Skip to main content.
Enviropaedia Sponsors and Supporters

Addo Elephant National Park

Logo

Tel: +27 (0) 42 233 8600
Fax: +27 (0) 42 233 8643
Email: addoenquiries@sanparks.org
Website: http://www.sanparks.co.za/parks/addo/

The Addo Elephant National Park is South Africa's third largest park. According to the SANParks website, Addo has expanded to conserve a wide range of biodiversity, landscapes, fauna and flora.

 It stretches from the semi-arid karoo area in the north around Darlington Dam, over the Zuurberg Mountains, through the Sundays River Valley and south to the coast between Sundays River mouth and Bushman’s river mouth. Addo covers about 180 000 hectares (444 700 acres) and includes the Bird and St Croix Island groups.

SANParks state that 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 600 elephant, lion, buffalo, black rhino, spotted hyena, leopard, a variety of antelope and zebra species, as well as the unique Addo flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo.

The park can exclusively claim to be the only national park in the world to conserve the “Big 7” – the Big 5 as well as the southern right whale and great white shark off the Algoa Bay coast.

Plans are currently afoot to include the proposed proclamation of a 120 000 ha (296 500 acre) Marine Protected Area.

Five main attractions/things to experience:

  • Lion (found mostly in the southern section of the park)
  • Herds of elephant at Hapoor dam
  • The Interpretive Centre at main camp
  • The picturesque Zuurberg Mountain
  • The rolling sand dunes of the Woody Cape section.

 For bookings, CLICK HERE

 

Information from the SANParks website