Enjoy a malaria free safari at the very end of the Garden Route in the Eastern Cape !
- Don’t worry about Malaria tablets the area is malaria free
- Self drive around Addo Elephant Park
- Spot Blue Cranes which are resident in the area
- Many of the lodges now have the Big Five
- The area was formerly known as Settler Country
- Addo is a sanctuary for elephants, buffalo and black rhino
- The elephants in Addo are smaller than those in the Kruger
- The surrounding area was the birthplace of Nelson Mandela
- Stay at Port Elizabeth before your safari
The Eastern Cape is strictly speaking where the Garden Route ends. The early settlers and farms shot most of the game to extinction however it was in 1930 that the Addo Elephant Park was established to protect the last 11 animals in the area. Today Addo has been re-established and is home to large herds of elephant. Since 1980 farms in the vicinity have slowly been purchased and restocked with wildlife.
The area is now home to some of South Africa’s most well known lodges. The lodges are popular as they are the closest ‘real safari’ experience to Cape Town as well as being in Malaria Free areas. Kwandwe has been restored and is now a 40,000 hectare reserve, the property consists of two luxury lodges,
Kwandwe Main Lodge and the smaller
Ecca Lodge. Close to Kenton on Sea you will find Kariega, rather innovatively this lodge has a section with dangerous animals and a section in which you can mountain bike and walk in relative safety. The lodges at
Kariega and
Shamwari are amoung our favourites. Self drive visitors who don’t want the expense of a private reserve can visit Addo Elephant Park. The classic
Gorah Elephant Camp has beautiful tented accommodation and the
Elephant House is built in a courtyard design.
