
Aquila Game Reserve has positioned itself as a major player in the local community. In addition to being one of the largest employers in Touws River, Aquila is invested in education, offering free day trips for children from disadvantaged communities, and providing sponsorship to local teachers, soccer and rugby teams.
Tim’s knowledge of Aquila, as we explored the array of accommodation options from top to bottom, was impressive and an absolute pleasure. That Aquila Private Game Reserve had recognised Tim’s potential and nurtured him to rise through the ranks is a tribute to the organisation that left a lasting impression.
Our first stop at Aquila was the breakfast buffet where overnight guests were already milling about ladling scrambled eggs, muesli, yoghurt, and fruit salad, and sipping coffee and fruit juice too. The buffet served “macon” a first for me (it's a beef bacon), which makes Aquila Safari Lodge entirely halal. There were plenty of vegetarian options too which really drove home the ethos of Aquila, as a reserve that actively seeks to cater for everyone.
I chatted to the family sitting next to us, a couple from Athlone in Cape Town, hosting family members from Australia, a sister and niece who had immigrated to Australia 20 years ago.
“Why did you choose Aquila Game Reserve?” I asked. “Just so they can see the animals, for the experience.”
This is Aquila in a nutshell. Accessible from Cape Town, a Big 5 safari destination to experience African animals, and at a price that fits your budget.
As we finished our breakfast, you could feel the excitement building amongst the guests - a mixture of travellers from around the world - it was time for our morning game drive.
There are two different game-drive vehicles used on Aquila Safaris, a smaller safari vehicle that takes under 10 passengers and larger trucks that transport bigger groups. Tim handed us over to Talent, our Aquila safari guide, and we climbed into our own smaller 4x4 vehicle.
Due to a last-minute cancellation, we were lucky to have the safari vehicle to ourselves.
We drove through the gate and into the fenced wildlife area where our Aquila safari began. The river was in flood and as we drove through the muddy water the experience felt like a real safari adventure.
Arriving at the main dam, 4 elephants drank at the water's edge and the safari trucks jostled for the best views for their guests. After stopping for pictures, Talent moved away from the other vehicles, and with a perfect view of the elephants, stopped and told us all about elephants, and was able to answer our questions. As we drove off, they started spraying water, churning up mud, and trumpeting to chase away the hippos.
Within the first hour of our Aquila safari, we had seen elephants, hippos, rhinos, buffalo, springbok, zebra, giraffes, and eland. The rhinos were really amazing, and we were even treated to the sight of a baby rhino just a few days old. All the animals in Aquila Game Reserve were easy to spot and the guides knew exactly where to find them at the designated feeding stations.
Aquila Private Game Reserve is over 10,000 hectares, and while big, it is not big enough to sustain many large mammals like rhinos, elephants, and buffalo in such an arid environment. For this reason, the animals' diets are supplemented to maintain optimum health. It is also important to realise that many of the large mammals in Aquila Game Reserve have been rescued and rehabilitated into this natural environment.
To see the lions, we drove through a manual gate and into the lion area which is approximately 1,000 hectares. The three lions lay in the sun, fat and happy without a care in the world. While it was great to see these incredible animals, they lay close to the fence making a lion safari picture with a wild feel impossible.
We stopped at the far end of the game reserve for a toilet break, happened upon a troop of baboons being their mischievous selves, and saw more zebra, elephants, and some interesting plants, notably a Hyobanche flower, a parasitic plant unable to photosynthesise that is only visible when it flowers. Leopards are present but are so good at hiding in the rocky crags that they were last spotted the year before.
Our Aquila safari drive with Talent lasted just over 2 hours. Talent was good at finding the animals and the open Karoo landscape is breathtaking. Exiting the 4x4 vehicle back at the Aquila safari lodge we were left feeling quite lucky to have experienced these gorgeous animals, especially the rhino calf.
In a game reserve like Aquila where you see so many rhinos, it's easy to forget that these animals are in huge demand for their horns and have been brought back from near-extinction. Somewhere, watching over the rhino, and invisible to guests, is a specialised and highly trained anti-poaching team who chaperone these gentle giants 24/7.
Tim met us back at the lodge and took us on a guided tour of the safari resort.
First up was the array of accommodation options at Aquila Safari Lodge. We looked at the stone cottages, family rooms, double rooms, hotel-style lodge rooms and luxury suites located away from the main hotel a hillside.
After touring the rooms, Tim took us to see the children’s play area which included mini golf, an indoor daycare centre and an outdoor playground. Aquila Game Reserve offers childcare so guardians can enjoy game-viewing activities reserved for adults or spoil themselves with a spa treatment. The spa centre had hot and cold pools, saunas, steam rooms, and a jacuzzi. Treatments available included facials, skin care treatments, couple massages, African Wood Massage, Deep Tissue, Swedish, and African Hot Stone Massages. The whole building resonated with a sense of calm and relaxation.
While Aquila Safaris come in half-day, full-day, and overnight safari options, the reserve also has activities for guests seeking a little more adventure. These include horseback safaris and quad bike experiences.
The Aquila safari lodge has two buffet-style canteens, an evening lounge and bar, a large pool, grassy lawns, and plans for a game room for teenagers, as well as a mechanical dinosaur park. There was so much going on at Aquila Game Reserve it was a challenge to keep track of it all!
What was clear, and Tim returned to this, again and again, was that the Aquila safari experience aims to accommodate everyone. They cater for budget travellers, large groups, conferences, and couples on a romantic getaway, not to mention VIP guests who fly in by helicopter. Their buffet-style food court caters for the most ardent meat-eaters, vegetarians, and those who observe their religious customs.
For more Cape Town safari options check out the Best 1 to 4-day Cape Town Safari Tours on a budget.
Aquila Private Game Reserve is a well-run Big 5 safari destination close to Cape Town.
We saw 4 of the Big 5 animals on our 2-hour game drive and got so close to some of the animals that you could smell them. The proximity to Cape Town, almost guaranteed sightings, and the large variety of accommodations and amenities make Aquila Game Reserve an excellent choice for families and travellers with limited time.
For those looking for a slightly more intimate experience, Inverdoorn Private Nature Reserve is a 40-minute drive down the road. Inverdoorn is relaxed and peaceful, with a more remote feeling. From Inverdoorn, day safaris to Aquila are an easy add-on.
Aquila might not offer the wild African bush experience that you would get from a massive national park like Kruger, but for travellers wanting to get a taste of an African safari without sacrificing the comforts of a pool, spa, and beautiful scenery, it's a great stopover.
Seeing the animals up close, and learning about conservation, the rehabilitation of animals and their habits in bite-sized chunks, makes an Aquila safari an excellent choice.
If you'd like to book an Aquila safari, talk to one of our experienced safari experts, or see our well-priced Aquila Safaris.
Compare Aquila Game Reserve with the other best parks for a safari near Cape Town.
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