Addo Elephant National Park

Western Cape South Africa

Addo Elephant National Park
Just 75 years after its proclamation to protect the 11 elephants that remained in the area, Addo Elephant National Park is now a world-renowned mega park.

Elephant numbers have swelled to over 450 – making this one of the densest elephant populations on earth, plus there are buffalo, lion, leopard and rhino completing the Big 5.
With great white sharks and southern right whales in the marine section of the park means that Addo now boasts the Big 7 of Africa.

Unrivalled Diversity
From just 2 500ha at proclamation, Addo is now 164 000ha and plans are afoot to expand it to a massive 360 000ha.
Already traversing 5 of the 7 vegetation types or biomes found in South Africa, this will further complement its diversity. Found here are ancient, 1 000 year-old cycads; hillsides adorned with pastel-coloured proteas; primeval impenetrable thicket; bizarre-looking spiny noorsveld; and wide-open plains where antelope graze. Into this lion and spotted hyena have been reintroduced and there are kudu, red hartebeest and eland too.
In the drier Karoo section of the park, gemsbok and springbok can be seen, while the moody black rhino enjoy the noorsveld area. Dung beetles are a more unusual attraction of Addo. Flightless and always frantically busy, these quirky beetles spend their days rolling perfect balls from elephant dung. There are even road signs in the park warning motorists to avoid harming these unique creatures.

Elephants up Close
While Amboselli is well known for its great elephant viewing, Addo is now rated on a par as offering the best close-up encounters with elephants in Africa.
Plus Addo also has a wide variety of other game and marine life to enjoy, including the world’s largest breeding colony of 160 000 Cape gannets on Bird Island and the second largest colony of African penguins.
Rare Roseate terns come to Bird Island to breed in winter, Siberian falcons breed in the coastal dunes nearby and Caspian and Arctic terns stop off on the island on long-haul flights. Soon this will be part of a 120 000ha marine protected area, which includes a majestic red and white lighthouse and the legacy of the Doddington wreck on its shores.

Wide Dunes and Cool Forest
Also within Addo Elephant National Park is the largest coastal dunefield in the southern hemisphere, which from the air appears as a sand sea fringing the warm Indian Ocean. The last remaining stretch of Alexandria Coastal Forest flanks the dunefield and ancient yellowwoods and stinkwoods, along with a dozen different orchid species, can be found in the cool of the forest. Birds abound here, too, with unusual species such as Narina trogons and trumpeter hornbills living in harmony with bushbuck, black backed jackals, leopard, lynxes and brown hyena. Rare tree dassies can often be heard calling at night.

Into the Interior
The main section of the park, where the elephants roam, is inland from the coast. Then, as you move deeper into the interior, the Zuurberg mountains form the natural divide between lush coast and arid Karoo; and with the different vegetation are new animal species to observe. The diversity of marine and terrestrial life of Addo is unmatched in Africa, if not the world; elephant encounters are personal and unforgettable; and there are plenty of nature-related activities to try. Of course, that Addo is completely malaria free makes it even more appealing.

Other activities:
4x4 Ecotrail There is a 4x4 ecotrail over the Zuurberg mountains along Settler wagon routes, crossing five biospheres in six hours. Tree trunks still bear the names of British and Boer soldiers who fought each other in the area over a century ago.
Horse Trails Enjoy various guided day horse trails through the game area, the Zuurberg mountains, or sleep overnight at Narina tented bush camp.
PPC Discovery Trail A 500m-long wheelchair friendly trail along a boardwalk, protected from big game.
Alexandria Hiking Trail A 65km trail (two days and one or two night) traversing dune fields and coastal forest, sleeping in comfortable hikers’ huts.
Fishing There is good fishing at Darlington Dam, Mvubu campsite and along the coast at Woody Cape.
Bird Watching 450 species of birds occur in the park and there is a wheelchair-friendly bird hide at the main rest camp.