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Western Cape Safaris & Game Parks Tour - Western Cape

As there are various opportunities to view game it would depend on how much time you have available and your budget. Although this area is not historically know for the Big five there are some re-created wildlife reserves where you can experience the "real thing" within a few hours drive from Cape Town while others are at further a field and will require an over night tour or can be added onto a Garden Route tour.

Aquila

Day visitors are welcome. A prestigious 4 star, malaria free, Game Reserve of 4,500 ha of Southern Karoo Highlands encapsulating breathtaking majestic mountains, rivers, valleys and kloofs. Home to Cape Town's closest Rhino & Giraffe population. 90min from Cap Town

Wildlife
Lion, Buffalo and Crocodiles.
Rhino and giraffes
Zebra
Black & blue wildebeest, Red hartebeest
Eland, Springbok, Blesbok
Ostriches
Gemsbok & other indigenous game
Caracal (Lynx), Black-Backed Jackal, Bat-eared Fox and the elusive Mountain Leopard

Bushmans Kloof Wilderness reserve

A natural heritage site in the Cederberg mountains. 2.5hours from Cape Town
Game drives and hikes through the reserve provide the opportunity to see some of the game that was once unique to this Cape Region. There are more than 140 species of birds. Bushmans Kloof is home to more than 125 rock art sites which date back some 10,000 years creating one of the world's largest open air galleries. In recognition of its immense cultural, historical and environmental significance; Bushmans Kloof has been declared a South African natural Heritage site.

Activities include: Game drives, bird watching, nature trails, river walks, canoeing & swimming in crystal clear rock pools.

Invedoorn Game reserve

Day visitors welcome a scenic 2,5 hours drive from Cape Town. En route two beautiful passes make the trip very rewarding.

This reserve offers a unique 'Karoo experience' Surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges with the most incredible sunsets & breathtaking night skies. Invedoorn hosts White Rhino and Giraffe.

Sawubona

3.5hours from Cape Town. With the exciting arrival of elephant, buffalo, black rhino and male and female white lion, Sanbona is now home to the Big 5. A historic predator release means that for the first time in over 200 years, lion and cheetah can once again be seen in the Klein Karoo, making Sanbona the first private game reserve in the Western Cape to play host to free-roaming big cats.

Activities include: Nature drives, Nature walks, Photography, Bird watching, Rock formations, Rock art, Trout fishing, Horse riding, The Wellness Centre, Hot air ballooning, Stargazing

Garden Route Game lodge

Day visitors welcome situated in the heartland of the world famous Fynbos Botanical route offers you the big Five in a Malaria free environment. 3.5 hours from Cape Town. Currently home to giraffe, white rhino, lion, elephant, kudu, zebra, wildebeest and many other species of game. Game drives are led by experienced game rangers who share their knowledge of game, birdlife and African folklore.

Activities: A visit to the recently established Cheetah Breeding Center will provide visitors with an insight into the plight of this endangered species. No stay at the Garden Route Game Lodge is complete without a tour of the Reptile center where our resident Herpetologist (snake man) will share his knowledge of snakes, crocodiles and other cold-blooded creatures.
Horseback rides - they offer relaxing guided trail rides in the main reserve for the experienced rider. Ride in harmony with nature and enjoy close up wildlife encounters in this exquisite setting.
Mountain bike trails on the various farm roads in the area offer a challenge to the energetic.

Quad Bike Trails - Enjoy a guided adventure trail on a 4x4 quad bike in the Gouritz River Valley which winds through scenic mountain passes and valleys, over streams and finishes up in the Gouritz River bed. Day trips allowed.

