The winding dirt road
The road from Matyholweni gate winding into the Addo Elephant National Park
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19/09/2013
Watching elephants
This past week, ending today, has been South African National Parks week. The whole idea behind the week is to encourage South Africans to support and visit our National Parks more. During the week entrance to the parks are free to South African citizens. I got to go to Addo twice this week, first with a group of hotel frontline staff and again yesterday with a group of old folk from the Malabar Home of the Aged. Addo was buzzing…
13/09/2013
Young bull
In summer people head to the beach on nice sunny days, but during winter when the water is called the best you can do at the beach is go for a walk. So what is the alternative? Easy, head out to Addo Elephant National Park and enjoy some of the best African Elephant sightings you will have anywhere in the world.
21/07/2013
Superhero Ranger
Ranger Ryan is the guy you want on your vehicle when doing one of the Addo Elephant National Park's scheduled game drives. He is knowledgeable and entertaining and there isn't many questions he can't answer. A ranger superhero of some sorts (not to be confused with the Power Rangers). I posted about him before and found another picture I took of him, this time explaining to the group about a black rhino dung midden.
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16/07/2013
Seeing double?
Some visitors to game reserves often get as excited about seeing something like a zebra than they are when seeing elephants or lions. Perhaps we as locals take these animals for granted as we see them often in game reserves and don't get as excited by them. I kinda lost what I was trying to say with this now other than seeing zebra is always exciting for me even if they aren't part of the Big 5. I found these two Burchell's Zebra…
02/07/2013
We all love Addo
Port Elizabeth is usually associated with elephants due to its close proximity to the Addo Elephant National Park. Most visitors to the city, both local and international, spend at least a day in the park with others staying over at some of the park's variety accommodation options. Its easy to get to Addo from Port Elizabeth and its possible to sit and watch elephants less than an hour after leaving home or your hotel. The park can be accessed via the main…
25/06/2013
31 miles to PE
31 miles from Port Elizabeth just off the Addo road (R335) is Addo Drift. The drift was the first convenient natural crossing point on the Sundays River when travelling inland from the sea, and was used by wild animals and earlier human inhabitants as a ford. When the Europeans arrived, they followed the same route, outspaning their oxen at a point nearby. The military post “Ados Drift” appears on the site maps dated 1815. In 1823 one William Wright, an 1820 settler, was…
19/06/2013
Butt but booty
Addo is a funny place in a backside kinda way. Unless the elephants are actually heading in your direction, the chances are good that as soon as you have lined up your shot that the animal will turn his back and all you get is a booty shot. Bummer!
15/06/2013
Ranger stories
The guides doing the open vehicle guided game drives in the Addo Elephant National Park are vast treasure chests of information. I can't find the note I made of our ranger's name (Vincent van Zyl left a comment pointing out that the ranger's name is Ryan), but my mouth hung open as he rattled off plant names, animal information, pointing out birds and just chatted away with the guests on the vehicle. Guides and rangers like these are what makes visits to game reserves…
05/06/2013
I can still see you
I attended the media launch of the Kirkwood Wildsfees in the Addo Elephant National Park and to end the program off we were taken on an open vehicle game drive through the park. As is often usual in Addo we had some stunning sightings. This guy was peeking at us from behind a bush trying to be inconspicuous. Gives him a bit of a mysterious look, doesn't it. The annual Wildsfees takes place from 28 - 30 June 2013 in the…
31/05/2013