The Uber Safari picks up passengers in Cape Town at 9:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

I booked the first available date I saw about two months in advance but was able to move my reservation up a few weeks when I noticed a cancellation.

Our driver arrived at my home in Cape Town just before our 9:30 a.m. pickup time. He drove a white BMW X3, a luxury vehicle with leather seats and enough space for four passengers. 

During our trip, we joined a convoy with other BMW X3s, all Uber Safari vehicles on their way to Aquila.

This game reserve is known for its array of wildlife and luxurious accommodations, such as a spa and on-site lodging. It's very popular, with many people visiting Aquila independently or as part of a group tour. 

With Uber, we'd booked Aquila's "big five" safari — an experience where participants hope to see lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhinos.

We signed indemnity forms at Aquila's entrance gate and were dropped off at the main reception area, where we were asked for photo IDs.

I was a little surprised since I didn't see that passengers would need to provide photo IDs on the Uber app, but fortunately, we all had some form of identification with us. 

Then, we were led to an outdoor area and greeted with a welcome drink of our choice — pink sparkling wine or carbonated apple juice. 

The buffet-style lunch had lots of food options, including hot meals like vegetarian lasagna, seafood hot pot, and oven-roasted chicken. We were also offered desserts like chocolate cake and crème brûlée.

I thought the food was delicious and a great value, considering it was included in the cost of our booking.

Just after 1 p.m., we boarded a large safari vehicle with the passengers we saw arriving in the other Uber Safari cars.

The open-air vehicle had a roof that provided some shade as we rode through the 10,000-hectare (about 24,710-acre) wildlife reserve.

Lions can be hard to spot on an afternoon game drive, as they sleep most of the day and are usually active early in the morning and late in the afternoon. However, they were the first of the big five that we spotted. 

Our driver explained that Aquila's lions had been rescued from the canned-hunting industry, which means they had been bred in captivity to be hunted (a practice many wildlife organizations have deemed highly unethical).

Because these lions never learned to hunt or fend for themselves in the wild, Aquila's rangers care for them in an enclosure separate from the rest of the reserve.

The other animals on the property roamed freely around the reserve. 

We saw a range of animals, including elephants, rhinos, buffalo, ostriches, hippos, and zebras. Our guide did a great job educating us about the animals, their characteristics, and their behavior.

Our game drive ended two hours later at about 3:10 p.m. After a bathroom break and a quick browse through the gift shop, we boarded the same BMW X3 for our trip back to Cape Town, arriving just before 6 p.m.

As someone who's traveled extensively, I feel that when you go on a trip with a tour guide, the experience starts as soon as you get in the vehicle. However, the Uber part of the experience was just that — a simple car ride.

Still, our driver was polite, professional, and friendly. Plus, the flat ZAR3,550 rate seems pretty reasonable for visitors, especially since our excursion covered two-hour Uber rides in each direction, lunch, and a game drive.

I would gladly try the experience again and have already recommended it to friends visiting from Canada. I just hope they take me with them.