Day 18

An early start (6:30 am) for a trip to Aquila Game Reserve.  It's a two-hour drive from Cape Town into the "Little Karoo," which is a long valley bordered by the Swartberg and the Langeberg Mountains in the Western Cape. This is an arid area of rolling hills and flat valleys, filled with succulents and low scrubby bushes.  Herds of buffalo, elephant and kudu once dominated this area only to be hunted or driven out by modern development.  Private reserves like Aquila have successfully reintroduced a variety of game, from zebra to lions, and also participate in efforts to rescue animals from "canned hunting".  We arrived and were met with a welcome drink, followed by a full breakfast, then off on our game drive at 9:45 am in an open jeep-like vehicle.  We were fortunate to see large numbers of springbok, wildebeest and zebra, a napping group of lions, two elephants, hippos, rhinos, eland, and several other antelope.  After a refreshment stop, we continued our drive, ending with a visit to a rescued leopard and cheetahs. Then we had a delicious lunch, and spotted a giraffe at a distance! More students were awake on the drive back to enjoy the beautiful scenery!