Like many others who travel through Africa, a safari game drive was at the top of the list during our stay in South Africa. However, as we heard from our host, embarking on such an adventure is quite a luxury for locals and tourists alike. Imagine what that means for travelers who are merely passing through? This type of activity is usually planned in advance and requires a serious savings strategy. The decision weighed heavy on us knowing future travel plans would be affected if we moved forward with this.

For starters, we had to rule out Krueger National Park with no questions asked. Not only because we would spend money going from Cape Town to Johannesburg and then drive four hours to the Park, but because even a two-day lodge stay inside the park is outrageously expensive. Granted there is an option to camp out and still participate in the game drives, but getting there was still an expense in addition to the fear of being eaten by a wild animal in the middle of the night. Doing something like this could have really sent us home immediately after the safari. As a result, we talked about scheduling our date with the Big 5 (elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard and rhino) later in life as a well-planned luxurious vacation. This is the struggle when traveling long-term, not being able to do everything you want. Boo hoo. We’re not complaining. After all, these struggles are the least of our worries.

Now, even though we had dropped this topic, my husband continued searching day and night for affordable alternatives. Of course, I was not the least bit upset. In fact, after hours and hours of researching he found a private game reserve only a short two-hour drive from Cape Town. It must have been our lucky day because they had an incredibly good deal online for winter accommodations and even upgraded our lodge at no additional cost. So, we booked a two-night stay at the reserve, which included four game drives (two by day and two by night), all meals, horseback riding (which we gladly declined) and an unforgettable experience. The drive itself was breathtaking except for the annoying baboons on the road making it extremely distracting and dangerous. In addition to fewer crowds, professional guides, limited number of vehicles and exclusive night drives with off-road animal tracking, we believe a private game reserve may offer more to the safari experience than a National Park. Obviously, this option can be more expensive, but perhaps visiting during the wintertime like we did is a good option.

The Aquila Game Reserve is the closest private reserve to Cape Town and offers a variety of safari packages. Given the close proximity to Cape Town, a popular safari is the day trip, which even celebrities take part in when visiting the area with time restrictions and actually happens to be how Enoc stumbled upon this particular reserve.

Another reason why this private reserve happens to be popular is their conservation efforts. Our morning drive at Aquila included a visit to the ARC (Aquila Rehabilitation & Conservation Centre) and was quite special as it is home to rescued leopard and cheetahs that will become part of the breeding program in the future. Aquila has also established the ‘Saving Private Rhino’ initiative, which ensures the future conservation of Africa’s rhino and wildlife legacy by providing an integrated anti-poaching solution available to private game reserves throughout Africa. This almost doesn’t make you feel so bad about spending this kind of money for a safari.

Spotting these wild animals as close as we did was something incredible and unlike anything we have ever experienced. Before starting the game drives we were reminded that it was not guaranteed to see any of the animals as it depends on the day, time, weather, etc. To our surprise however, we were fortunate to spot the Big 5. The buffalo could only be spotted late at night on our way back to the lodge and we couldn’t get too close because they are aggressive animals but even so, we caught a mere glimpse. And although the Rhino will forever hold a special place in our hearts, the lion encounter was surreal and nearly breathtaking (not in a good way) as we witnessed lots of movement surrounding our vehicle. When you are told to remain silent and keep your hands and cameras inside the vehicle, it is never a good sign.

An absolute highlight to this adventure was the night drives. Cozied up in a 4×4 vehicle with a complimentary blanket surrounded by spectacular views, sun setting in the distance and wildlife encounters is something that cannot be easily taken for granted. It is a slap in the face kind of moment. An appreciation for all that surrounds you including the air that you breath. We were served a glass of champagne and snacks when we were far enough to step out and enjoy a moment of serenity somewhere in the 10,000-hectare reserve. As we returned to the lodge overlooking the reserve and a sky full of stars that will forever be engraved in our memory, all we could think and put into words was how blessed we were to be living that precise moment.

Our photos can be seen in their best quality in our photo gallery (click here).