Tucked away in the dense valley-bushveld of the Eastern Cape lies the Addo Elephant National Park, the third largest of South Africa’s national parks. The Park is situated in a region that has been associated with its elephants since time immemorial, long before any settlers arrived to start their farming activities. The elephants are to the Addo National Park what the polar bears are to the Arctic. Without them, Addo Park would not be Addo Park.

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Landscape in the Addo Elephant National Park

General info,...

During the 1700s and 1800s the great herds of Elephants had been all but decimated by hunters. When the first settler farmers began to colonize the area, they saw the remaining Elephant population frequently devastating their fields and crops. Immediately they started to eliminate what was left of the large herds. So the number of Elephants continuously decreased, until there was eventually hardly a dozen of them left. To protect the remaining number of 11 "Addo" Elephants as they were called, the Addo Elephant National Park was proclaimed in 1931.

Today this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 450 Elephants in addition to Cape Buffalo, Black Rhino, a variety of antelope species, as well as the unique flightless Dung Beetle which is found almost exclusively in the Addo National Park. It is the only national park in South Africa where you can find the Big 7 (Elephant, Rhino, Lion, Buffalo, Leopard, Southern Right Whale and Great White Shark) in their natural habitat

The variety of Addo Elephant Park's landscapes ranges from dense bush areas with an abundance of "Spekboom" and a wide range of other trees, shrubs and climbers to dry and rocky areas. Birding opportunities are excellent in the Park, with a large variety of species. The main game area boasts a list of 170 bird species, while the expanded park may contain as many as 450 species in a diversity of habitats.

Humpback Whale breaching - Addo Elephant National Park
Some of the unique features of Addo Elephant National Park include;

• Unrivalled natural diversity, with five of South Africa's seven major vegetation zones (biomes).
• It is home to one of the densest African Elephant populations on earth.
• It is home to the unique flightless Dung Beetle.
• It incorporates the largest coastal dune field in the southern hemisphere.
• It boasts the Big Seven, (Elephant, Rhino, Lion, Buffalo, Leopard, Southern Right Whale and Great White Shark).
• It protects the world's largest Cape Gannet breeding population on Bird Island.
• It also has a rich heritage of archaeological and historical sites.
• Last but not least, it offers a wide variety of accommodation and activity options.

The cavernous mouth of a great white shark - Addo Elephant National Park
Photograph by Herman Yung

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