Where to Book Wildlife Safaris in Cape Town — Our Top 15

1.Big Five Game Reserve Wildlife Safari from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 576 reviews · from $184Our pick

Ride from central Cape Town to Aquila Game Reserve in an air-conditioned coach, then join an English-speaking ranger for a three-hour open-vehicle drive through the malaria-free Karoo. Look for lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, giraffes, hippos, and more than 170 bird species. Lunch, a welcome drink, and hotel transfers are included.

“Fun tour! Get to see all the big 5 although there are very few of each animal. It is a big zoo so don’t expect it to be like a proper safari but still a great experience. A lot of it actually done in travelling too and from the game reserve so be prepared to be on a coach for a while”

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2.Big Five Safari and Breede River Valley Guided Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 526 reviews · from $155Top rated

Travel from Cape Town through Du Toitskloof and the Breede River Valley to Aquila Safari Reserve. A professional guide such as Mike, Werner, or Jamie handles the long drive, while your reserve fee covers lunch, champagne, and a two to three hour game drive. Private safari vehicles cost extra.

“Werner my tour guide and driver was super! Fun, courteous, knowledgeable about the area and country. The winery was lovely and a good tasting. Aquila was great. I lucked out and had Jana as my guide. She is the conservationist for the reseRead more”

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3.South African Wildlife and Safari 2-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 411 reviews · 2 days · from $322

Travel from Cape Town or Stellenbosch to Oudtshoorn with guides such as Neville, Maudi, Ulrich, and Denver. Take a 4x4 safari at Botlierskop, a smaller-wildlife bush drive at Buffelsdrift, and optionally observe three rescued elephants. Expect long drives, scenic mountain roads, shared safari vehicles, and a choice of backpacker, guesthouse, lodge, or farmstay accommodation.

“The two day safari was really great! Uriel our guide was amazing and made the trip even better. He was so easy to talk to, informative and always able to support our requests. He made the journeys very funny with his great sense of humour. The safari was really good and we were able to see a range of different animals: elephants, zebras, giraffes and we were lucky enough to see cheetahs. We would definitely recommend this tour and 100% recommend Uriel as a tour guide.”

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4.Marine Big 5 Ocean Safari from V&A Waterfront

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 278 reviews · 1h 30m · from $68

Meet at Quay 5 in the V&A Waterfront for a 90-minute English-language cruise on a luxury catamaran. Your crew searches for dolphins, Cape fur seals, penguins, whales, and sunfish while sharing facts about the Atlantic coast. Muffins, hot chocolate, water, and binoculars are included, but wildlife sightings depend on season and sea conditions.

“Nice team, very polite Really good Trip and we saw wales 😀”

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5.2 Day South African Wildlife Tour with 4×4 Safari from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 251 reviews · from $279

Travel from Cape Town to Botlierskop and Buffelsdrift on a packed two-day safari with open 4x4 drives, an optional rescued-elephant walk, and one night in Oudtshoorn. Guides such as Neville, TK, Denver, and Uriel have earned praise for their care and local stories. Expect about 900 kilometers of driving, early starts, and a useful wildlife introduction for a short visit.

“Well organized and friendly guide (his nickname: gentle giant GG)! Love the elephant walk and the endless landscape from the safari drive!”

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6.Garden Route and Addo Elephant Park 6-Day Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 175 reviews · 6 days · from $852

Travel in a small group of up to 12 from Cape Town with an English-speaking guide such as Gareth, Christine, or Mark. You will visit Hermanus, Cape Agulhas, Oudtshoorn, Wilderness, Knysna, Tsitsikamma, Addo, and Mossel Bay, with five nights of lodging, most breakfasts and dinners, canoeing, hikes, wine tasting, and a safari included.

“What an amazing week! Christine was an excellent guide, so full of energy and enthusiasm, making sure that everyone had what they needed and taking us safely from one beautiful place to the other. The places we visited were all so nice, I kept wanting to stay longer in each of them, saying “Next time..”. Yes, we did spend quite a lot of time in the bus to get between them, but that is after all unavoidable if wanting to visit them all. Shorter stops to stretch legs etc in between the main stops made the journeys feel shorter. The program was a good combination of beautiful nature and views,…”

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7.Marine Big 5 Safari with transport from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 158 reviews · from $181

Travel from Cape Town to Gansbaai, then head by boat toward Dyer Island in search of Africa’s Marine Big 5. A marine biologist and experienced crew explain the animals and conservation work. Tea, muffins, soup, equipment, hotel transport, and a visit to the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary are included.

