Addo Elephant National Park is 1 hour’s drive north of Port Elizabeth near the Sundays River Valley on South Africa’s Eastern Cape.  Addo Elephant National Park is home to approximately 450 elephants.  When the park opened in 1931, there were only 11 elephants which through successful conservancy efforts protected to allow their numbers to grow to the level we see today.

Other wildlife at Addo Elephant National Park

The current area of 164km², is planned to expand to 3,600km².  With this incorporated expansion of land, this will also include a 1,200km² marine reserve which contains the world’s largest breeding population of Cape gannets and the second largest breeding population of African penguins, all of whom live on the islands off the coastal boundaries of Addo Elephant National park.

Visitors to the park have the opportunity to see a variety of South Africa’s wildlife including the Big Five –elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard.  Once the park has expanded it will be one of the few areas on all of the continent to view the Big Seven –the Big Five plus the southern right whale and the great white shark.  Cape buffalo, black rhino, and antelope are also found here.

Activities at Addo Elephant National Park include:

• Horseback safaris
• Guided walks
• Hiking
• 4×4 Eco-adventure trails
• Bird watching
• Elephant backed safaris
• Sunset river cruises
• Canoeing
• Excursions to visit local cheetah breeding project and crocodile farm

Game drives are conducted on open-top land rovers and trucks with local guides.  Game drives are available at sunrise, during the day, sunset and at night.

How to get there?

Many visitors to Addo are self-drive visitors as this allows them the freedom to explore the Park at their own leisure. If travelling from further afield, it may be advisable to fly to the Port Elizabeth Airport and then hire a vehicle.