Wildlife Safari Tours from Cape Town

Visitors to Cape Town usually love the city's urban flair, vibrant nightlife, and proximity to outdoor activities, but you may not realize there are great wildlife safari trips you can take from Cape Town, too. Here are some options for heading out on safari.

Even the most time-pressed visitors to Cape Town have the opportunity for an African safari experience, thanks to a variety of day trips from the South African capital. The Aquila Private Game Reserve represents the closest place to the city where it’s possible to see the Big Five—African elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos, and Cape buffalos—as well as the endangered Aquila black eagle and some 70 other bird species. Learn about lion conservation during a day trip to Inverdoorn Nature Reserve, known for its wide variety of free roaming species. Those who prefer the water can spot the Marine Big Five—southern right whale, great white shark, bottlenose dolphin, African penguin, and Cape fur seal—aboard a wildlife-watching cruise.

Multiple days mean multiple chances to observe South Africa’s varied wildlife, and tours from Cape Town typically range from two to eight days. Along the Garden Route, go hiking through Tsitsikamma National Park, stroll the beaches of Jeffreys Bay, canoe the waters of Wilderness National Park, observe elephants at Addo Elephant National Park, and explore Oudtshoorn, known as the ostrich capital of the world. Shorter itineraries take travelers to Klein Karoo on the Western Cape to see the Big Five and other wild animals.