Addo

The full name is Addo Elephant National Park and it is the third biggest of the South African National Parks (SANParks).

The park is just to the north of Gqeberha, and easily accessed from the N2. Our preference is to head to the main gate (at the northern end of the main park) and then meander our way south to leave via the south gate. It means about twenty five miles of travelling through the park.

The roads within are good tarmac so Addo is very easy to self-drive (and it's quite something to be super close to elephants in a hatchback) but they also offer guided trips if that's your preference and other activities.

Within the park you will find over ninety mammal species including the Big 5. I've never seen a leopard at Addo, and the rhino are very elusive, but they are there. There are lots of opportunities to get very close and there are plenty of great surprises along the way. Whilst the elephants are a real feature I have been amazed to see a monitor lizard, warthog with young, secretary birds and loads more. All very handy for the spot-the-animal tick list they give you on arrival! Addo is that little bit further east of the Garden Route but well worth the effort to get there. You will find accommodation is spread over a large area and can book up quickly - the park does have some options but that too can go quite quickly.

We've normally done Addo by doing a long drive from somewhere the day before, staying a night quite nearby, and then having the bulk of a day at Addo before heading on to somewhere like St. Francis Bay.

If you don't want to self-drive at Addo there are tours you can prebook such as the following.

Full day trip - two 3-hour drives, lunch, park entry fee included and pick up from four places

Half-day trip to the park, pick up at Addo village. Park entry fee is not included.

Addo is a real step up from the large reserves and feels very natural. It's near the very top of our list of favourite places!