Wild Game Reserves and Safaris in South Africa

Our trip to South Africa was going to start, like most, in Cape Town. After three days there, visiting Table Mountain, Robben Island, the Winelands and the Cape Peninsula, we were to rent a car, travel in the general direction of the Garden Route as far as Port Elizabeth, and from there, fly back to Cape Town. We figured out early on, before traveling to South Africa, that we would only have about two to three days at most at a reserve, and that we needed to pack as much as we could into that time.

There's no shortage of private and government sponsored reserves between the Western and Eastern Capes. Tour operators even do "safari" day trips from Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. It's difficult though to recommend these tours. Most are a bit gimmicky, being nothing more than small private zoos.

As we researched our options, one in particular began to cement itself as a firm favorite; Addo Elephant National Park - located just seventy five kilometers (about 50 miles) from Port Elizabeth and just off the Garden Route. It was certainly big enough at 148,000 hectares; contained the "Big 5", i.e. elephants, rhinos, lions, buffalo and leopards; and also was in a "malaria-free" part of South Africa, meaning that no vaccinations were necessary. Decision made, we booked two nights accommodation over the phone, packed, and left for Cape Town.

The reserve consists of a mix of all types of environment; from open tracts of savannah to woody glens; rocky mountainous regions to sandy coast lines. The principle area for viewing the larger game consists of pretty dense bushveld which is very thick and quite high.

We went on our first tour that afternoon. Bless the guide's eyesight, because neither of us was much good at spotting any animals at first. Eventually though you learn to adjust your eyes and ears for tell-tale signs. We saw dozens of different animals all around; warthogs, zebra, ostrich, kudu and springbok among others - but no big game. The guide did his best in the time we had, often putting the four-wheel drive to the test by veering off-road to areas that had proven lucky in the past.

One of Addo's namesakes.

Credit: James Sheil

Copyright: James Sheil