Safari near Cape Town - 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.

Excellent day trip to Aquila Nature Reserve! - 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!

Would love to go back! - 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.

Worth the trip - Everything thing was as expected. Van was comfortable, buffet was decent and guide during the safari was very informative. Seeing the animals living in “the wild” was great! Great value for the price, it was an all day event.

Great safari experience - This was an excellent tour which I highly recommend. The driver met us at a hotel on the waterfront, we drove for 3 hours to get to the reserve because of an accident on the road. The tour allows for such delays. The lunch buffet was excellent. The safari drive was almost 3 hours and we saw the " big 5". The driver answered all questions and was extremely knowledgeable about the animals we saw. The return trip was under 2 hours and 30 minutes. Overall excellent value for the money.

Gorgeous!!! Everyone was... - Gorgeous!!! Everyone was wonderful and we had a fantastic experience. The guide was fantastic about making sure that we saw so many animals.

A great experience for the family - This was a fine day out for our family, two of whom had never experienced a safari before. Our driver was prompt and courteous, and our guide was knowledgeable and fun. The lunch buffet was a bit chaotic, but otherwise perfectly satisfactory. That being said, it is a safari mill. They have it down to a science. That is fine, if you have not experienced a more comprehensive safari elsewhere in Africa. You will see animals, and you'll enjoy yourself. Our newbie guests loved it. If you only have one day to experience a safari, go for it. You will be satisfied. It's good value for money.

Danger to life, but great views of the animals (read detail). - The actual safari driver through the reserve is fantastic. Great guide, saw many animals, and felt safe throughout. However, the transport service provided by Aquila is a different matter. The driver collects from hotel/accom, and then there is a two hour drive to the location (and return later afternoon). The transport driver was dangerous. rarely had two hands on the wheel, often no hands, while he fiddled with phone, drink, music etc. Regularly 2 or 3 meters behind vehicle in front at fast speeds. Not smooth with braking, and insisted on "pumping the brakes" in time to the music several times. Many of the 10 passengers felt unsafe, and were glad to get out. I am an advanced-trained driver and i know what i'm talking about - this driver is a danger to life and unprofessional and should be sacked. Driving passengers is a big responsibility, and drivers should be regularly assessed - which clearly they are not at Aquila. Was also asked to sign a waiver form, and wass refused when i asked for a copy of the form. weird.

Not up to my expectation of a safari tour. - Not up to my expectations. The animals are too far away and only few types of animals. But the driver is nice and friendly.

Should have known better - Disappointed. We chose Aquila as we wanted to have a safari experience and this was on our route back to Cape Town. The trip got off to a bad start as it was freezing cold and very windy and the bus was ten minutes late and all the staff had disappeared so we all cowered miserably trying to stay warm. When the bus did show we asked about the ponchos which reception had told us would be given out on the bus but none were available and the driver gave out some blankets which were grabbed by two women at the front of the bus leaving the children huddled and wet. The bus followed a rutted route past the animals which were clearly being fed so that they could be seen by the tourists. We got very limited amounts of information about the animals or conservation efforts (to be fair to the driver, it was clear everyone was freezing and wanted the trip to end). The lions were in a dismal patch of fenced off upland. Overall, we felt this was basically a large zoo and very different to the type of safari experiences that we’d previously had in South Africa (and wanted our kids to experience).