Things to do in Addo Elephant National Park
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Addo Elephant National Park
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Summer is very hot and busy, with elephants at waterholes in the heat and school holidays filling Main Camp.
Autumn is warm and calmer, often the best all round window with good light and comfortable hiking.
Winter is cool and dry with the best pure game viewing, cold nights and whale season building in Algoa Bay.
Whale season runs June to November, with southern rights mainly July to October in Algoa Bay.
Spring brings warming weather, flowers, newborn antelope and shoulder season value before December.
What's on
- Kirkwood Wildsfees Late June to early July, check current year dates
A large winter festival in Kirkwood with food, music and citrus themes, when Kirkwood stays fill up.
- SA National Parks Week September, usually a week in mid September
Free day access for South African citizens on showing a valid ID, with busy gates at Addo.
Best things to do in Addo Elephant National Park
Hapoor Dam
The most reliable elephant waterhole in the main game area, where herds drink and mud bathe in the heat of the day.
Domkrag Dam
A large dam on the northern loop, good for buffalo, zebra and kudu and often quieter than Hapoor Dam.
PPC Discovery Trail
A short accessible loop in Main Camp that teaches the spekboom thicket and the flightless dung beetle.
Ulwazi Interpretive Centre
The Main Camp centre covering Addo history and ecology, and a herd that grew from 11 elephants in 1931.
Spekboom Hide
A hide in thick bush overlooking a waterhole where nocturnal species come to drink in the game area.
Daniell Cheetah Project
A cheetah breeding and education project near Kirkwood, visited on a guided walk with other predators.
Addo Raptor and Reptile Centre
A small raptor and reptile centre on the R335 with demonstrations and a rescue and rehabilitation story.
Where to stay in Addo Elephant National Park
Inside the park: SANParks rest camps
self-drive, gate hours and best value
SANParks camps inside the boundary, with Main Camp facilities in the north and Matyholweni quiet in the south.
Inside the park: private concession lodges
all inclusive luxury safari inside the boundary
Private concessions with their own guides, from the main game area to the remote Darlington Karoo section.
Addo town and the Sundays River Valley
Main Gate access with lodge food and service
Country houses and lodges outside the Main Gate, the widest gateway choice for rooms and dinner.
Kirkwood
budget valley base with your own car
A citrus town up the Sundays River Valley, about 40 minutes from Main Gate, best combined with valley stops.
Colchester and the Sundays River mouth
early southern gate entry and river activities
Just off the N2 by Matyholweni Gate, with river cruises and sandboarding at the Sundays River mouth.
Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
airport, sea and first or last night
The access city in Summerstrand, about an hour from Main Gate and 35 minutes from Matyholweni.
Think twice about
- R335 through Motherwell after dark
Do not drive this section after dark if you can avoid it. Use the N2 to Matyholweni or sleep in Gqeberha and drive in the morning.
- Central Gqeberha and the harbour fringe alone after dark
Base in Summerstrand, use guarded parking at night and ask your hotel which streets they would walk after dark.
Best restaurants in Addo Elephant National Park
Addo Cattle Baron Grill and Bistro
The only sit down restaurant inside the park, a steakhouse at Main Camp serving breakfast to dinner.
Africanos Country Estate Restaurant and Sushi Bar
The most complete independent dinner in Addo town, with a broad menu plus a sushi bar and terrace.
Addo Wildlife Tangelo Restaurant
South African fare with a citrus theme from valley farms, plus a large farm stall alongside on the R335.
Lenmore
A restaurant, deli and bakery on the R335, popular for breakfast and picnic baskets for the park.
River Front Restaurant
A small upmarket restaurant for careful South African cooking, the gateway special occasion dinner.
Sneezewoods Restaurant
The Chrislin lodge restaurant serving South African meals and braai evenings in an open sided hut.
Nanaga Farm Stall
A famous N2 farm stall for homemade pies, roosterkoek and pineapple juice on the access drive.
Ginger The Restaurant
A long running Summerstrand restaurant with modern South African and seafood menus and sea views.
Outdoor things to do in Addo Elephant National Park
Self-drive in the Main Game Area, Addo Elephant National Park
Easy self-drive on tarred and graded roads in a standard car, the core Addo elephant experience.
SANParks Guided Game Drive
SANParks open vehicle drives including night drives, the only legal way in the game area after gates close.
Schotia Safaris Private Game Reserve
The Tooth and Claw afternoon into night drive, strong for lion, with dinner around a fire in a lapa.
Raggy Charters marine eco tour
A permitted whale and dolphin operator running Penguin Island and seasonal whale trips in Algoa Bay.
Sundays River Adventures
River cruises, dune sandboarding and canoe hire on the Sundays River at the southern side of the park.
Crisscross Adventures
A local operator for guided Addo drives, a Sundays River canoe safari, quad biking and sandboarding.
Alexandria Hiking Trail
A two day trail through coastal forest and huge dunes in the Woody Cape section of the park.
Zuurberg Hiking Trails
Short mountain trails through fynbos and forest with valley views and almost no other walkers.
Best hotels in Addo Elephant National Park
Addo Main Camp
The SANParks flagship camp over a floodlit waterhole, the best value base for self-drivers in the park.
Matyholweni Rest Camp
A quiet SANParks camp of cottages near the southern gate, minutes from Colchester and the N2.
Spekboom Tented Camp
Five fixed tents inside the game area where you sleep in the bush and hear lions at night.
Nyathi Rest Camp
The upmarket SANParks camp of domed units on stilts at the foot of the Zuurberg, over a valley waterhole.
Gorah Elephant Camp
A luxury tented camp on a private concession around a manor house and waterhole, with guided drives.
RiverBend Lodge
A luxury lodge on a private concession inside the park, more country house than tented camp.
Kuzuko Lodge
A luxury lodge in the remote northern Darlington section, in Karoo landscape under big skies.
Woodall Country House and Spa
A country house on a citrus farm near the Main Gate, the gateway splurge with a spa.
Is Addo Elephant National Park expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ZAR 1,450 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ZAR 3,000 a person |
| Splurge | ZAR 9,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Daniell Cheetah Project: a few days ahead
- SANParks Guided Game Drive: a few days ahead
- Schotia Safaris Private Game Reserve: a few days ahead
- Raggy Charters marine eco tour: a few days ahead
- Sundays River Adventures: a few days ahead
- Crisscross Adventures: a few days ahead
- Alexandria Hiking Trail: weeks ahead
- Bedrogfontein 4x4 Trail: weeks ahead
- Book Main Camp, Nyathi, Spekboom and Gorah for school holidays months ahead.
- Book guided drives, Schotia, Raggy Charters and river cruises days ahead in season and keep a weather backup for boats.
Is Addo Elephant National Park safe?
- Violent crime and car related attacks are a real risk in South Africa: take care in city centres and after dark.
- Never exit your vehicle outside designated areas and never get between a herd and water.
- Avoid the R335 through Motherwell after dark, lock doors in slow traffic and keep valuables out of sight.
- Emergency numbers are 10111 for police and 112 from a mobile phone.
Addo Elephant National Park travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not book Kuzuko as if it were near Main Camp, as it is a long separate drive in the Darlington section.
- Do not assume Matyholweni has a full restaurant and shop, so stock up before entering.
Getting around Addo Elephant National Park: public transport and more
- You need a car or a lodge that runs its own drives, as there is no useful public transport to the gates.
- Enter at Matyholweni in the south off the N2 at Colchester or at Main Gate in the north, and drive between them in one direction.
- Allow a full hour from Gqeberha to Main Camp and about 35 minutes to Matyholweni, driving in daylight.
Who Addo Elephant National Park suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
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