Game Reserves and African Safaris near Cape Town

If it’s the Big 5 you’re looking for on an African Safari, make a day trip to one of the three spectacular Game Reserves all within 2.5 hours drive from Cape Town’s CBD.

Game Reserves have always been more associated with the Northern part of Southern Africa, yet only an hour away from Cape Town city centre, one can find oneself on a real safari, experiencing the Big 5 in the wild and uninhabited. Fairy Glen, Aquila and Inverdoorn are the three closest Game Reserves to Cape Town and can easily be placed among any of the country’s best Game Reserves.

Fairy Glen Game Reserve
The closest of the three Game Reserves lies just outside Worcester at the foot of the Brandwacht Mountains where one can still find African Khoisan Bushmen Rock Art dating back an estimate of 6000 years. Overnight accommodation is available in either standard or luxury style and guests can expect to have a feast in their African Style Restaurant serving traditional food.
Fairy Glen also has conference facilities, offers teambuilding activities and hosts all this in their beautiful natural habitat of Fynbos and Proteas.

Aquila Private Game Reserve
By coach or self-drive, one can find Aquila Game Reserve about 2 hours’ drive from Cape Town near Touwsrivier. Aquila offers special 1, 2 or 3 day trips which usually include a variety of things such as a Buffet in their African Boma Restaurant, a Game Drive in a 4×4 Safari Vehicle with a ranger guide, visits to their Rehabilitation and Conversation centre, Horse Rides, Quad Bike Safaris and so much more.
Aquila’s accommodation comprises of standard cottages; family luxury units and premier luxury chalets of which the Honeymoon Suite offers a private alfresco Jacuzzi with wooden decks and panoramic views across the span of the reserve.

Inverdoorn Game Reserve
At about 2.5 hours’ drive from Cape Town’s CBD, Inverdoorn Game Reserve and Iziba Safari Lodge stand out like an oasis in the Little Karoo, known as South Africa’s semi-arid desert. With a Game Reserve stretching over 10 000 hectares and over 1200 free-roaming wild animals, one is bound to experience a true African Safari on Game Drives lasting up to three hours long.
Inverdoorn also offers luxury accommodation in their luxurious lodge and boasts with delicious French-inspired food in (as they say)… “True South African Hospitality”.

So whether it be an African Safari day trip or a weekend away riding a horse among the Big 5, find this and more at one of Cape Town’s three prestigious Game Reserves.

Ed Beukes

Photography by Claire