Inverdoorn Game Reserve is a luxury Big 5 safari destination around a 2.5-hour drive from Cape Town. Understated luxury in a breathtaking setting designed to give visitors access to some of Africa’s most fearsome wildlife like lions, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, and more.
Inverdoorn Game Reserve lies at the end of a long gravel road, off the R355. You can feel the open space of the Karoo rolling out around you and names like Tankwa, Sutherland, and Loeries Fontein, beckon you to travel further. After our morning game drive at Aquila, we arrived at Inverdoorn Game Reserve for an overnight stay and a Big 5 safari.
On arrival at Inverdoorn Game Reserve, we were shown to comfortable wicker sofas, set in a pretty succulent garden, and offered a variety of beverages to savour in the clean Karoo air. We chatted with a Brazilian family and after the safari briefing, headed off to our room to freshen up for lunch.
Our room was cosy with a small fireplace, and a modern bathroom with excellent water pressure. It retained its cottage charm despite the air conditioner hanging on the wall. Refreshingly, there was no TV in the room, highlighting that this was not a destination for switching off, but rather a place to reconnect.
Lunch was served in a thatch rondavel-type building that felt more like a secluded restaurant than a safari buffet. The food at Inverdoorn Game Reserve was outstanding with a diverse menu that included excellent vegetarian options, some succulent meats, and halal options too.
Though there must have been close to twenty other guests on safari from Cape Town, the experience was intimate and quiet. We chatted in the cosy setting with a gentle cosmopolitan babble of Dutch, Portuguese, and French in the background. Hardly aware of the other guests, staff, or the time slipping away, before we knew it, it was time for the afternoon game drive and we headed to reception to meet our safari guide.
Inverdoorn’s safari vehicles were standard Toyota 4x4s, and our group was made up of 9 in total, the Brazilian family, a couple from Vancouver Canada, and ourselves. Everyone was excited to see African animals, and our guide briefed us on safety when viewing the lions.
We crossed a river into the game area and then went through an electric gate and into the lion camp. Inverdoorn Game Reserve is 10,000 hectares and cannot support free-roaming predators. We found the lions on a carcass on top of a small koppie. The male lion posed, turning left and right, and capped the performance with a huge yawn showing all his teeth to the delight of everyone.
We exited the lion camp and passed in convoy along a series of game fences before reaching the cheetah camp. There is a custom-built viewing platform, and guests climb up the stairs for a view of the cheetah enclosure. Hidden in the bush, the two cheetahs kept low.
Our guide explained that these cheetahs had been part of an unethical cheetah petting program and that the end goal was to rehabilitate them and release them into Inverdoorn Game Reserve. The cheetah run had been designed, not for tourists, but to simulate the experience of a hunt. A lure was pulled at great speed and the cheetah would chase it down an almost 100m track at speeds of up to 120km/h. Once the action was over, the cheetah would be rewarded with meat, but they did not get fed after every ‘hunt’ as this was a simulation and not every hunt in the wild was successful. Lastly, said the guide, the action would be very fast and we must be ready.
3, 2, 1... go... the lure dropped, the cheetah sprang into action, guests gasped, shutters clicked, and after a few electric seconds the cheetah carried their reward to eat in the bushes in peace.
Having such a great vantage point, and seeing the cheetah at full speed was amazing. Sleek, fast, and graceful these big cats are incredible. I reminded myself that the lure, the reward, and the fences, were all a step in the process of rehabilitation and release. Inverdoorn Game Reserve strives to give guests a safari experience centred on ethical conservation and the animals themselves.
Guests who want to see more can book the Cheetah Experience at Inverdoorn Game Reserve which not only gives more in-depth insight into cheetahs and cheetah conservation but also gets visitors up close to these majestic cats. For more about cheetahs see Cheetah vs Leopard.
It is important to note that Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve and its ethics committee implemented a strict no-touch policy in 2018 that keeps animal interactions to a minimum. This ensures the best outcome for the rehabilitated cheetah and their survival in the wild.
The Karoo landscape is always dramatic. It had been overcast and as evening approached a bit of sun poked between the horizon and the clouds and painted everything with a golden light. The mountains in the distance, foreboding clouds, and now this ethereal light, it was nothing short of breathtaking.
After the cheetah run we continued our game drive seeing zebra, springbok, eland, ostrich, and rhino. This was our second member of the Big 5 and we stopped for a while to watch the crash of rhino saunter and graze with a herd of eland. September is spring in South Africa, and if you like baby animals, this is a great time to go on safari. We had been seeing springbok ewes with babies, and added baby zebra, eland, and then a flock of over 20 ostrich chicks, swirling between the scrub bush and their mum and dad’s legs.
