Located in the Sunday River region of South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province, Addo is the country’s third-largest national park. Addo Elephant National Park is about 1 640 km² (633 mi² ) in size, encompassing marine and terrestrial ecosystems. While elephants are the main attraction, the national park is home to the Big 5 of Africa (lion, buffalo, leopard, rhino, and, of course, elephant). Easily accessible by taking a 35-minute drive from the city of Port Elizabeth, it is the perfect escape into nature.
Home to nearly 700 elephants, Addo Elephant Park is rated as one of the best places to see elephants in Africa. Despite Addo Park's substantial size, it hosts one of the densest elephant populations in the world.
The national park was established in 1931 to protect the last 11 elephants remaining in the region thus saving the species from becoming locally extinct. As the Addo elephant population nears 700, the park is viewed as a significant triumph in African elephant conservation.
- Incorporates the largest coastal dune field in the southern hemisphere, which is an essential bird-breeding habitat and helps maintain marine ecology.
- Home to the unique, endemic flightless dung beetle. The species occurs almost exclusively in the Addo region.
- In addition to the famous Big 5 (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, and leopard), Addo Elephant Park hosts southern right whales and great white sharks, making it a Big 7 safari destination! Addo Park is arguably the only game park in the world to host the “Big 7” in the wild.
- Encompasses five of South Africa's seven biomes. These vegetation zones are Albany Thicket, Forest, Fynbos, Nama Karoo, and Indian Ocean Coastal Belt.
- Bird Island protects the world's largest Cape gannet breeding population.
- St. Croix Island hosts one of the largest breeding colonies of African penguins.
- Located in the Eastern Cape, Addo is a malaria-free safari destination.
- It is easily accessible from the Garden Route and the city of Port Elizabeth, taking 35 minutes by car.
- Guided game drives
- Open vehicle night game drives
- Horse riding safaris
- Hiking and walking trails
- 4x4 Safari trails
- Bird watching
- Addo Raptor and Reptile Centre
- Ocean safaris to see marine life
Addo Elephant National Park is located in the rugged, laid-back, and less touristy Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Situated under an hour's drive from the coastal city of Port Elizabeth, Addo is an accessible yet authentic safari destination.
The national park stretches from the semi-arid Karoo area to the north (around Darlington Dam), spanning the rugged Zuurberg Mountains and the Sundays River Valley. To the south Addo Park extends down to the east coast, between Sundays River Mouth and the Bushman’s River mouth.
Addo's location adds to the appeal of this game park, as it lies in a malaria-free area, in a remote and rural part of South Africa. Visiting this province gives you a more African experience, than traveling to more westernized areas, such as the Western Cape. Addo Park is conveniently located between the scenic Garden Route and the unspoiled Sunshine Coast and Wild Coast areas of South Africa.
Addo Elephant National Park is currently the third-largest national park in South Africa, covering about 170 000 hectares (420 000 acres), including the Bird and St Croix Islands.
Addo Elephant Park is also a unique wilderness area because it encompasses both terrestrial and marine habitats. It includes five of South Africa's seven major vegetation biomes (Albany Thicket, Forest, Fynbos, Nama Karoo, and Indian Ocean Coastal Belt).
Today, the park has expanded to conserve a large array of habitats, hosting a variety of fauna and flora. The national park now includes the Woody Cape Nature Reserve and a marine reserve, incorporating St. Croix Island and Bird Island. These islands serve as important breeding habitats for Cape gannets and African penguins, as well as a wide variety of other marine species.
The South African National Park's Board plans to expand the approximately 1 640 km² Addo Park into a 3 600 km² area to form the Greater Addo Elephant National Park.
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Addo Elephant Park is home to lion, Cape buffalo, black rhino, spotted hyena, leopard, and zebra (Brute’s and Cape mountain zebra), in addition to its large elephant population.
The most unique of the game park's residents is the Addo flightless dung beetle, which occurs almost exclusively in the Addo region. Other wildlife includes baboons, aardwolf, and red rock rabbits, along with numerous antelope species. Antelope species include the mountain reedbuck, eland, springbok, blue duiker, red hartebeest, eland, kudu and bushbuck.
As the Addo Elephant Park expands to incorporate more habitats, so does the diversity of its birdlife, growing to include coastal, woodland, and grassland bird species. In Addo Park, you can expect to see many Bokmakierie, as well as perhaps sighting Martial Eagle, Black Korhaan, Blue Crane, Black-headed Heron, Denham's Bustard, and Secretary birds.
In the marine areas of Addo, dolphins, penguins, seals, great white sharks, and various marine birds are found. Whale species such as minke and Bryde’s whales can be seen in Addo year-round, with southern right whales visiting in season. Bird Island is inhabited by the world's largest breeding colony of gannets (at around 120 000 birds) and the second-largest breeding colony of African penguins. St. Croix Island is home to one of the largest breeding colonies of African penguins.
Addo Elephant National Park experiences mild and pleasant weather throughout the year, making it a good safari destination year-round.
The best time to visit Addo Park for game viewing is from April to May when the weather is warm and mostly dry.
Addo is in a semi-arid area, receiving an average rainfall of less than 445mm per year. There are two peak rainfall seasons, from February to March and from October to November, but the rainfall is generally evenly distributed throughout the year.
