During our time in South Africa we went on 3 safaris in total.
For the first we flew to Johannesburg and headed to Kruger National Park which was incredible! However, when it comes to the garden route (and saving yourself a flight) we went to the following two safaris.
Best Garden Route Safari Options
Sanbona Wildlife Reserve
Sanbona Wildlife Reserve blew us away. This is a 5-star safari experience with a heavy focus on conservation, authenticity and environmental impact.
The 58-hectare reserve is completely open meaning that your guides have to actively track the wildlife. As a result, it becomes so much more exciting and authentic when you do spot one of their animals.
When it comes to the accommodation, we stayed at the Dwyka tented lodges. These were luxury lodges, with private outdoor jacuzzis where you could drink champagne under the stars.
Dwyka is perfect for honeymoon couples, for families check out Gondwana lodges and also Tilney lodges for everyone.
Need more convincing? Take a look at this post for our full experience including itineraries, food and how to get there.
You can book Sanbona here.
Aquila Safari
Aquila Safari is a different experience all together.
This is a resort style safari which almost guarantees you will see the animals as they have a set route with some fences where each animal ‘lives’.
This is a cheaper option being a 4 star and offers half day safaris, 1 night, 2 night and so on. They also have an on-site spa and offer quad or horse safaris too. Ben loved the horse riding safari and I enjoyed the quad biking!
You can book Aquila here.