“This was easily the highlight of my trip to Cape Town. We have a baby Southern Right Whale swim right up to the boat.. once in a lifetime experience. We saw a total of 6 whales, penguins, seals and sharks. 10/10”

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8.Full Day Big 5 Aquila Safari Private Transfers Including Park Fee From Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 54 reviews · from $345

Leave Cape Town at 6:30 a.m. with a private driver such as Ray, Tambo, Wilson, or Rubin, then spend the day at Aquila Game Reserve. Expect breakfast, lunch, a 2 to 3-hour shared safari truck, and a Fairview wine and cheese tasting on the return. The road transfer is private, but the safari itself is shared.

“It is a great safari. People were friendly and the reserve is beautiful. We saw 4 out of 5 of the big game animals.”

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9.2-Day Wildlife Tour with Safaris and Luxury Stay

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 51 reviews · 2 days · from $534

Leave Cape Town or Stellenbosch early for Botlierskop’s 4x4 safari, then sleep in a luxury canvas tent, farmstay, or town guesthouse near Oudtshoorn. Day two brings a Klein Karoo bush drive, optional elephant viewing, and a scenic Route 62 return. Guides such as Maudi, Dylan, and Denver have been praised for care and organization.

“The trip, itinerary and guide were excellent. The 2 safari park locations we visited were a very special experience. 2 of our group had sickness the day after visiting Buffelsdrift and both ate the same thing (the venison burger) Our guide made extra toilet stops throughout day 2 to help us through the day.”

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10.Wildlife Safari, Olive, Beer/Wine Tasting Day Tour from Cape Town

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 39 reviews · from $227

Travel from Cape Town with guide Ian in a comfortable, air-conditioned minivan for a game drive at Buffelsfontein, olive tasting at Darling Olives, beer and lunch at Darling Brew, toffee sampling, and a Bloubergstrand photo stop. The group is limited to seven, with pickup and drop-off included. Lunch and alcoholic drinks cost extra.

“You can´t go wrong with Ian and this amazing day trip that he offers. Highly professional from start to finish. A beautiful van, comfortable, clean. We enjoyed our day very much and everything went perfect. He pay lots of attention to details. I Read more”

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11.Big Five Safari Experience with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 38 reviews · 9 hours · from $137

Spend a full day at a private reserve about two hours from Cape Town, with hotel pickup, a halal buffet lunch, and a 2.5 to 3-hour game drive. English-speaking guides such as Collen and Dudu help explain the animals and the route. Expect Big Five sightings, but also a reserve that feels more managed than wild.

“Our trip to Aquila was better than we could’ve imagined thanks to our tour guide Collen. We were picked up promptly by Collen who introduced himself to us and was very witty and chatty. The whole drive to Aquila we felt very safe, Collen drove perfectly despite the long journey and during transport explained the plan of the day in depth, including top tips for us to get the maximum enjoyment out of our day. Collen shared such a mass of knowledge, about the animals, passing and lots about the general history of Cape Town which was so insightful. He really went above and beyond, tailoring his service to our…”

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12.Sunset Safari at the big 5 Game Reserve All inclusive

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 30 reviews · 8 hours · from $280

Travel from Cape Town with an English- or French-speaking guide such as Enoch Mukidi Lokwa, then join an open-air 4x4 safari at a private Big 5 reserve. The outing lasts about eight hours, including transfers, with roughly three hours for the reserve visit. Expect sunset scenery, light snacks, beverages, and possible sightings of elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, hippos, and birds. Confirm the safari fee before paying.

“0 goede communicatie qua vervoer, heel ingewikkeld met nagevolg enkel extra kosten.”

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13.V&A Waterfront Marine Big 5 Ocean Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 30 reviews · from $57Best value

Set out from Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront on a 90-minute ocean safari along the Atlantic Seaboard. You’ll wear a life jacket, hear a safety and marine-life briefing, and search for whales, dolphins, seals, penguins, sunfish, and pelagic birds. The boat is promoted as a small-group RIB experience, though some departures may use a catamaran.

“Was great fun, unfortunately did not see much and not much seating on the boat but it was a great experience!”

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14.Explore the best Big 5 Aquila Safari Tour and Wine Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 29 reviews · from $248

Paul Polano Tours takes you from Cape Town to Aquila Private Game Reserve for a three-hour open-vehicle safari, buffet meals, and Big Five viewing. You’ll also visit Fairview for wine and cheese tasting. Hotel pickup, bottled water, transport, reserve entry, and lunch are included, with guide Paul praised for his friendly explanations.

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15.Big 5 Safari One Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 27 reviews · from $227

Travel from Cape Town through Du Toitskloof and the Breede Valley to Aquila Private Game Reserve. Your day includes hotel pickup, breakfast and lunch, bottled water, private air-conditioned transport, and a roughly four-hour game drive. Driver Martin is singled out for friendly service, while reserve guides lead the wildlife viewing.

“Martin was Great!!! He got us there in incredible time Very informative and knowledgeable the tour was great Just enough to get a view of the 5 Would recommend Martin to everyone”

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