Addo Elephant Park was established in 1931 to protect the remaining elephant population in this part of South Africa. These elephant herds had been hunted almost to extinction by the farmers in the Sundays River Valley. Since its inception, the park has grown and now protects all of the Big Five. It is one of the most popular safari destinations in South Africa.
Need Advice?Addo has grown from a tiny sanctuary in the bush to the excellent game viewing area it is today and has become a sought-after destination for nature lovers worldwide.
Addo is a drive of about an hour from Port Elizabeth. It is an ideal safari destination to combine with a visit to the picturesque Garden Route and for families seeking to visit a malaria-free wildlife sanctuary where children can experience Big Five game viewing.
This privately guided safari is ideal for those who wish to explore several national parks in one comprehensive adventure.
From South Africa's most famous city, Cape Town, the tour travels to the Garden Route before savoring a Big Five safari in Addo Elephant Park.
Our most extensive pre-designed itinerary combines the highlights of South Africa in a three-week adventure that includes visiting Addo.
If you want to see African elephants in all their glory, this is where you should go. It started as a conservation project in 1931 with only 11 elephants and has flourished into a mighty parade - the highest concentration of these land mammals found in the wild. Over 600 elephants call The Addo Elephant Park home.
The park is now the third largest in South Africa. It covers Darlington Lake, the Zuurberg Mountain Range, its abundant birdlife, the very popular Sundays River Valley and its spectacular sunsets, and even hiking along the dunes of the Woody Cape to watch the waves roll in. The diverse settings ensure that there is something special to be found for all nature lovers.
First and foremost, the park is malaria-free, which means no pills or pesky reminders to drink one. The park also accommodates all ages and mobility statuses: wheelchair-friendly accommodation is available, as well as activities where the kids can go horse riding or visit the Addo Raptor & Reptile House. Forget about your responsibilities and enjoy the tranquil atmosphere.
As expected, experiences to savor in this Big Five-bearing national park are primarily oriented around the wildlife that you will encounter and the game-viewing activities available. However, this unique park still offers more than meets the eye in terms of variety.
The easiest and most utilized method to the Addo Elephant National Park is flying to either Port Elizabeth Airport (72 km), George Airport (368 km), or the Cape Town International Airport (756 km) and driving from there, depending on your tour. Flights from Cape Town International to George and Port Elizabeth are available daily.
The drive from Cape Town or George through the Garden Route and especially the Tsitsikamma Forest is a popular scenic route in South Africa. It will only be incorporated into your tour if you are visiting more areas around the coast, as it is quite a long way to drive. From Port Elizabeth, a one-hour drive will get you safely and comfortably to your destination.
Addo National Park can be visited at any time of the year. Summers can get quite warm, and the temperature drops during the evenings in the winter. The best time to visit is the winter, between May and September, when the park is driest, and the animals gather at the waterholes. It is important to remember that game drives in open-air vehicles may be very cool during this period, so be sure to pack a good fleece.
In summer, the increased rains transform the vegetation in the area, and the fauna and flora spectacularly welcome the new season; there are Newborns of all shapes and sizes.; The wildflowers burst all over; The migratory birds join once again. Wildlife viewing, however, is limited due to thick vegetation possibly obscuring your sightings.
The Addo area is rich in history. Wildlife and nomadic tribes, like the Gonaqua, lived in harmony. Following the arrival of Dutch settlers in the 1700s, these tribes were decimated by a smallpox epidemic.
In the same period, the Xhosa people started moving slowly along the coast from the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains. They extended their territory from the Sundays River to the Mbashe River in the Transkei between 1700 and 1850.
In the late 1800s, Dutch farmers started colonizing the area in large numbers. Threatened by the elephants' presence so close to their crops and water, a battle between man and nature ensued. The government appointed Major PJ Pretorius to take care of the problem. Between 1919 and 1920, 114 Elephants were killed in an attempt to exterminate the herd once and for all. Sixteen elephants survived.
A public outcry finally forced the government to pay attention to their disregard for the animals. In 1931, with only 11 elephants left, the park was proclaimed with 2 000 hectares to conserve the animals.
The park expanded from its mere 2 000 hectares in 1931 to a mega park of 164 000 hectares. It includes five of South Africa's nine biomes and conserves the "Big Seven," which extends the Big Five to include the great white shark and Southern right whale. The 600 wild elephants are, however, the main attraction. In the early years of the reserve, as an effort to persuade the elephants to stay (as they kept returning to the farmlands in the area), rangers started to feed them citrus fruits from the local farms. It was a huge success.
The feeding continued long after the development of elephant-proof fencing in the 1950s. By the 1970s, the citrus situation had become dire – the elephants showed signs of severe addiction to the fruits, becoming hostile and aggressive towards each other and the rangers, and destroying the natural vegetation in the process. In 1979, the feeding stopped. Until recently, no citrus fruits were allowed into the Addo Elephant National Park.
The Addo Elephant National Park encompasses just under 170 000 hectares that stretch across the Eastern Cape, from the warm Indian Ocean to the vast open expanse of the Karoo. It includes the evergreen Sundays River Valley, the dunes of the Woody Cape coast, the Bird and St Croix island groups, and the Zuurberg Mountain Range. The diverse landscapes also contain many archaeological sites, such as the middens found on the Alexandria dune field and the rock art found in the caves of the Zuurberg Mountains. The analogies between the artifacts found in the different areas also substantiate that the nomadic tribes traveled immense distances across this area.
The park has expanded over the years to conserve five of South Africa's nine biomes: the Albany Thicket, Fynbos, Forest, Nama Karoo, and the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, and also expanding to make it the world's first "Big 7" conservation area. Their ongoing commitment to the varying ecosystems promotes a sustainable and inclusive eco-tourism industry and economic development in the Eastern Cape region, and plans are underway to expand its borders further. Upon completion, it is envisaged that the park will expand to conserve 240 000 hectares of land and a further 120 000 hectares of protected marine area.
There is something for everyone to do in Addo; game drives, hiking, canoeing, and 4x4 trails are just a few. The Bedrogfontein 4x4 trail, for example, takes you back in history over mountains, through ravines and forests, and into the Karoo as you travel from Kabouga to Darlington. It is where the Afrikaner and British troops fought many battles during the Anglo-Boer War and is also a place where rock art paintings tell stories of a time long forgotten. This self-drive, one-way 4x4 route covers 45km of grade 2-3 terrain. It takes approximately six hours and another two hours from Darlington to the main camp.
Two-hour horse rides through the Nyathi area for the more adventurous types keep you on the edge of your seat. Game viewing from horseback is excellent because the animals are more relaxed around the horses than, for example, a game-viewing vehicle, and staying on the road is not necessary. Game viewing in a Big Five area adds to the intensity and excitement of the experience. With so much to choose from, let the African Sky team help you find what suits you best.
