Best Safari Parks and Game Reserves Near Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)

By James Bainbridge

South Africa’s southern city of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) is well located near the eastern end of the Garden Route and a string of malaria-free wildlife reserves, most famously Addo Elephant National Park. Private wildlife reserves line the N2 highway and other roads between Addo and Grahamstown. These offer a range of wildlife-viewing experiences, scenic backdrops, luxurious lodges and conservation programs. More are found around the Kariega and Bushman’s Rivers inland of Kenton-on-Sea, with river cruises and canoeing on the menu of outdoor activities. Most of the wildlife reserves close to Gqeberha have all of the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo), while Addo adds two ocean giants to make the Big Seven.

Safaris From Port Elizabeth

1. Amakhala GR

White rhinos at Amakhala Game Reserve

Named after the Xhosa word for aloes, Amakhala Game Reserve protects 72km²/28mi² of bushveld and savannah inhabited by the Big Five as well as more unusual animals such as bat-eared fox and brown hyena. Founded by a group of sheep and cattle farmers, whose families had farmed here since the 1820s, Amakhala has a conservation mission to reintroduce animals to the land where they once roamed freely. Projects initiated by the Amakhala Foundation include a craft center you can visit, as well as volunteer opportunities and ranger training. There’s a range of lodges, offering day safaris and overnight visits, as well as two- to three-hour horseback-riding trails. Check the website for specials.

Directions: 75km/47mi northeast of Gqeberha via the N2

2. Addo Elephant NP

Elephants at Addo Elephant National Park

With most of South Africa’s major national parks found in the country’s northern bush, Addo Elephant National Park is a unique treat for wildlife-watchers on the southern Sunshine Coast. The country’s third-largest park at 1,800km²/695mi², Addo hosts not just the Big Five but the Big Seven (add great white sharks and southern right whales). Most significant are the 600-plus elephants, remnants of the herds that once roamed the Eastern Cape province, which hunting and farming had reduced to 11 individuals in 1931, when the park was established.

There are over 400 Cape buffaloes, one of South Africa’s largest disease-free herds. And also spotted hyenas, pale-rumped plains zebra, abundant warthogs and the rare flightless dung beetle – park road signs give this nutrient recycler right of way. Addo has good gravel roads and several affordable rest camps. One of the world’s most biodiverse national parks, it encompasses five biomes (specific environments: Karoo, grassland, fynbos, thicket and forest), as well as the southern hemisphere’s largest and best-preserved coastal dune field and the world’s largest African penguin and Cape gannet breeding grounds in the form of the Algoa Bay islands. Elephantine indeed.

Directions: Addo main gate is 70km/43mi north of Gqeberha via the R335 and R342

14 Addo Elephant Safaris

3. Shamwari Private GR

Lions at Shamwari Private Game Reserve

Perhaps the most famous upmarket safari destination near Gqeberha, Shamwari Private Game Reserve is a 280km²/108mi² conservation project with the Big Five and, like Addo, five of South Africa’s eight biomes. Guests can visit the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and Born Free Big Cat Sanctuaries and choose between six luxurious lodges and the Explorer Camp. Swapping four wheels for a walking safari, the Explorer Camp comprises three tents, an outdoor bathroom and a plunge pool on a plateau amid basalt and granite extrusions.

Directions: 80km/50mi northeast of Gqeberha via the N2

4. Schotia Safaris Private GR

Wildlife at Schotia Private Game Reserve

Schotia Safaris Private Game Reserve is the Eastern Cape’s oldest and most affordable safari destination. Although it is very small and has a decidedly packaged feel, it is also one of the most densely stocked reserves in Africa, with over 40 mammal species among 2,000 individual animals. Schotia is aimed mainly at day visitors, and its half-day Tooth-and-Claw Safari, which starts in the early afternoon and runs through to the evening, offers a great chance of seeing four of the Big Five (lion, rhino, elephant and buffalo) before concluding with a buffet bush dinner. It offers fantastic day trips from Gqeberha, which pair Schotia with a trip around the adjacent Addo Elephant National Park.

Directions: 60km/37mi northeast of Gqeberha via the N2 and N10

Schotia Safaris

5. Pumba Private GR

White and tawny colored lion at Pumba Private Game Reserve

One of the most exclusive safari destinations near Gqeberha, Pumba Private Game Reserve is home to the Big Five as well as hippo, hyena, cheetah and giraffe. In addition, more than 300 bird species have been recorded. Pumba is famed for its population of rare white and tawny colored split-gene lions, which range freely within the reserve. There are two luxurious lodges, one of them situated alongside a lake, and activities range from day safaris and wilderness walking trails to night drives and spa treatments.

Directions: 110km/68mi northeast of Gqeberha via the N2

6. Sibuya GR

Elephants at Sibuya Game Reserve

Checking into Sibuya Game Reserve is a little different: reception is in the coastal village of Kenton-on-Sea, from where the reserve is reached on a 45-minute boat trip up the Kariega River. There are two solar-powered eco-camps with tent accommodations, one tucked into a riverine forest and the other offering meandering walkways through indigenous bush, and a more luxurious lodge. Sibuya is home to all Big Five and its uniquely navigable river means water-loving wildlife from elephants to otters can be spotted, as can an unbeatable 400 bird species. Canoeing and fishing activities also make the most of the Kariega, as do day trips to Sibuya.

Directions: Kenton-on-Sea is 130km/81mi northeast of Gqeberha via the N2 and R72

7. Lalibela WR

Cheetah at Lalibela Game Reserve

Lalibela Wildlife Reserve has one of the highest densities of free-roaming lions among the safari parks close to Gqeberha, thanks to the 105km²/41mi² reserve’s vast tracts of savannah grassland, where the big cats can hunt huge herds of plains wildlife. Other carnivores include leopard, cheetah, hyena, jackal and caracal. In addition, the reserve supports elephant, rhino, buffalo, zebra, impala, wildebeest, red hartebeest, blesbok and eland. Recognizing that a trio of ingredients makes memorable safari experiences – wildlife viewing, accommodations and food – Lalibela’s five lodges have features such as Kichaka’s hippo-frequented waterhole and island dining area.

Directions: 90km/56mi northeast of Gqeberha via the N2

Lalibela Safaris

8. Kariega GR

Tawny Eagle at Kariega Game Reserve

This 135km²/52mi² Kariega Game Reserve in the Kenton-on-Sea hinterland incorporates five biomes and both the Kariega and Bushman’s Rivers, creating good chances of spotting a hippo or African fish eagle on the riverbanks. The diverse environments offer a range of activities, including river cruises, canoeing, fishing, bush walks and wildlife drives, and safari lodges in five dreamy locations, from a remote valley to the Bushman’s River. Conservation projects include the Kariega Foundation, a rhino-adoption program and volunteering opportunities.

Directions: 145km/90mi northeast of Gqeberha via the N2, R72 and R343

9. Kwantu Private GR

Hippos at Kwantu Private Game Reserve

Kwantu Private Game Reserve covers 60km²/23mi² of the Sidbury Plains in the heart of Frontier Country, which was once farmed by 1820 settlers from the UK. Indeed, there’s an actual village here, with an Anglican church, tennis courts and a cricket field (the local cricket club dates to the 1890s). Spotting the Big Five is possible, too – on either a day visit, with morning and afternoon drives starting at 9 AM and 2 PM respectively, or an overnight stay. There are five exclusive lodges within the reserve and the cuisine ranges from traditional South African to Afro-Asian fusion.