Daytime temperatures range between 15°C and 32°C in January and between 5°C and 18°C in July. Frost is quite common in winter, from June to early August when nights can get chilly.
Whether you are looking for a day visit or a 5-day escape into nature, the Addo Elephant safari offers an amazing experience that you can customize to suit your budget. The cost of your Addo safari will depend on the duration of your visit, the number of people in your group, your chosen accommodation, and the type of safari you choose.
The difference between a day visit and a 5-day Addo Elephant safari can range between US $153 and US $2154 per person. These costs usually include your transport, meals, and accommodation.
Entrance fees for the Addo Elephant Park range from US $5 to $20 for adults and US $2 to $10 for children.
African Budget Safaris has about 27 South African Tours that include Addo Elephant Safaris, from 1-day packages to 20-day South African Safari Adventures. These safari packages can be tailored to your specific taste and budget with costs ranging between US $153 and $3496.
Not sure where to start? Contact African Budget Safaris today to speak to an experienced consultant. With years of experience in the safari industry, our team of experts will make recommendations based on your wants and needs.
Addo is one of the most accessible parks in South Africa, located approximately 75 km from the nearest domestic airport in Port Elizabeth. The international airports in Johannesburg and Cape Town offer connecting flights to Port Elizabeth, where you can rent a car to drive yourself to the park.
Most of the roads within Addo are gravel and are accessible in a normal sedan car. The main entrance and some of the tourist loops are tarred. Visitors only need a 4x4 if they’d like to explore some of the offroad trails.
Addo has a range of accommodation options to suit your desired safari experience. Whether you want to rest in comfort at a luxury lodge or are more interested in sleeping under the stars at a tented camp, you will find it at Addo.
Firstly, you’re going to need a hat and sunscreen. It is important to protect yourself from the hot sun, particularly when visiting during the warm season. In winter, it is recommended that you bring along warm clothing, especially for nighttime.
Colorwise, you want to keep your palette neutral for purely pragmatic reasons. Avoid black, white, and anything loud. White gets grubby very quickly, black gets very hot and attracts mosquitoes at night, and loud colors like bright yellow, neon pink, or red frighten animals and attract bees. Natural hues like beige, greens, browns, and khakis are best. They are cool, and comfortable, and will allow you to blend in while on safari game drives, without attracting any unwanted attention.
Closed comfortable shoes are best for your days on safari, and a good pair of sneakers or trainers are perfect. Unless you plan on doing any actual hiking, hiking boots are unnecessary. For time spent in camps and lodges, a pair of slip-slops can be a comfortable addition.
Is Addo safe? Yes. The malaria-free park welcomes thousands of local and international safari enthusiasts every year. Wildlife viewing is safe and visitors are encouraged to stick to the park’s rules.
Follow the instructions from your guides about how to behave and what to do while on safari. They are trained, and extremely knowledgeable, and their top priority is to keep you safe (from the animals) in the wild. Self-drive visitors should stay in the car at all times and keep their distance from the animals.
To help you figure out what to pack, we have a rough forecast of the weather month-by-month. Now, although we’ve tried to be as accurate as possible, it’s difficult to predict what Mother Nature will do.
The semi-arid to arid area gets peak rainfall during these months. April is the peak season with school holidays and Easter Weekend in South Africa. It also signals the end of the rainy season ahead of the Winter chills.
The park sees fewer visitors as temperatures cool down, marking the beginning of the dry, cold Winter months.
This is the low season for the park, except for the June school holidays. July is the coldest month with temperatures between 5°C and 18°C. Frost is also quite common at this time of the year at Addo.
This is a high season period for the park with more guests booking their visits for that time. The sights are beautiful with lush green vegetation and Spring flowers in full bloom. The second peak of rainfall in the region is between October and November.
In December, the weather warms up and the park welcomes visitors for the festive season, so it is important to book your trip early to avoid disappointment. January is the hottest month with temperatures ranging from a low of 15°C and a high of 32°C. On hot days, visitors are treated to excellent sightings of elephants at the waterholes.
The wrath of hunters and competition with farmers for food and crops in the 1800s brought the elephant population under severe threat. In 1919, the farmers asked the government to exterminate the elephants, leading to the killing of 114 elephants between 1919 and 1920.
Public opinion changed, leading to the establishment of Addo Elephant National Park in 1931 to protect 11 Addo elephants. Despite the proclamation, farmers were still upset because there wasn't an adequate fence to enclose the park. In a bid to end the conflict, Graham Armstrong (the park manager at the time when there were 22 elephants) developed an elephant-proof fence in 1954. This Armstrong fence, named after its developer, is still used around the park today.
The park went from its original proclamation to protect a single species to now conserving the rich biological diversity in the area.
Contact African Budget Safaris to take the work out of planning your trip. We have helpful and friendly travel experts that are ready to answer all your questions and help plan your safari. Our safari experts can even design a custom safari tailored to your unique needs and budget. Get in touch with one of our experienced consultants to plan a trip that promises breathtaking photo opportunities.
Use the Google map to explore Addo Elephant Park.
An affordable malaria-free Big Five Safari in South Africa, exploring the Big Five Addo Elephant Park and Kariega Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape. An exciting budget African safari for the whole family!
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Trip Style Addo Elephant Park Budget Safari Packages