Summertide Diary: Arriving at Addo

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27 December 2020

After spending a lovely three days over Christmas at home with Marilize’s parents, whom we haven’t seen in person since they retired to Jeffreys Bay 15 months ago, we all headed together to the Addo Elephant National Park‘s Matyholweni Gate, just an hour’s drive away, for a four night visit to this very special place.

It takes a few hours of leisurely driving to travel through the Park from Matyholweni to the Main Camp where we were booked to stay, and this of course means there’s wonderful sightseeing, bird-watching and game-viewing along the way! Jack’s Picnic Spot, just a little over halfway, is a great place to stretch tired legs while enjoying visits from all kinds of birds and other small creatures at your picnic table.

Steppe Buzzard (photo by Joubert)
Fiscal Flycatcher
Plains Zebra stallion close-up (photo by Joubert)
Playful Plains Zebra stallion
Scenic road snaking through Addo Elephant National Park
Yellow Mongoose
European Roller
Yellow Pansy butterfly
Jackal Buzzard
Looking out over Addo Elephant National Park to Algoa Bay in the background
Brown-veined White butterfly
Cape Weaver female
Big elephant bull being very protective of a youngster at the Marion Baree waterhole
Sombre Greenbul at Jack’s Picnic Spot
Speckled Mousebird at Jack’s Picnic Spot
Albany, or Striped, Sandveld Lizard at Jack’s Picnic Spot
Karoo Prinia at Jack’s Picnic Spot
The future is secure for Addo’s elephants
One of the elephants that Addo is famous for

In the afternoon, and after getting settled into our comfortable chalet, we have a little time to take a drive along a few loop roads close to camp before the gates close.

Family Chalet 16 at Addo Main Rest Camp
Cape Bulbul coming to welcome us at our cottage
Red-throated Wryneck
Juvenile Black-winged Stilt at Rooidam
An Eland, our biggest antelope
One of the elephants that Addo is famous for

If you’d like to learn more about the Addo Elephant National Park’s history and all it has to offer visitors, why not have a read through this post we compiled after our previous visit? And to follow along on our travels through Addo, you might find this map (from the SANParks website) most handy.Addo map from https://www.sanparks.org/parks/addo/tourism/map.php

 

 

9 thoughts on “Summertide Diary: Arriving at Addo”

    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Ja, Ineke, die mieshope is nog volop – ek dink selfs meer as vantevore (waar daar nie geploeg word nie) omdat die erdvarke, ietermagos en aardwolwe wat van termiete lewe al skaarser word buite bewaringsgebiede.

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  4. sustainabilitea

    Needless to say, no elephants or most of these other interesting animals at the Riparian Preserve, we we do have lots of black-necked stilts, which I find endlessly fun to watch and photograph. Your European roller looks to be a high roller. 🙂 Couldn’t resist. Have a wonderful weekend.

    janet

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