The Sundays River begins its journey from the Sneeuberg ("Snow Mountain" in Afrikaans) range near Graaff-Reinet, and flows through the Greater Addo area and the Sundays River Valley to the Indian Ocean.

Some people think it gets its name from an early settler family by the name of Sontag (Sunday), but we think it’s because it’s a regular outing on a Sunday by those from nearby Port Elizabeth.

The valley is probably best known for its citrus fruit production, but there are all sorts of activities around the river and the quirky towns that dot the area.
Of course, dominating the entire area is the world-famous Addo Elephant Park.

This area was populated by the Khoi (or Khoi-Khoi as some prefer) many thousands of years ago. You can even see their rock art within the reserve of the Bushman Sands Golf Lodge in Alicedale.
At the turn of the 19th century, the Sundays River formed the eastern border of the then Cape colony. In fact, this area has the dubious claim to fame of being one of the few areas where all of the South African ethnic groups were at war with each other at one time or another - Khoi against Xhosa, Khoi and Xhosa against Boer and British, and finally Boer against the British.
In 1814, Governor John Cradock awarded the first Sundays River Valley farms to leaders of the successful burger commandos for their role in the victories in the border wars of 1811 and 1812. (If you’re just as confused as we are, these were in general Europeans against the amaXhosa).

Whilst traditionally the Eastern Cape has been considered a summer rainfall area, this has been rapidly changing and rain is now spread throughout the year. There are, however, two peaks – namely February to March and again in October/ November. As the river is on a flood plain, flooding is not uncommon in the area.
Temperatures usually run from about 18 degrees centigrade to 32 degrees in January and 5 to 18 degrees in winter. Frost can occur in winter.

Addo and other game reserves offer a wide variety of wildlife, including the Big 5, whilst a number of private nature reserves abound with antelope, mongoose and other small mammals.
The birdlife is extraordinary, especially at the estuary. Little, Damara and Caspian Terns patrol the estuary and at low tide large flocks of waders feed on the exposed invertebrate rich mudflats. These include the Terek Sandpiper, Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper and even Greater Flamingoes and Great White Pelicans put in an occasional appearance.

The fauna of the region vary wildly from semi-arid in the north to lush wetlands in the south.

If you are looking for some peace and quiet, we would recommend that you avoid mid-December to mid-January as this is the South African summer high season. Long weekends can also be quite hectic, given the proximity to Port Elizabeth.