ADDO ELEPHANT NATIONAL PARK
Deep within the shadows of the dense valley bushveld of the Sundays River region of the Eastern Cape lies the Addo Elephant National Park. Here, the evenings are punctuated by the strident howl of the black-backed jackal, and the francolin's call heralds each new dawn. Safe from relentless persecution in the past, the grey leviathans of the bush now roam in peace. The original Elephant section of the park was proclaimed in 1931, when only eleven elephants remained in the area - today this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 420 elephants, Cape buffalo, black rhino, a variety of antelope species, as well as the unique flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo. But the Addo story has only just begun. Plans to expand the 145 000 ha Addo National Elephant Park into a 360 000 ha mega-park are moving forward at an exciting pace.
This expansion is transforming Addo into the ultimate tourism destination. Some of its unique features already includes:
- Unrivalled natural diversity, with five of South Africa's seven major vegetation zones (biomes).
- The Big 7 (Elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard, whales and great white sharks) in their natural habitat.
- Rich heritage of archaeological and historical sites.
- A wide variety of accommodation and activity options.
- In addition, plans include the proposed proclamation of a 120 000 ha (296 500 acre) marine reserve that includes islands that are home to the world's largest breeding populations of Cape gannets and second largest breeding population of African penguins.
- While all the standard SANParks’ information can be found on this site Addo has its own independent website giving a fuller exploration of its wonderful bounty.
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Mission:
The mission of the Addo Elephant National Park is to conserve the faunal and floral assemblages and ecological processes that characterise the unique Eastern Cape region, and to actively present this for the appreciation by visitors.
Areas Of Special Interest
- Original Elephant Section - Game Viewing Area
- Narina
- Restaurant, serving a la carte meals and light refreshments
- Darlington Lake
- Shop where curios and basic commodities can be purchased
- Alexandria Forest
- St Croix and Bird Islands
Highlights:
- Elephant Black
- Rhinoceros
- Cape Buffalo (disease free)
- Suricate (Meerkat)
- Flightless Dung Beetle
Interesting Facts:
- The park conserves no less than five of South Africa's seven
biomes
- Is also home to the densest African elephant population on earth
- It is home to the unique flightless dung beetle
- Addo incorporates the largest coastal dune field in the southern
hemisphere
- The park boasts the Big Seven, (elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard, southern right
whale and great white shark)
- It also protects the world's largest Cape gannet breeding population on Bird
Island
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