Aquila Private Game Reserve

The staff were excellent and friendly, and the restaurant and other amenities were excellent too. We had dinner there, and the buffet was superb, with great flavour and generous quantity. A bottle of their Dekkersvlei Cabernet went very well with it. There were four of us on a day safari at Aquila. We stayed overnight elsewhere because their rooms were fully booked. The evening tour was great, and there were plenty of animals. We saw the Big Five, including a herd of elephants passing within three metres of our truck. I can wholeheartedly recommend Aquila to anyone wanting a genuine wild animal safari experience in a short trip.

Two days felt just right, and it was a great experience. The buffet was good, though a few things could be better: the oxtail needed longer cooking to fall off the bone, and the koeksisters could use more refinement. It would also help to arrange the condiments so they’re easier to reach, and to give clearer itinerary times so guests know when to get ready for the drive and dinner.

This is a very good day out, and the scenery and buildings are stunning. We had a lot of fun driving around to see the animals, and the welcome and mid-tour drinks were nice. We didn’t stay in the accommodation, though it looked fantastic. Just to clarify my earlier review, I wasn’t trying to say anything negative. If you expect a national-park-style safari, this isn’t that. It’s a private game reserve, a huge fenced area where animals are together, though the lions have their own space. You’re driven around to see the animals on the reserve, including the Big Five and others. It’s quite different from a zoo, but I can see why someone might compare the experiences. In a national park you may or may not find the animals you want, and that uncertainty is part of the fun. This is a different kind of visit, and worth doing.

We chose the so-called Sunset Safari partly because we expected a roughly four-hour outing with a comfort stop and food and drinks along the way, based on the information given and our previous experiences. Instead, after about two hours of driving, we were back at the park around 18:10. There was no stop, and no refreshments were offered. The trip was much shorter than expected and less comfortable. We raised it with the manager but didn’t feel taken seriously. We were offered a drink as if that settled things, and told we’d get an offer or discount for a future visit. Nothing ever arrived. Given the price and the expectations created when booking, we don’t consider this acceptable. An activity presented as an extended sunset safari that ends after two hours without the promised stop or refreshments didn’t feel worth the money. We were very disappointed, wouldn’t recommend the park based on our experience, and would advise people to consider other parks before booking. We hope the complaint is taken seriously and that there’s a clear explanation for why the safari was so different from what was promised.