Aquila Private Game Reserve & Spa

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Aquila Private Game Reserve & Spa | Cape Town, South Africa | Virgin Atlantic Holidays

Cape Town, South Africa

4 stars

Imagine days spent viewing the Big 5, and evenings whiled away socialising and stargazing around the fire pit - it's the stuff safari holiday dreams are made of, and that's what you'll get to enjoy when you stay here at Aquila. Just a two-hour drive from Cape Town, an irresistible mix of exhilarating game drives and reserve relaxation awaits you. Amenities include a large swimming pool, mezzanine bar with incredible views, and an Karoo style buffet restaurant serving up delicious cuisine. Be sure to bring your camera - there's going to be a lot to see, and you won't want to miss a thing.

Amenities

Safari
Bar
Internet Access
Restaurant
Safety Deposit Box
Spa
Swimming Pool

Explore the local area

Located between the Langeberg and Outeniqua Mountains in the Western Cape, a 2 hour drive from Cape Town.

Hotel Information

Room Information
Room Upgrade Information

Range of lodges and cottages, with coffee and tea making facilities, in-room safe, seating, USB charging points, fan and air conditioning, mini-fridge (with complimentary water only), and bathroom amenities. Please note that there are now in-room television or telephone services. Standard Lodge rooms offer a comfortable and basic overnight stay with en-suite shower. These rooms do not have a view of the reserve, and are conveniently located next to the restaurant and mezzanine bar with access by stairs and lift. These rooms feature twin beds, which can be made up to 1 queen-size bed.

Full Board option: overnight stays include lunch, dinner and breakfast. Afternoon and morning safari. Complimentary eco-synergy project tour. Access to the overnight mezzanine level bar and lounge. Use of the exclusive overnight guest restaurant. Complimentary WiFi. Access to the communal pool and wet bar (with use of loungers and towels). Kids access to the children’s entertainment area. Access to the African curio shop. When staying 2 nights, guests may substitute one game drive with a complimentary horseback safari. When staying 3 nights, guests may substitute the game drive with a complimentary horseback adventure. All 2 and 3-night guests enjoy free spa access to make use of the communal services and facilities (treatments are optional and at an additional costs). All of the above mentioned inclusions are subject to availability.

Full Board option: overnight stays include lunch, dinner and breakfast. Afternoon and morning safari. Complimentary eco-synergy project tour. Access to the overnight mezzanine level bar and lounge. Use of the exclusive overnight guest restaurant. Complimentary WiFi. Access to the communal pool and wet bar (with use of loungers and towels). Kids access to the children’s entertainment area. Access to the African curio shop. When staying 2 nights, guests may substitute one game drive with a complimentary horseback safari. When staying 3 nights, guests may substitute the game drive with a complimentary horseback safari. All 2 and 3-night guests enjoy free spa access to make use of the communal services and facilities (treatments are optional and at an additional costs). All of the above mentioned inclusions are subject to availability.

Hotel details

Dining

Restaurant. Mezzanine level bar and lounge.

Fun and Games

Pool. Tranquila Spa* with luxurious African treatments, indoor and outdoor pool, and sauna and steam rooms. Aquila Kids Club*. Junior Ranger programme*. Curio Shop. Eco-synergy tours*.

Additional Information

* Denotes local charge.

Trip advisor rating

3.7/5

1,061 reviews

Location
Sleep Quality
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness

Excellent

40%

Very Good

22%

Average

16%

Poor

10%

Terrible

12%

“Highly Disappointing Stay - Avoid the Cabanas”

Nov 16, 2025carolcasanovas3

Highly Disappointing Stay - Avoid the Cabanas My experience at Aquila Safari was far below expectations and certainly not worth the price. The entire stay felt incredibly rushed, allowing very little time to actually enjoy the location or relax. It felt more like a mass-tourism operation than a genuine safari experience. The "cabin" room (cabana) conditions were extremely poor, almost precarious. There was a significant lack of maintenance, and the room was very noisy. A major issue was the shower situation: it was an outdoor-only shower. With the temperature dropping to around 10 degrees Celsius, this was an unacceptable and uncomfortable experience. Furthermore, the food quality was terrible—think basic, cafeteria-style buffet with no charm. Overall, a very disappointing experience. I would not recommend staying overnight in these cabins. Best to stay elsewhere and perhaps only visit for a day trip, if at all.

“Total Rip Off!!!”

Nov 01, 2025247LiveLife

We had booked for the full day safari. How can they call it a full day when in fact the safari is only 3 hours (yes, 3 hours) While on the "safari" we couldn't hear what the driver was telling us. no microphone. Buffet breakfast and lunch was dreadful, staff very unhelpful (and not motivated at all)

“Aquila is a glorified zoo and not a safari/game reserve”

Oct 19, 2025AnnaMcD01

Read the reviews before booking - you’ll see they’re all pretty negative. It’s a glorified zoo where the animals are rescued and kept in captivity. We had spent a week at a true game reserve in Waterberg (which was incredible!) with a variety of wild animals actually living in the wilderness but as it was a horse back safari, they understandably didn’t have elephants or lions due to the danger and also because they said the size of their reserve (10,000 hectares) wasn’t large enough for elephants. Therefore we decided to book a day trip to Aquila when staying at Cape Town the following week so we could see lions and elephants in their true South African habitat. On arriving, the first alarm bell was the fact it is literally just off a main road, visible from the main road and has a fence around it. The experience wasn’t dreadful, we did indeed see all the animals as advertised but left feeling so sad and disappointed and wishing we had read the reviews before booking. Aquila is also only 10,000 hectares which is not large enough - Google it, they need about 1 million. There are four elephants, wandering around aimlessly and being followed by staff as the elephants keep trying to break out apparently - unsurprising. At first we were fascinated that all the animals were within view of the hotel and thought we must be so lucky. We then realised that they are corralled into a small enclosure in front of the hotel - that’s how they can guarantee you’ll see them. It’s unnatural and cramped and the animals looked miserable and unwell. The safest part was the one lonely giraffe and no trees for it to eat naturally - it can actually kill them having to graze low down. The guide said the giraffe had to go up the mountain to graze at an angle. We soon realised it was a zoo when we went into the “lion enclosure” - they try not to dislocate how many animals they have and it’s because they don’t have many. They have 3 lions. Kept separately. Ergh it was just so sad thinking back to it. It is not at all what it is advertised as and I feel sad that we supported such cruelty. It needs some serious investigating. Just read the reviews before you go, we didn’t stay but had paid for breakfast on arrival which was disgusting. Another observation was they offered horse back riding safaris for complete beginners! As an experienced horse rider this is insane!!!!! Not only to allow anyone to just jump on a horse but to then ride amongst wild animals - dangerous and illegal. There’s a reason why this place is accessible from Cape Town and cheap in comparison to other safaris - it’s cos it’s rubbish and cruel.

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Protection for your Package Holiday

Some of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. However, ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: https://www.atol.org/about-atol/atol-certificates.

This product offers you combinations of a hotel and flights at an inclusive price. This product enjoys the protection of the Package Travel, Package Travel and Linked Arrangements Regulations 2018.

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