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    WELCOME TO
    The Addo Elephant National Park


About The Addo Elephant National Park

The Addo Elephant National Park is the third largest national park in South Africa and covers some 180 000 hectares (444 700 acres for those of you who still can’t get the hang of the metric system). It stretches all the way from the semi-arid Karoo area, over the rugged Zuurberg mountain range, through the Sundays River Valley and then onward south to the coast between the Sundays River and the Bushman’s river mouth.

Unfortunately, the farmers and elephants regularly came into conflict over the years, and when a park was finally proclaimed in 1931, only 11 elephants remained. Fortunately, a dedicated process of rehabilitation as well as dramatically increasing the park size has meant that the park now boasts over 600 elephants. The park is approximately one hundred times bigger than the original proclamation, and now includes a Marine Protected Area. The islands in this area are home to the world’s largest breeding populations of Cape gannets and the second largest breeding population of African penguins.

For entomologists (bug people to you and me), this is the only place that has the Addo flightless dung beetle, so bring your magnifying glass. Hey, don’t knock the dung beetle – it performs a vital role in the whole eco-system. Think of them as the clean-up crew, except they improve the nutrient recycling and soil structure as they go along. And for a bit of useless information, according to a study in 2013, it has been proven that dung beetles navigate using the Milky Way and other stars.


How to get there

R335 Paterson Road, Addo, 6105, South Africa


Contact Details

Address: R335 Paterson Road, Addo, 6105, South Africa
Email: reservations@sanparks.org
Telephone: +27-42-2338600
Website: https://www.sanparks.org/parks/addo

Operating Hours:
Please contact the office for details
Places: Addo