Blogs from Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape, South Africa, Africa - page 2

On our way out of Addo Elephant Park, we saw an amazing congregation of elephants at one of the watering holes--maybe 100! Some came within feet of our car--rather a daunting spectacle. It was entertaining to watch the interaction among them as more herds of elephants kept arriving at the watering hole. Warthogs and water buffalo were also present. We drove to Hogsback, a tiny community tucked in the mountains north west of East London (itself in the shape of a hog's back). Although we arrived in extreme heat, the weather quickly changed. Clouds moved in; hail fell on us in the night. Today, it has been cool and foggy. We did some hiking in the local area. Saw 5 California Redwoods that are more than 100 years old. Walked an outdoor labyrinth -- very meditative. ... read more

It is true that everyone is captivated by the spell of the chance of seeing a lion. The ellies are to be seen everywhere but not the lions. Lions hold that extra thrill of danger, ellies not. Lions can pounce and eat you. Ellies can't! So there's the imaginary thrill of the chase. There are only 6 adults which were introduced to the park about 10 years ago and they roam freely. However not long ago the park separated (temporarily I think) two lionesses which are roaming behind a new fenced area (the fences are electrified) just beside the Main Camp. And the males will come to look for them when they are ready to mate. So the possibility of knowing where to look with success is higher. The Sunset Drive leaves camp at 530 just ... read more

Addo minutes after arrival at the camp around 445pm, we checked in to the very comfy log cabin, and then impatiently set off on our initial exploratory self-drive jaunt. Almost instantly, on leaving the enclosure and entering the wild, we encountered a giant bull elephant in the bushes, then a family of 3 elephants with accompanying heaps of poop on the road. Soon becomes obvious to anyone that the heaps of giant size poop are tell tale signs of elephant life. Elephants are enchanting. I could happily sit and look at them feeding or at the watering hole for hours. With their thick grey wrinkled skins, stringy swishy tails, thick unshapely posts for legs, big flapping ears and floppy long 'snouts' reaching the ground, you'd expect they would be clumsy. Far from it. They are delicate. ... read more

The Addo Elephant National Park, Friday, March 7th. Sunny day. The third largest national park in South Africa, Addo Elephant National Park covers about 180,000 hectares or 444,700 acres. The original elephant section of the park was proclaimed in 1931, when only sixteen elephants remained in the area. Today, it is sanctuary to over 550 elephants plus lions, buffalo, black rhino, spotted hyena, leopard, a variety of antelope and zebra species, as well as the unique and rare Addo flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo. We drove around various dirt and tarred roads looking for animals first thing this morning. This is the wildest we will ever be able to see these animals even though they are in a fenced and gated area for their protection. Animals that have historically been in this environment ... read more

We arrived at the gate to Addo Elephant Park in the afternoon and signed in. We had a room booked at the guest enclosure at the other end of the park and after registering with the main gate we were directed to drive through the park and be sure to get to the other side by 6 because that's when they close the other gate. When we laughingly asked what would happen if we didn't make it in time, the woman at the desk told us some elephants would probably destroy our car overnight. Nice. So we set off into the park. Our first safari experience unfolded on the sandy tracks of Addo surrounded on either side by scrub and bushes...where anything could be lurking. Indeed, according to the website , there are.. 'over 550 elephants, ... read more