Country: South Africa
Region: Eastern Cape
Outdoor activities: Safari
Sustainable tourism rating :
 
If you dream of being surrounded stunning landscapes full of wildlife, then Addo Elephant Park is the place to be!
It is located only half an hour from Port Elizabeth, one of the oldest ports in South Africa.

This national park, one of the largest in the country has over 500 elephants and other wild species such as zebras, elands, antelopes, tortoises, warthogs, ostriches, buffalos, jackals and many birds to mention only those that we saw. In addition, this is the only park in the world hosting the Big 7 (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, white whales and sharks).

For accommodation, we advise you to sleep in the park (main camp). The accommodation is in the heart of the park and even if you won’t hear the lions roar you will be happy to enjoy well equipped cottages (with barbecue) and the restaurant’s nice menu. With a little luck you can even see the elephants from your balcony.

The best way to experience the park is to equip yourself with a pair of binoculars and drive around the park. In fact, you can go almost everywhere with your own car and watch the animals as long as you like. Elephants are very numerous in the park and even if you try you cannot miss them!
 You can also take a guide in your car or go on a guided safari (dawn, morning, afternoon, at dusk or at night).

No matter the option you pick, drive slowly is the best way to see the animals and also to protect them!

Several loops are available and allow you to discover different ecosystems.

Plan your visit to Addo National Park : For foreigners, one day passes costs 238 ZAR per adult and half price for children.

Every season has its advantages and disadvantages, we believe you can come at any time of the year (the rainy season can be tricky as most of the roads are unsealed)

The pros:
You can buy all the safari equipment at the park’s shop (you can even find binoculars at reasonable price).

The park is situated in a free malaria zone.
 
The cons:
On paper you can see the Big 7 but in reality there are just a few lions and rhinos (for anti poaching measures the guides can’t share with you their location).

Leopards are hard to see too. If you want to see the whales, you will must at the right time (September-October) and drive out of the park on another site situated at about two hours from the main camp. As for white sharks, you can only see them with an organized tour.

The park may seem huge on a map but in reality it is devised into smaller camps and might give the feeling of being in a huge zoo.