Botelierskop

Day visitors welcome 3.5 hours from Cape Town, this malaria free reserve is blessed with a great diversity of habitat and wildlife. Visitors have an excellent chance of experiencing close encounters with rhinoceros, lion, buffalo, giraffe, rate black impala and many more in an exhilarating game drive. This unique 4x4 game viewing drive in an open vehicle is a stimulating mix of bush craft and exciting game viewing for the outdoor enthusiast. Safaris at Botlierskop are a unique African experience. Guided by skilled, knowledgeable and well-trained guides, guests are sure, not only to embark on an adventure, but also to take a little bit of our rainbow culture back home with them. From fresh brewed coffee at the camp fire, to getting up close and personal with rhino's, lions, buffalos, giraffes, zebra's and many more, the Botlierskop team is happy to announce that the first elephants arrived at Botlierskop on 13 June 2004. Tsotsie 21years and Sam 24 years and this will be the first time that elephant back rides are offered in the Garden Route.

Buffalo Hills

Day visitors welcome. 5 hours from Cape Town This reserve covers a major part of the Bitou River Valley. Just 15 minutes drive from Plettenberg Bay and 25 minutes from Knysna, the area remains far enough away from the trappings of western civilisation to provide a true experience of the African bush. Close proximity to Plettenberg Bay, one of South Africa's best whale-watching destinations, ensures that Buffalo Hills can provide you the opportunity to view elephant, buffalo, leopard, rhinoceros and whales.

Game to be found include buffalo, rhinoceros, blue wildebeest, giraffe, bontebok, eland and sable antelope, bushbuck, leopard and other mammals. Guided 4x4 game drives, bird hikes (more than 150 species), mountain bike trails, tracker walks, astronomy evenings in a Stargazer's Boma, fly fishing and other exciting activities are offered.

Addo Elephant National Park

Day visitors welcome. Situated 1 hour from Port Elizabeth can either be added to a Garden Route tour or fly from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth (2hrs) and transfer by vehicle. Deep within the shadows of the dense valley bushveld of the Sundays River region of the Eastern Cape lies the Addo Elephant National Park. Here, the evenings are punctuated by the strident howl of the black-backed jackal, and the francolin's call heralds each new dawn. Safe from relentless persecution in the past, the grey leviathans of the bush now roam in peace. The original Elephant section of the park was proclaimed in 1931, when only eleven elephants remained in the area, today this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 450 elephants, Cape buffalo, black rhino, a variety of antelope species, as well as the unique flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo. The park conserves no less than five of South Africa's seven biomes and is home to one of the densest African elephant populations on earth. Addo incorporates the largest coastal dune field in the southern hemisphere. The park boasts the Big Seven, (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard, southern right whale and great white shark). It also protects the world's largest Cape gannet breeding population on Bird Island.

Shamwari Game Reserve

45 minutes from Port Elizabeth. This can be included in a Garden Route tour or fly to Port Elizabeth from Cape Town (2hrs). Shamwari is a leading Conservation Company and Game Reserve for five consecutive years and about conserving a vanishing way of life. It is the realisation of one man's dream, and the success of many people's passion. Steeped in Settler history, and dating back to the time when a multitude of game roamed wild and free, the 20,000 hectare reserve boasts five eco-systems, thus enabling the support of many forms of plant, animal and bird life. This is the ultimate African adventure and conservation effort coupled with responsible tourism. They want you to have the 'safari of a lifetime'...rangers dine with you, sharing daily experiences and providing further information. Game viewing is carried out morning and evening on game drives, when you are driven in your open vehicle (which seats up to 6) over the rolling hills and valleys. You will leave before dawn, spending up to 3-4 hours spotting game before returning to your lodge for a hearty breakfast. Blankets are supplied for those cold morning starts!

The heat of the day is usually spent in the shade, playing tennis, swimming, reading and, of course, enjoying a delicious lunch. Between 4:00 - 5:00pm, you assemble again for the evening drive. As the animals emerge from their midday cover, you may see elephants browsing, rhino drinking at a waterhole, or perhaps the shy bushbuck motionless in the dense bushveld. At dusk, the Land Rover stops at some panoramic spot for a sundowner (from the icebox) and snacks. Guided walks can be arranged in the company of your armed ranger, in search of rare animals. These hikes can often be the highlight of your African trip, for it is really only then that you gain a perspective of this great continent.

Enquire about our Western Cape Tour

Note: Unless otherwise mentioned, all tours are provided by our partners Cape Options Tours.