Once we'd had our fill of ostrich chicks and rhinos, we stopped for drinks and snacks on the vast Karoo plain. Driving back to the camp, we reflected on the afternoon’s safari. To get a clean sweep ticked off our Big 5 bucket list we just needed to see elephant, buffalo, and leopard to go with our lion and rhino.
Dinner back at the Inverdoorn Game Reserve lodge was again excellent. The easy ambience of the restaurant buffet made lingering and sampling all the treats a must. Throughout our stay the staff were friendly and helpful, but never overbearing or obvious. Full and happy, we headed back to our room, showered, and started a fire. Due to the overcast skies, stargazing was cancelled but an evening in a cosy Karoo cottage with a crackling fire and good company was just the tonic after a long day on safari near Cape Town.
Listening to the fire crackle in the still Karoo we drifted off to sleep.
The morning was cold as we gathered for coffee and a snack before the early game drive. After a good night's rest, everyone was ready to see the elephants, buffalo, and leopard our Big 5 safari omissions that we had missed the day before
We grabbed an extra layer of clothing, jumped into the 4x4, wrapped ourselves in the blankets provided, and headed into Inverdoorn Game Reserve. The first stop was the lion camp and after 15 or 20 minutes of hide and seek, we discovered them lying in some low scrub, looking fat and happy from their previous night's meal.
We then set off in search of elephants. It is always hard to believe just how well an animal the size of an elephant can hide and it took our guides a fair while to locate them. On the way we got to enjoy the smaller delights, and my favourite was the Cape hare which looked as cold and dishevelled as we felt and scampered off only grudgingly.
And just like that the grey mass of an African elephant stood out between the acacias. We were treated to these giants as they grazed and fed. To our delight, a herd of buffalo mooched in the dense scrub and we spotted a baby amongst their ranks. The elephants paid us no mind and continued on with their daily routine allowing ample photo opportunities.
When we pulled away from the elephants, there was one more surprise in store for us. A lone giraffe walked along the road towards us, and then another and another and another... A tower of giraffes, some older and younger, to our delight moved close to and then past us.
Heading back to the cottages for breakfast we had another fantastic elephant sighting, as the big female caught some fleeting rays of sunshine. Another rhino and a rainbow capped off our Inverdoorn safari and it all felt pretty special as we headed back for breakfast.
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Around 2,5 hours from Cape Town, Inverdoorn Game Reserve, is a luxury Big 5 safari option in the malaria-free Western Cape. If Aquila is an all-action family experience, Inverdoorn is the calm collected, understated twin (slightly further from Cape Town). An Inverdoorn safari near Cape Town delivers on Karoo charm, excellent food, and incredible landscapes in a laid-back and intimate setting.
We saw four of the Big 5 of Africa - lion, rhino, elephant, and buffalo, but not the elusive leopard. However, leopard scat and tracks were found a couple of weeks after our visit. The cheetah, the leopard-spotted cousin, was almost good enough to make this a perfect Big 5 safari. Add the antelope, zebras, hares, and giraffes that we saw on our evening and morning game drives were fantastic.
This Big 5 safari destination is not Kruger National Park. The vegetation is less nutritious and abundant, and the park is considerably smaller. You need to meet Inverdoorn Game Reserve on its own terms. The Karoo is a special place with big open spaces, clean air, and an ever-changing kaleidoscope of colours.
Inverdoorn Game Reserve draws you in with its understated charm and gives you a taste of what an African safari has to offer. The game sightings were good, getting us close to Big 5 animals and more, and our companions on the game drive, the Brazilians and Canadians, were thrilled to see these African animals.
If you are looking for a Big 5 Safari from Cape Town, Inverdoorn Game Reserve is a special choice. It offers remoteness and exclusivity without compromising on quality, as well as a chance to get close to some of Africa’s most sought-after animals.
To compare the best short and budget Cape Town Safari Tours see 1 to 4 Day Safari South Africa Cape Town.
If you are planning a Big 5 safari near Cape Town, check out the Inverdoorn safari packages below or discover other Big 5 game reserves for your safari from Cape Town.
Alternatively, speak to one of our experienced African safari consultants and find out the best Big 5 safari near Cape Town for your budget.
Explore these destinations mentioned in this post.
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