My mother and I went in June and it was absolutely a real safari. Kapama is a compound and SBD uses just one of the many "hotels" that are on the Kapama Reserve. The accomodations are very modern, but are out in the open. You'll likely see animals just walking around from your room to activities.
As for the safari, you are in a open vehicle, but it does not follow a track. There are well-marked paths that the jeeps follow, but they don't interfere with the animals except in special circumstances. So, they know of places where animals typically are and can radio to one another about a particular sighting, but none of the viewings are "staged." I found it to be a great mix of "real" safari outings and comfortable accomodations. I'm not one for camping, so staying out in the open with the animals, elements, and nature is not for me.
If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask. While you may see some some of the animals from the Kilimanjaro safaris at AK while in S. Africa, they do not "ship" animals in and it is nothing like a theme park attraction. It's so real that the rangers still get excited about seeing the animals and often pull out their own camera or video cameras to capture footage right along with you. I think that says it all! You'll have a blast. We did!