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Earlier this year our family spend some time in Addo. Most of the photographs were taken by my son (21 years old).
We stayed in the Safari tents and were yet again not disappointed in our choice of accommodation. The tents definitely have a “safari” feeling and we were treated with many visitors. Some came to the front steps,



but mostly they stayed onthe other side of the fence. Some small like jackal, warthog and hare, but some bigger like buffalo, rhino (we heard it, but were so busy braaing that we missed it - the time 21:45) and elephant. Some relaxed like kudo, but some sniffing around like hyena. All in all an amazing experience.




Friday 12 January

A relaxed start rewarded us with zebra, kudu, baby piggies and jackal. On this trip we had many sightings of jackal and babies of all kinds.



At about 07:00 we came across a “dead” buffalo in Gwarie dam. It was lying motionless in the mud, so we carried on after taking a quick pic.



On the afternoon drive we came across this beauty who matched the pink flowers quite well.



A bit later we came across this dripping wet buffalo, not far from Gwarrie dam, only to realise that it is our “dead” friend of earlier the morning. It must have spend the entire day in the cool muddy water of Gwarie dam.



We again experienced the very laid back ellies of Addo. They don’t charge cars, they simply give them the bum view!



The day ended with a hyena sleeping on the verge of the road. We could stop right next to it and a lazy eye was the only reaction we got.

13 January 2007

This was a Saturday and there were a great number of day visitors in Addo. The picnic area near the waterhole in the camp smelled like a braai competition in the middle of the day!

A morning drive in Addo seems to start with piggies, zebra and kudu. I found the detail on the "koeksister" wove on the zebra's tail fascinating. This is obviously baby-time in Addo!


It is really amazing to experience how the animals, including elephant move around in Addo. During a previous visit we never saw an elephant near Carol's Rest. This time they were there all the time. The dam seems to small for a mud bath, but good for a thirst.


Out previous visit to Addo was during winter and we came to experience the difference in animal behaviour between winter and a hot summer day. Summer days seems to be only good for swimming and mud baths. In summer you only need to drive to a waterhole or two, but in winter you must search the whole area for animals.





Every day in Addo seems to end with a spectacular sunset. During this visit we met a couple that camped in Addo for a number of days, but never went on a drive in the game area. This I will never understand, but with game coming to the waterhole during the day and sunsets like these they may have a point.

Sunday 14 January 2007
The early morning drive came to a halt less than 500m from the gate. The reason: a road block:



We had to wait almost half an hour before the road was cleared. By that time a large number of cars have piled up behind us.
One of the next sightings was a visitor from the northern hemisphere.



Once again you could drive to any dam and you are likely to find elephants there drinking away or paying and bathing in the mud.



Then another visitor, this time from the Kruger Park. "Skukuza" has the interesting habit of curling his trunk around his only remaining tusk. The glands on the side of his face was active and he demanded different treatment that the other laid back Addo elephants.



During the lunch hour there were plenty elephants entertaining the day visitors at the waterhole next to the camp.



We used the opportunity to visit the underground hide. As was pointed out in another trip report the level of the hide is a little bit to low, or alternatively the ground must be levelled of between the hide and the waterhole. The photo of the little one drinking show how his feet is visible, but not the water. This just don't feel right. You want to get a higher viewpoint, but that is not possible. The other photo show how close you are to the animals. The hide is really a great improvement and we enjoyed our time there.



Even from the deck of our safari tent we could enjoy the elephants at the waterhole. As mentioned earlier there were jackals all over Addo and some stopped to pose for us on the afternoon drive.



My flashlight could not handle the pitch dark African dark, but this photo try to show how close to the tent the buffalo lied down after grazing there for quite some time. It is an unforgettable experience to be that close to the wild animals.

Hi there kathy sa

There are basically two camps, but the main camp is my choice as it is right next to the main game area and you can also see the animals from some of the accommodation units, like the tents.
If you can handle a communal ablution and kitchen, then the tents are tops. We will not stay in any other unit in Addo.Have a look in the Safari Tent thread under Frontier camps for more comments from myself and others.

Monday 15 Janaury 2007

We were supposed to leave Addo early, but we saw a dead elephant at Carol's Rest the previous afternoon and were hoping that the lions may pay it a visit. This unfortunately never happened, but I once more came to realise that the more time you spend waiting, instead of searching, for animals, the better. While we were waiting for the lions, we enjoyed the animals coming to the waterhole. There were zebra, ostriches, 3 jackal, elephants, kudu and more. In the end this was more of an experience than a lion eating a elephant carcass.



We stayed there till we started to see double.



The last one near the gate that waved us good bye with his ears, was quite small.



What more can you say: We will be back!!!