Aquila Private Game Reserve

Aquila Private Game Reserve was founded by Searl Derman in 1999 with the idea of bringing the Big Five back to the Western Cape within reach of Cape Town.

But it helps to understand what reserve means here.

The land had previously been used for farming and hunting. Wildlife was gradually reintroduced, while the project developed into a large safari resort.

The name Aquila refers to the Verreaux’s eagle, Aquila verreauxii, found in the Karoo.

Today, Aquila works particularly well as an introduction to safari without needing another flight to a different part of South Africa.

But this is a managed private reserve with substantial tourism infrastructure, not a vast ecosystem operating without human intervention.

That context actually makes the place more interesting. You are seeing not only wildlife, but an example of modern rewilding on land that had already been heavily altered by people.

In short: 🐘 Big Five · 🕰️ Founded in 1999 · 🦅 Named after Verreaux’s eagle · 🌱 Rewilding · 🚙 Safari drives · ⚠️ Managed private reserve