We would liken our stay at Aquila to the 'creme brulee' we were fed on the first night. An acceptable milk pudding, perhaps slightly gritty, though not entirely unpleasant, but far from the 'creme brulee' it was marketed as. We stayed in the Karoo Cottages. Please note that room service is not included into the price. We were supplied one set of towels for two nights and our air conditioner/heater did not work properly. The food was abundant but much of it was under-seasoned and more akin to hostel food than we would have liked. The accommodation was also not as advertised and we certainly did not have what could be considered a view of the park. Aquila is also not a true big five game lodge, since their lions are kept in a smaller enclosure within the park (I understand the reasoning, but the marketing does not really make this fact known - I only found it later on the website in a small paragraph). They also do not have leopard in the truest sense of the word but, rather, their leopard are cape mountain leopard which include Aquila as part of their territories, so the likelihood of seeing one (particularly due to the VERY loud game-viewing vehicles) is poor at best. There were also several other parts of the trip that we found to be disappointing. That being said, we were never allowed to go hungry, the ambience was lovely, we were afforded lovely up-close and personal views of several animal species, such as rhino, hippo and elephant, and the guides were helpful, knowledgeable and passionate. All in all, I think Aquila functions as a good tourist destination and plays a wonderful and admirable role in conservation. It would be a lovely place to enjoy a day trip to or to spend one night at, and perhaps more enjoyable for a family. Certainly not the dreamy, romantic Kruger-like getaway that we imagined, which resulted in disappointment. Had we known what to expect, we may have enjoyed our stay much more for what it was.

Little bit too ‘arranged’ since my last visit. Nice to see more rhinos though

we had a great time!

Had an absolutely fantastic experience at Aquila. The staff were extremely friendly and the rangers knowledgeable. They catered for the whole family (including a 3 year old, which many safaris do not). The setting and surroundings are amazing and the lodges are perfectly luxurious for one or two nights stay. The infinity pool is delightful and the food was a gorgeous spread of local dishes. We had a fantastic experience and enjoyed watching the animals at such close range in some natural habitat and would definitely recommend this resort to anyone who wanted a "tourist" game safari.