Responsible and Guilt-Free Rehydration

Being a partner in the Western Cape tourism industry, and one of the top 10 executive partners to Cape Town Tourism, Aquila Private Game Reserve and Spa take the current water crisis extremely seriously in solidarity with our Cape Town counterparts. The Breede Valley municipal region - where the the 10 000 hectare conservancy is situated between the dramatic Langeberg and Outeniqua Mountains in the Southern Karoo - has not been flagged as a water crisis zone as per the Cape Town Metropole situation.

But, being a big 5 safari destination in Touws River, we are true to the fact that we a Karoo-based property, and have since inception, treated this precious commodity with respect and sustainability.Aquila is the internationally recognised Imvelo award winner for sustainable tourism measures implemented by a large tourism establishment - and these measures include water and energy management.Water saving measures that we have undertaken at the reserve, include:

• Clear messaging on all confirmed bookings prior to arrival to ensure guests use water sparingly during their Aquila visit. 
• We have installed in-room ‘water crisis’ notifications to give guests tips to use less water during their stay.
• We also only replace towels at the request of the guest during an overnight stay.
• We furthermore removed bath plugs from rooms that have both a bath and shower option – with clear notices requesting use of a two minute shower, above that of a luxurious bath.
• Our communal areas make use of non-potable water (only when absolutely needed), and we have also installed key messaging at communal areas to make visitors aware of the water usage policies.
• All communal gardens have been changed to remove any vegetation requiring excessive water, and succulents, which occur naturally in the Karoo, have been used throughout the property.

Further measures to reduce bulk water consumption are currently being investigated.We have recently had to do mandatory repairs and maintenance to our swimming pool, and we are also glad to share that we made use of innovative water bladders at a major cost, to not waste a single drop of water. The entire 35m pool was emptied into large water bladders, and after repairs, was refilled with the very same water.Karoo water supply management and infrastructure is complicated and fragile. Aquila uses a mix of municipal supplied potable water, its own limited supply groundwater, rain water, and non-potable water.

It is there crucial to understand that, although we treat the resource with utmost respect, the municipal boundaries of the Cape Town crisis management zone does not apply to the Touws River region and Aquila.

It is with this in mind, that Aquila invites its guests to come and enjoy a responsible and guilt-free shower, swim and spa treatment - under two hours’ drive from Cape Town. Why not plan a city break and enjoy a Big 5 Safari, together with a luxurious soak in our spa, or indoor and outdoor swimming pools? It is real Africa; real close to Cape Town.