You Can Now Book an Uber Safari and I Have the Iconic Instas to Prove It
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I don't know about you, but going on a safari has always been at the top of my bucket list. I live in New York City, so I see some pretty wild things on the daily (ahem, often before I even finish my morning cold brew), but, while the five boroughs are great, the big five animals (lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, elephants, and buffalo, ICYMI!) have been calling my name for quite some time. Which is why I was allll the way in when Uber reached out and invited me to South Africa to be one of the first to try Uber Safari, the latest limited-edition launch in their "Go Anywhere" series (which included Uber Boat, last year!), designed to make "OMG I wanna do that" travel experiences more accessible to the masses.
Spoiler alert: I hopped a flight to Cape Town last week to see what it was all about so I could report back here for you, dear reader, and it ended up being one of the most magical trips of my life. Just check my IG—I've got the khaki-and-giraffe-heavy posts to prove it. Now, I'm coming through with all the deets, so you can book the experience for yourself. Sorry, not sorry if you have a flight notification set for Cape Town by the end of this article. Let's get into it, shall we?
WHAT IT IS:
Available starting October 2nd (aka this Wednesday!), Uber Safari makes booking a start-to-finish safari as easy as ordering a regular-schmegular Uber. Bookable in the app for just $200 for up to four people, the experience gets you a driver that picks you up (in an Uber Safari-branded car, ofc) anywhere in Cape Town, a two-and-a-half-hour-ish drive to Aquila Private Game Reserve (one of the most popular destinations in all of South Africa, dedicated to conservation and sustainable tourism!), a welcome drink plus lunch, then a three-hour safari drive to see all the animals on the reserve before heading back home to Cape Town.
It's basically the best, most iconic day trip ever, perfect for travelers who (a) might not have time to stay overnight at a reserve but want to see the most they can while in Cape Town, and/or (b) don't want to do a ton of research into which reserve they should visit and how to get there. The price is also so damn good, you're basically losing money booking a safari any other way.
HOW IT WENT:
I flew from NYC to Cape Town last Sunday, on a direct flight in United's Polaris class. It's certainly a bit of a splurge, but I highly recommend it if you can swing it (or are planning on going for a special occasion, like your honeymoon) because the 15ish hours in the air flew by in my lie-flat seat. In the past, most flights to Cape Town required a lengthy layover, so to be able to get there directly with this route was beyond ideal for such a long trip.
When we landed, we headed straight to the Belmond Mount Nelson, a stunning hotel in the middle of the city which gave White Lotus vibes in the absolute best way. The palm tree-lined pool was to die for, the rooms were so comfy I could have stayed inside all day and been happy, and the personalized touches made me want to go back for my own honeymoon. It was the perfect home base for the two days before we left for our safari experience, checking out some local restaurants and wandering around downtown. Oh, and we also spent some time winery hopping throughout some of Cape Town's famous wine regions, like Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, and I would hiiiighly suggest you visit them too if you're a wino like me. (Uber also gave us a 30% off code, CAPEWINE24, if you're interested in exploring the Cape Winelands area, so you kind of have no excuse not to now?)
Cape Town was beautiful, but I was soooo ready to get out into the desert to see the animals. We started the Uber Safari experience by getting picked up at the hotel and hitting the open road, our local driver chatting a bit about the sights as we drove. Because we were staying overnight, we headed over to Aquila's sister property, Inverdoorn, which is on the same land but a little further down the road. It took nearly three hours to get to, and the views were out-of-this-world, especially as we left the city and got closer to the reserve. Just glorious mountains and empty desert for miles. Normally, I nap during any car ride over half an hour, but I was mesmerized. After what felt like an hour on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, we arrived.
Just like any Uber Safari-goer, we were dropped off and welcomed with a glass of champagne and a delicious lunch made fresh on the property. South African food is heavy on the meat and spices, but they also had some fabulous veggie options that I loved, like roasted cauliflower steaks and oyster mushrooms. Honestly, though, I could barely think about food when I knew what animals were in my future. Luckily, we quickly got in our Jeep-like vehicles (which fit about nine of us), met our incredible game rangers, and went out into the reserve.
Now, there's only so much I can write to explain how incredible it is to come face-to-face with such majestic creatures in the wild—you really have to see it for yourself. But oh my goodness, was it ever a bucket list experience. We saw lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, cheetahs, ostriches, buffalo, hippos, rhinos, flamingos, and so much more, all over the course of a few hours. The rangers were truly so knowledgeable and clearly cared about conservation. I'll admit, I was a little nervous about going out into the wild in an open-air Jeep before the trip (I'm afraid of a lot of things, especially becoming a lion's dinner), but I felt so safe in the vehicle. Yep, even a stone's throw away from a mama and daddy lion.
We ended the evening by driving up to the "bar," which was pretty much a makeshift watering hole in the middle of the reserve, and enjoyed a cup of tea and another glass of champagne as the sun set over the Karoo. Our group took turns posing in front of the vehicle in front of the colorful sky, snapping a few shots for the 'gram, and I have to admit they ended up pretty iconic. It was, all in all, one of the best days of my life.
HOW YOU CAN DO IT TOO:
As I said, you'll have to wait until Wednesday, October 2nd to book an Uber Safari, when the trips will be available to reserve for Fridays and Saturdays through January 25, 2025. (This is safari high season, since it's spring and summer in South Africa!) The "Uber Safari" tile will be visible on the app home screen for anyone in South Africa—just tap it, pick your date, put in your pick-up and drop-off locations, and hit reserve. You'll get an email letting you know it worked, btw, if you're anxious about technology, like me.
You can book Uber Safari 24 hours to 90 days in advance, but you should def reserve it as early as you can, because space is limited. And at a price this affordable...I have a feeling they won't be having any trouble filling seats. Take it from me: The experience alone is worth booking the trip to Cape Town!
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