Addo Elephant National Park South Africa

SOUTH AFRICAN SAFARIS AND THE ADDO ELEPHANT NATIONAL PARK

The Addo Elephant National Park was founded in 1931 in the Eastern Cape (near Port Elizabeth) from the efforts of Sydney Skaife. Sydney Skaife aimed to protect the last eleven elephants that remained in the Addo area (all the other elephants had either moved away or were killed by hunters). Since then, the Addo Elephant National Park has expanded and is now home to numerous mammals, birds, fish and reptiles. The elephant population in the Addo Elephant National Park has increased to 450; this park is also a sanctuary and a home to over 48 of the endangered black rhinos! The park is not only a beautiful area but is also a fantastic conservational project; any safaris to this South African National Park will help to support their cause as well as the continued expansion of the Addo Elephant Park! 

In addition to the “Big Five” safari animals (lion, buffalo, elephant, leopard and rhino) the Addo National Park also includes; antelopes, zebras, hyenas, warthogs, baboons, springboks... and many more interesting species. Bird-lovers can sight up to 150 different bird species including; ostriches and waterfowl as well as many raptors and smaller birds. Furthermore, the Addo Elephant National Park also has various species of reptiles and amphibians, such as snakes, tortoises, lizards, frogs and toads; guaranteeing fantastic safari sightings on a safari within Addo Elephant National Park.
 
The Addo Elephant National Park claims a high biodiversity (variation of life forms within a given ecosystem or biome) due to the unique natural variety of the park which consists of five of South Africa’s seven major biomes - grassland, nama-karoo in the arid north, fynbos around the Zuurberg mountain range, thicket mainly in the original Addo and forest near the coasts and at the Sundays River! Comparatively, the Kruger National Park has only one biome… in retrospect the Addo Elephant National Park is one of the best National Parks in South Africa!

The success story of the Addo Elephant Park continues … there are plans to extend the park from 148 000ha to 360 000ha into a marine protected area. This will bring many new South African highlights into Addo, such as the world’s largest breeding colony of the Cape Gannets and the African Penguins. This will also extend the Addo Elephant National Park from the “Big Five” to the “Big Seven” (including whales and great white sharks), not many parks in South Africa can claim to host the ‘Big Seven’ all in one region!

The Addo National Park offers the best safari game viewing possibilities and additionally is in possession of a rich heritage of archaeological and historical sites. The Addo Elephant National Park is one of the few national parks in South Africa that is not in a malaria zone – making it the ideal South African safari destination to visit, especially for families!

Have a look at our South African safaris that include the Addo Elephant National Park below. There are also other South African attractions beneath that you might want to visit on your South African Safari.

• Kruger National Park
• Garden Route
• Cape Town
• Winelands
• KwaZulu-Natal
• Greater St Lucia
• Hluhluwe-Umfolozi National Park
• Overberg
• Pilanesberg National Park
• Ukhahlamba
• West Coast
• Aquila
• Table Mountain
• Cango Caves
• Cape Point, Cape Agulhas
• Drakensberg
• Gods Window
• Kapama Game Reserve
• Kirstenbosch
• Knysna
• Madikwe Game Reserve
• Pilgrims Rest
• Robben Island
• Soweto
• Sun City
• Karoo South Africa
• Wild Coast
• V&A Waterfront
• Johannesburg
• Gansbaai
• Tsitsikamma
• Valley of a 1000 Hills
• Inverdoorn
• Cederberg
• Kimberley
• Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
• Zululand
• The Battlefields