Cape Road Trip: Elephants in the Fynbos

11/24/2016

Day 4 - Somerset East to Addo Elephant Park

On the road
It wasn’t a conscious decision to visit the Addo Elephant Park, the need for coffee drove us to it. Unable to boil water at Die Kaie we went in search of Keith’s morning fix, detouring through Riebeeck East and Alicedale, neither of which had a coffee shop. We guessed we would find a restaurant in the park, and once there we couldn’t resist staying the night.

Addo Elephant Park
There are both tarred and sand roads in the Addo Elephant Park, and our little car coped fine with the latter. We saw kudu, warthogs and tortoises with uncanny regularity, black backed jackals and of course, elephants. Fascinated by the fynbos, sometimes so dense it’s a wonder animals manage to make their way through it. Our game park experiences usually centre around the Transvaal bushveld, this vegetation is quite different.

Overnighted at: Addo Restcamp
Located: Addo Elephant Park
How we found it: AA Map of South Africa and SANParks website.
Road Access: Good.
Amenities: Usual National Parks stuff: good ablutions, camp kitchen, powered campsite with braai, bench and table; restaurant (with wifi), shop.
Cost: NZD80 / ZAR800 for two adults (including conservation fees for international tourists)

Our experience
Loved being in the bush again. When we weren’t driving around looking for animals, we watched them from the comfort of our newly acquired camp chairs. Addo Restcamp overlooks a waterhole and we saw kudu, warthogs, tortoises and elephants at various times during the day.

Evening soundtrack: Hyhenas, elephants, annoying tour group yammering into the night.

Highlight: Sundowners in the bush while watching a family of elephants wandering along the ridge.
Lowlight: Annoying tour group yammering into the night, strong winds buffeting the tent.

Lessons Learnt:

It was really good to have a blow up mattress. The rock-hard, gravel covered ground would have made for an uncomfortable night.
Invest in a wild card. Membership gives you unlimited entry to 80+ National Parks, Reserves and Resorts around South Africa. If we’d bought one we’d have saved heaps in conservation fees.