Safari, but make it easy...
My short and sweet safari experience in the Western Cape
I’ll be honest — I think private game reserves like Aquila and Inverdoorn are slightly misunderstood by the UK market. They’re not trying to be the Kruger or the Masai Mara, and if you’re a seasoned safari traveller looking for vast wilderness and the ultimate Big Five experience, I’d probably point you elsewhere. But for a first safari, a family with kids or teens, a group of friends or a young couple, they make an incredible amount of sense.
Let me take you there…
Leaving Cape Town, it’s a peaceful 2½-hour drive inland towards the Karoo — a spectacular landscape of mountains, vast open spaces and that unmistakable feeling that you’re getting properly away from it all. We made a little detour en route to Dekkersvlei, a winery owned by Aquila Collection, where we enjoyed a tour and tasting followed by a beautiful lunch before continuing to Aquila.
On arrival, we received the warmest welcome and a drink before being shown to our rooms. Mine overlooked the pool, with the game reserve stretching away into the distance beyond it.
Then it was time for our first game drive. Blankets were handed out as the afternoon cooled, and we hadn't been driving for long before we came across three elephants at the watering hole. We watched them move slowly through the landscape, their trunks seemingly having a different job every few seconds. From that close, you could see the incredible texture of their skin and hear the soft thud and shuffle of their feet on the ground. And that was just the beginning.
We encountered a family of white rhino, herds of buffalo and hippos before eventually entering the lion enclosure. This is where I think the biggest misconception about Aquila lies. When people hear the word enclosure, they can immediately picture a zoo or safari park. The reality is very different. Aquila's reserve covers around 10,000 hectares — enormous in its own right, although considerably smaller than some of Africa's great wilderness reserves. The lions are kept separately from the other wildlife because, quite simply, allowing apex predators to roam freely amongst a finite population of prey animals would have a devastating impact on the reserve's carefully managed ecosystem. The Western Cape also has regulations requiring predators to be separated in reserves of this nature.
And the lion enclosure? It is huge. It took us a while to find the three lions, but when we did, they gave us one of those moments you don't forget. The male prowled past us before letting out an enormous yawn, revealing a spectacular set of jaws, then followed the females up the mountain. Just… wow.
Aquila is particularly well suited to families, with plenty to keep younger guests entertained, including a Junior Ranger programme and kids' club. For over-16s, there’s a beautiful spa, quad-bike safaris and horse-riding. It also works brilliantly for larger groups and multi-generational trips. And the accommodation genuinely surprised me. The rooms were beautiful and comfortable, with five-star amenities, and from one of the terraces we even watched elephants wandering through the reserve in the distance.
Then on to Inverdoorn…Just 30 minutes further into the Karoo, Inverdoorn feels a little more grown-up and boutique in style — and it completely blew me away. The landscape here is different again. Think cacti, unusual plants and an almost lunar-looking terrain which bursts into colour during spring. Some of the lodges have rooftop terraces where you can have breakfast or enjoy afternoon sundowners with uninterrupted 360-degree views across the Karoo.
The game drives were similar, but never felt repetitive. The landscape gives Inverdoorn its own character and the wildlife was abundant. It never seemed long before we were watching a group of giraffes, then a dazzling dazzle of zebra, followed by ostriches striding across the landscape.
There’s also a dedicated cheetah conservation area, where you can learn about the cheetahs while observing them. As they’re my favourite animal, I absolutely loved this — and the conservation work happening here was fascinating. The lions are also housed separately at Inverdoorn, and we spent a good 30 minutes watching one male and his two sisters lazily soaking up the afternoon sun. At one point, the male looked directly into my eyes and I genuinely wondered whether he might charge. He gave me a slow blink, turned away and left my heart rate through the roof!
One of my favourite moments came at the end of another game drive. Our guide drove us to a beautiful, secluded spot and suddenly produced a table, ice and drinks — including bubbles — and we stopped for a celebratory drink together as the sun went down. That’s another thing I loved about this style of safari. Safari is incredibly sociable. You share these huge, slightly surreal experiences with the people in your vehicle, and suddenly you're celebrating them together like old friends.
And there was another unexpected difference for me. Having previously experienced a kill while on safari in the Serengeti, I realised that knowing you won't witness one in the Western Cape changes the way you experience the drives. You're not constantly scanning the horizon for a chase or a kill. Instead, you become much more absorbed in everything else — the giraffes, zebra, elephants, birds, landscapes and those tiny behaviours that you might otherwise overlook. It was surprisingly refreshing.
And then there was the food. At both reserves, expect excellent meals — epic steaks, venison, fresh fish and plenty of delicious South African wine.
Actually, by the end of four days, I was approximately 90% Chenin Blanc.
The hospitality was amazing, the guides were exceptional and the whole experience was far more luxurious than I had anticipated. I cannot wait to return someday.
