Addo Elephant National Park
Overview
South Africa Parks
By Philip Briggs
Philip lives in South Africa and has authored many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Bradt and Insight guides to South Africa.
Addo Elephant NP has recently been expanded and is now the third largest national park in the country. It is one of the best places in South Africa to see large herds of elephant. The elephants are incredibly relaxed, and the numerous waterholes offer very good opportunities to observe their social behavior. The other Big Five species are also present, but not as regularly seen.
Pros & Cons
Wildlife
Addo is a sanctuary for more than 700 elephants, which are the main attraction of the park. It is home to all of the Big Five including the elusive black rhino and over 400 Cape buffalo. Burchell's zebra, red hartebeest, greater kudu and yellow mongoose are spotted regularly. Algoa Bay here has produced sightings of both great white sharks and southern right whales.
Scenery
Addo encompasses five distinct vegetation areas: Albany thicket (dense woodland), fynbos (fine-leaved plants), forest, Nama Karoo (dry shrubland) and Indian Ocean coastal belt. The characteristic vegetation of the main area open to tourists is Albany thicket, which is dominated by spekboom (literally ‘bacon tree’), a low-growing succulent shrub that forms the main food for the elephants.
Weather & Climate
Unlike in most other parks elsewhere in South Africa, the summer rainfall (October to April) at Addo doesn’t entirely cease in the winter months (May to September). It just diminishes, along with the heat. In fact, the midwinter nighttime temperatures can sometimes drop to freezing.
Best Time to Visit
To avoid the crowds and increased prices of the park’s high season, not to mention the heavier rainfall, visit during the drier months (May to September). You will need to bring your warmest clothes to deal with the low temperatures on early-morning game drives. But at least the elephants and other animals will be easy to find, being needy of the local waterholes. In the wetter months, the wildlife disperses among the park’s thick vegetation.
Want to Visit Addo Elephant NP?
Safari Tours to Addo Elephant NP
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15-Day South Africa Safari Family Moments
$2,815 to $3,040 pp (USD)
South Africa: Self-drive
Mid-range Lodge & Guest HouseYou Visit: Cape Town (Start), Waterfront (Cape Town), Franschhoek (Cape Winelands), Hermanus (Whales), Oudtshoorn (Garden Route), Tsitsikamma NP (Garden Route), Addo Elephant NP, Port Elizabeth Airport (End)
Jumbari Family Safaris
4.9/5 – 14 Reviews
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25-Day South Africa Explorer
$5,580 to $6,160 pp (USD)
South Africa: Self-drive
Mid-range Lodge & Guest HouseYou Visit: Cape Town (Start), Table Mountain (Cape Town), Boulder's Beach (Penguins), Cape Winelands, Hermanus (Whales), Swellendam (Town), Oudtshoorn (Garden Route), Garden Route, Knysna (Garden Route), Addo Elephant NP, Chintsa (Village), Drakensberg Mountains (Mountain Range), Rorke's Drift (Highlight), Isandlwana (Highlight), Panorama Route (Highlight), Graskop (Panorama Route), Greater Kruger, Johannesburg (City), Cradle of Humankind (Highlight), Soweto (Johannesburg), Johannesburg (End)
Compass Odyssey
5.0/5 – 195 Reviews
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![3-Day Addo Elephant National Park Safari]()
3-Day Addo Elephant National Park Safari
$189 to $336 pp (USD)
South Africa: Self-drive
Mid-range Guest HouseYou Visit: Port Elizabeth (Start), Addo Elephant NP, Port Elizabeth (End)
Indigo Safaris
4.8/5 – 56 Reviews
