​User Reviews – Addo Elephant NP

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zapiture   –  
South Africa ZA
Visited: July 2016 Reviewed: Aug 7, 2016

Email zapiture  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Overall rating
5/5

The only coastal elephant reserve in Southern Africa

ka.hi   –  
Germany DE
Visited: December 2015 Reviewed: Jun 21, 2016

Email ka.hi  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

a Must for elephant lovers
Overall rating
4/5

We fell in love with South Africa when we first visited the country in 2011. Since then we returned almost every year. During the last years, we visited a large number of national parks in South Africa. Addo Elephant NP was on our itinerary almost every time, with ever increasing time spent there: the first visit, we stayed only one night, and on our last visit during Dec2015/Jan2016, we stayed 6 nights. The park's main attraction are the elephants, and you will not be able to miss them due to their huge numbers. There are also lions and rhinos, but they are very rare. There a no giraffes. We can spend hours at the waterhole simply watching the elephants interacting with each other. Their social behaviour is very much like humans. We particularly like watching the little ones, and there were always many of them.
The bird hide next to the restaurant is also worth a visit. Lots of red cardinals and weaver birds.

We always stayed in one of the park's chalets. They offer sufficient comfort and you are close to the animals. Although outside the park there are more luxurious accommodation for almost the same price, we always opt to stay in the park, because there is a major advantage: People in the park are allowed to enter 1 hour earlier and leave one hour later than people staying outside (this is because the gates between street and Addo rest camp close earlier/open later than the gates between rest camp and game area). Add the driving time from your accomodation to the park and you can easily calculate that good light for photography is impossible when you stay outside.
A typical day as we organize it looks as follows:
- get up 30 mins before the game gate opens
- have a coffee and some cookies or light breakfast (kitchen available in the chalet)
- enter the park when gate opens (usually at or shortly after sunrise)
- stay in the park (mainly at the waterholes) until 9 or 10a.m.
- return to the restaurant for breakfast
- during the day, get the sleep you missed (aircon available in chalet)
- around 4p.m. start the afternoon drive (some cookies and coffee before come in handy)
- leave park when gate closes
- have shower and dinner at the restaurant (but self cooking at chalet would also be possible)
- sleep
It is advisable to bring in your own supplies, especially if you want to cook yourselves, because the shop has only minimal choices.

Dreamcatcher photos   –  
South Africa ZA
Visited: June 2015 Reviewed: Feb 24, 2016

Email Dreamcatcher photos

Amazing experience
Overall rating
5/5

Having been to the Addo Elephant National Park on four occasions, every time was as if I had never been as there was a special magic everytime. On my last visit I was lucky to see a lion kill and buffalo up close. Going out on the early morning bush drive, with the expectation of seeing something special was not a disappointment as I had never seen an anteater and he waddled out in front of us and stood transfixed in the headlights. As the sun rose on our way back to the camp, a Fish Eagle called to us from a tree right next to the road.

I cant wait for my next visit.

Michael Potts   –  
Netherlands NL
Visited: October 2015 Reviewed: Dec 29, 2015

Email Michael Potts  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Michael Potts and not that of SafariBookings.
Overall rating
3/5

Lots of elephants and unusual dung beatles

Tim Cam   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: September 2015 Reviewed: Dec 27, 2015

Email Tim Cam  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

It was a fascinating experience, with a great variety of wildlife to photograph and admire.
Overall rating
5/5

Addo Elephant National Park, is a must see park on any visit to South Africa. It may not hold the Big Five, but it provides visitors the ability to see a huge variety of resident wildlife in a superb setting. Getting about inside the park is easy, on well maintained tracks open to all visitors and other private tracks for use by park staff, who will guide you see the stars of the park, in open backed vehicles.
On our trip there, we had three game drives, two in our own vehicle, which was superb as we were able to go anywhere we wanted, on the public tracks and able to take as much time as we wanted in one place. The third game drive we did in the evening as the sun was going down and was in one of the open backed park vehicles. Our guide CJ was fantastic, a very funny guy with a great knowledge of the park and it's residents. He introduced us to Melvin and Gibson, two adult male Lions, who were snoozing off a large meal they had recently eaten, a wonderful experience. Part of this drive included a picnic, set up by the driver/guide who got us close to Elephants to watch as we tucked into our food and drinks. I would highly recommended this organised game drive, worth every penny.
They have a super restuarant, shop and area explaining what you might see in the park.
The scenery is amazing too, vast expanses of grass and scrubland to drive around, with plenty of contours to allow different views.

Gail   –  
United States US
Visited: November 2015 Reviewed: Dec 6, 2015

Email Gail  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Saw 3 of the Big 5
Overall rating
4/5

We went through the tour company Quality Touring Services (http://www.qualitytouringservices.co.za/index.htm). The guides were very knowledgeable and professional. We first drove through the park in a small bus that holds about 30 people. We saw a lot of wildlife right away: warthogs, red hartebeests, an eland, a black-backed jackal, zebras, helmeted guinea fowl, elephants, male and female ostriches (and their eggs!), kudu, leopard tortoise and another small one I can't remember, and black-headed heron.

I highly recommend taking the open air vehicle tour because they can go off the main roads, whereas the personal cars cannot. That's where we got to see two male lions very up close and personal! It was awesome.

The restaurant told us they were only serving breakfast, which was very delicious, however, we saw that the table next to us (also with our party), were able to order lunch. That was a bit disappointing!

Go into the interpretation center to read about Hapoor the elephant. Very interesting story.

Overall, it was really great. Many of the watering holes are on the side of the roads so we were able to see many animals. That's the only part that seemed a bit artificial. Oh and we stayed along the edge of the park for some of the tour so you can see fencing and also electrical towers, etc.

Gary Longshaw   –  
South Africa ZA
Visited: October 2015 Reviewed: Nov 26, 2015

Email Gary Longshaw  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Gary Longshaw and not that of SafariBookings.
Overall rating
3/5

Perhaps Ive been spoiled, but the diversity and abundance of WIldlife here isnt as good as some of the other reserves.

Grey World Nomads   –  
France FR
Visited: May 2015 Reviewed: Nov 15, 2015

Email Grey World Nomads  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

The review below is the personal opinion of Grey World Nomads and not that of SafariBookings.
Overall rating
3/5

The park is not huge and can easily be done with in two days. Plenty of wildlife, especially elephant and also the bird life is great. Addo for me doesn't quite have the real "bush" feeling about it. It isn't the bushveld, but has its own unique feel. If or when it can be linked to the two other sections of the Greater Addo, namely the coastal section and the mountains stretching into the Baviaanskloof, then we are talking of a great park.

David Verbossche   –  
Netherlands NL
Visited: March 2014 Reviewed: Nov 2, 2015

Email David Verbossche  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Overall rating
4/5

There is a lot of open space which is ideal for elephant spotting. You will see a lot of elephant! Other game is harder to spot. It is also a very busy park.

Sharon du Plessis   –  
South Africa ZA
Visited: September 2015 Reviewed: Oct 4, 2015

Email Sharon du Plessis  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Overall rating
5/5

The wildlife, especially elephants, is abundantly viewable.

Average User Rating

  • 4.1/5
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star 29
  • 4 star 33
  • 3 star 16
  • 2 star 1
  • 1 star 1
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