Cape Town: Aquila Game Drive & Wine Tasting from Hotel

Three Hours in the Bush, Two Hours Back: Cape Town's Game Drive & Wine Loop

You get picked up from your Cape Town hotel and driven two hours through wine country to Aquila game reserve, where you spend up to three hours on a safari with a ranger, stop for a leg-stretch and wine break, eat two buffet meals, and return via a winery tasting. The whole day is about eight to nine hours, and the drive itself is half the experience: mountain passes, valleys, and fynbos vegetation that you won't see anywhere else.

Step-by-step itinerary

Safari and wine tasting near Cape Town

• Drive through Cape Town wine regions
• Pass Stellenbosch and Paarl wine estates
• Pass Franschhoek and Du Toitskloof tunnel
• Pass Worcester and Hex Valley wine regions
• Arrive at Aquila game reserve
• Welcome drink and registration
• Buffet breakfast
• Safari game drive with photo stops
• 30-minute break with wine
• Buffet lunch
• Optional swim in pool
• Drive back via winery for wine tasting
• Return to Cape Town hotel

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off in Cape Town, air-conditioned van transport, buffet breakfast and lunch, welcome drinks and bottled water, up to three hours on the game drive with a qualified ranger, a 30-minute break with wine during the safari, access to the swimming pool at Aquila lodge, and a wine tasting at one estate on the return drive.

Times

• Every day 06:30

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Before you book

Group Up to 15

Live guide English Another language? ›

Meeting point and pickup Hotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Ages Adult (12 to 90 years) · Child (under 12)

Cancellation and refunds Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund. It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Good to know

Low physical effort Stroller-friendly Infant seats available Public transport nearby Infants must sit on laps

Operated by Ordain Hove

Prices and times updated today

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Traveler reviews

4.50 ★★★★★ Excellent 18 verified traveler reviews

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The experience

The sound hits you first on the game drive, not roaring, but the low rumble of the van cutting through dry grass, then silence when the ranger cuts the engine. You're at Aquila game reserve, roughly 120 kilometers from Cape Town, and the animals move on their own schedule, not yours. The drive there takes two hours through the wine regions of Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Franschhoek, passing through the Du Toitskloof tunnel and into valleys that shift from vineyards to fynbos: that unique floral kingdom that exists nowhere else on earth quite like this. It's the smallest of the world's six floral kingdoms but holds the most plant diversity, which means the landscape keeps changing even when you're not moving.

At Aquila, you start with a welcome glass of wine before registration, then a buffet breakfast in the lodge. The safari itself runs up to three hours with a qualified ranger who knows where to find the animals and when to stop so you can photograph them properly. There's a 30-minute break mid-drive where you stretch your legs and have another glass of wine, which sounds indulgent until you realize you've been sitting still, watching, for an hour and a half. After the game drive comes a hearty buffet lunch, and if you want, a dip in the swimming pool before the return journey. The drive back to Cape Town takes another two hours, and on the way you stop at one winery for a tasting before your hotel drop-off.

What makes this different from a straight game drive is the route itself. You're not flying in or taking a short hop. You're traveling through the Western Cape's wine country, passing Paarl (home to Paarl Rock, one of the two biggest single rock outcrops in the world) and Franschhoek, where Nelson Mandela spent his last three years of imprisonment before release. The landscape tells a story as much as the animals do. The fynbos vegetation, the mountain passes, the orchards and vineyards. They're all part of the same day, which means you're not just doing one thing. You're moving through the region, not parachuting into it.

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 12).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How long is the game drive at Aquila?

Up to three hours, with a qualified ranger and photo stops when animals are spotted.

What's included in the meals?

Buffet breakfast and lunch, plus welcome drinks and bottled water throughout the day.

How far is Aquila from Cape Town?

About 120 kilometers, roughly a two-hour drive each way through wine regions.

Is the wine tasting included?

Yes, a welcome glass before the safari, a glass during the mid-drive break, and a tasting at one winery on the return journey.

What should I bring?

A good camera for wildlife photography, sunscreen, and comfortable clothes for sitting in a van for extended periods.

Is there a swimming pool?

Yes, at Aquila lodge. You have time to swim after lunch if you want, before heading back to Cape Town.

What's the physical fitness requirement?

The tour is suitable for all fitness levels. Most of the day is spent sitting in a van or at the lodge.