Addo Elephant National Park

A day in Addo Elephant Park

Living in Port-Elizabeth, we decided as a family to go spend a day in the park. The drive was quite longer than initially expected as we took the freeway and got from the Southern entrance. The initial irritation of being a bit lost was quickly gone when we got into the park itself. The drive was amazing as you really feel as if in another world from the city setting. There are different areas for bird viewing. From the road, we were lucky to have a beautiful view of the elephants and zebras. We had a glimpse of lions in the distant. But the beauty of the place was mainly due in our eyes by the magnificent sight of elephants playing, mothers protecting their offspring.

The most underrated park in South Africa - an all round experience of a game park at it's best

I visited Addo twice - the second time was even more enjoyable than the first. There is an abundance of wildlife, especially large herds of elephants. Twice we encountered three different groups - more then 20 per group - in the same area. What a sight! The roads are excellent, even for the smallest cars. The accommodation facilities are well looked after and very clean and cater for a large variety of liking. There is a restaurant for them that don't want to do self-catering. We couldn't wait to get up early morning to do a game drive and came in last every evening. Addo Elephant National Park is a photographers dream because you are so close to the wildlife.

Well worth two nights and use of the game drive to find way around.

We stayed at the main camp for two nights to get a whole day of self drive. Upon arrival we checked in ate at the excellent restaurant then booked an evening game drive. This gave me an idea of driving around. On day two we self drove all day, well after exploring the camp with my camera. For lunch we stopped at Jacks picnic site, which was well equipped. Self drive was a good idea as I could focus on what I wanted to photograph, not just seeing the Big Five. Loved the idea of the stop and get out spots, got some really good photos. All the staff were really helpful. Intend to go back and hopefully stay for more than two nights, maybe even do a 4x4 tour. Only down side was the accommodation was not warm in the evening this time of year, but other than that really pleased with the accommodation and the view, we overlooked the park right next to the fence.

The wildlife, especially elephants, is abundantly viewable.

It was a fascinating experience, with a great variety of wildlife to photograph and admire.

Addo Elephant National Park, is a must see park on any visit to South Africa. It may not hold the Big Five, but it provides visitors the ability to see a huge variety of resident wildlife in a superb setting. Getting about inside the park is easy, on well maintained tracks open to all visitors and other private tracks for use by park staff, who will guide you see the stars of the park, in open backed vehicles.
On our trip there, we had three game drives, two in our own vehicle, which was superb as we were able to go anywhere we wanted, on the public tracks and able to take as much time as we wanted in one place. The third game drive we did in the evening as the sun was going down and was in one of the open backed park vehicles. Our guide CJ was fantastic, a very funny guy with a great knowledge of the park and it's residents. He introduced us to Melvin and Gibson, two adult male Lions, who were snoozing off a large meal they had recently eaten, a wonderful experience. Part of this drive included a picnic, set up by the driver/guide who got us close to Elephants to watch as we tucked into our food and drinks. I would highly recommended this organised game drive, worth every penny.
They have a super restuarant, shop and area explaining what you might see in the park.
The scenery is amazing too, vast expanses of grass and scrubland to drive around, with plenty of contours to allow different views.

Amazing experience

Having been to the Addo Elephant National Park on four occasions, every time was as if I had never been as there was a special magic everytime. On my last visit I was lucky to see a lion kill and buffalo up close. Going out on the early morning bush drive, with the expectation of seeing something special was not a disappointment as I had never seen an anteater and he waddled out in front of us and stood transfixed in the headlights. As the sun rose on our way back to the camp, a Fish Eagle called to us from a tree right next to the road.

I cant wait for my next visit.

The only coastal elephant reserve in Southern Africa

Awesome

This National Park, I would rate as the 3rd best National Park in South Africa, (after Kruger Park and Pilansberg National Park), in terms of the wildlife on offer, despite that it is larger in size than Pilansberg. Located a mere 70 Kilometers from Port Elizabeth,(which itself is a wonderful tourist destination) it offers opportunities for day visits as well as extended stays in camps. I did the former option.

Security
Travelling is safe and secure, with one entrance a few kilometers from the National highway. This entrance however includes an extensive section of dirt road once you enter the Park. An alternative and more scenic route to the main entrance of the Park involves travelling through countryside and small towns. Inside the Park, security was excellent, with the presence of Rangers frequently seen.

Game
The Game in the Park is wonderful, diverse and appreciable. Opportunities for photography is excellent (from macro/insect to landscapes). The Park offers the Big 5 (Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard, Lion and Rhino), as well as a Marine section (which I did not experience) but which can be arranged. I have seen Lion on all 3 occasions I visited the Park. Only Leopard eluded me. I also saw my first Black Rhino in this Park. But it is the elephants that are the main attraction and any lover of these wonderful animals will not be disappointed. From lone bulls to herds in excess of 50 have been sighted. These have afforded the most wonderful photographic opportunities, especially the young calves. One of the most amazing experiences for me is the close proximity to these animals which you are able to enjoy in Addo.
Several other carnivores have been seen, notably Jackal, which has at times reached epidemic proportions and have had to be culled. Hyena, Caracal and Mongoose have been sighted. One highlight for me was a clan of Suricate (Meerkat) on the move. I also saw 2 male Cheetah, but I have been advised that these were “rogue” animals that escaped from a neighbouring reserve.
Herbivores are well represented, except for the Giraffe, and include magnificent Kudu, Red Hartebeest, Zebra, Warthogs, several smaller antelope. I enjoyed an abundance of Tortoise; primates were represented by the Chacma Baboon and Vervet Monkeys. Addo is home to a unique Dung beetle, the flightless beetle, a wonder to watch.
Bird life is a photographer’s dream, and formed part of the reason for me to visit this Park as a bird lover, and I was not disappointed, and saw several birds for the first time, some of which are endemic to this area. Included are several Raptors, flocks of Ostriches, Sunbirds, Black headed Heron. The latter I watched for half an hour as it caught 3 Lizards in quick succession to my complete and utter delight. I also saw a pair of Stanleys Bastards.

Travel in the Park.
Roads in the Park are very good and well maintained, with part tarred roads, and part dirt roads.

Scenery
Wonderful scenery abounds, with several spots where I was allowed to get out of my vehicle and enjoy vistas, some with benches where you can spend hours enjoying the view and wildlife. As a photographer, this was an added bonus to my visit.

Ambiance and experience
All my visits to the Park have been wonderful experiences, rejuvenating and calming. In my experience it is not as crowded as Kruger. Overall the weather was good. Interactions with Rangers was always pleasant, a reassuring presence. The restaurant in the main camp served excellent meals, though I opted for take-away meals, preferring to sit at a dam to enjoy both a meal and wildlife. Satisfying from both a wildlife and experience point of view is how I describe my experience, and will gladly visit here again. My only regret is that I have not yet stayed overnight in the Park, which I am sure will enhance my experience.

If you want to see 80 Elephants....so great!

Great self-drive -- more than just elephants

This was our first self-drive safari experience, immediately after spending 2 nights at a Amakhala/Shamwari (first safari experience altogether). We thoroughly enjoyed our experience!

There was something special about spotting game ourselves, in our little VW polo (it handled the unpaved parts easily). We were very lucky on the day -- with the help of the latest spotting map at the main gate, we saw countless buffaloes, a lion, hundreds of elephants, kudos, ostriches, zebras, and so many more.

We spent all day driving through the park, rather than sticking around the main gate area, and loved the varied scenery. The watering holes are exciting at the right time!

We would highly recommend a visit to Addo. Everyone talks about the elephants here, and yes they were tremendous, but there is so much more to see!