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My wife and myself have just spend an unforgettable couple of days in Addo: 17 - 22 July 2006. We were surprised to find that Addo offers so much more than what we hoped for. Addo is definitely an underrated park and deserves far more than a quick one night stay-over. The diversity in fauna and flora is amazing. We stayed in the Safari Tents and really recommend them strongly. Apart from the budget part, they are most comfortable, offer superb views and really offer an "african safari"; experience. There are very little between you and the sounds of the night!

Our visit to the restaurant was a most enjoyable one, but the shop can offer a wider variety of foodstuff, seeing that most of the accommodation is self-catering. An ATM in the park is really a necessity in modern times!

At the gate we met Daniel Magwa, a guy that really only ask for a friendly word and then he responds with a smile as wide as your wide-angle lens can handle! We came to love this guy. He is the proud father of twin daughters and is worth a quick chat in the morning.

On the last morning it rained and I “complained” to the petrol pump attendant. He responded: "Don't you understand that our animals need food and the plants need water to grow." This answer left an everlasting impression on me. The staff of Addo really understand what it is all about.
Being able to see wild animals in their natural state is a real privilege, but to be able to really study them from up close is a different experience. This is what Addo offered us. We watched a herd of buffalo drinking water from a puddle in the road at Carol's Rest for more than an hour, this was memorable.


The variety of animals that we saw from real close was a blessing. The jackal was howling for his mate on the other side of the road, the kudu blinked for us, the ostrich did a mating dance, the hartebeest posed as if for a competition.




The hyenas was a bit far away at their den, but provided a lot of movement as we studied them for quite some time. The lions were unfortunately even further away and out of reach of my camera's abilities.

The bird life is amazing, even for the not-so-informed. Bird photography is new to me, but I include three pics for the bird lovers. I think I read somewhere that the red necked spur fowl is not that often spotted. Did I get this right?

Next post will look at the ellies!

Hi Salva
Thanx for your reply.
The quality of the jackal pics are not that good, but then I am not that experienced in nature photography. The choice was simple: some quick pics or maybe to late for any!

Following on the first part of our report: We also saw ellies in Addo! Some very big, and some quite small. Some "lone rangers" and quite a big herd at Hapoor dam. The last photo at Rooidam with the camp in the background.

Hi Oliie
Yes, and as you can see they are right on the camp fence. The animals can be less than 3m from you! The left side of the picture is the camp and the right side part of the picture is part of the game area. They have a communal kitchen and bathroom. There are 5 tents in total.
The second photo was taken from the tent's "stoep."
Some more pics: