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Geography: 45km from Port Elizabeth the R335 reaches Addo, located at a fording place across the Sundays River, originally known in Khoe as Kradouw ('the way across the river'). The original elephant section of the Addo Park is a further 27km along the road.

History: The Addo Elephant National Park was established in 1931 to save the Addo elephant from impending extinction. At this stage, due to a policy decision to massacre the entire herd, only 15 of the gentle giants were left. The original area of 7,000ha however, was not fenced off and the elephants continued to do severe damage to the farms surrounding the area. When an experimental fence made of used lift cables and tram rails proved successful, an area of 2,500ha was fenced off for exclusive use by the elephants. In the 1990's the park was extended northwards and eastwards, taking in the Suurberg National Park, and was home to almost 300 elephants! Future projects will increase the Greater Addo Park to 370,000ha together with a 120,000ha offshore marine reserve.

Arts & Culture: Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, author of 'Jock of the Bushveld' is buried with his wife and sons at the Lookout National Monument at Sunland. The area, along a very scenic drive, is a great place to stop and take in amazing views of the Sundays River Valley. The Enon Mission Station (Moravian Church) founded in the early 1800's makes for an interesting visit.

Science and Nature: The Addo Elephant Park, situated in a malaria-free area, is home to five of South Africa's seven habitat biomes. Visitors will be amazed at the variety of natural landscapes and wildlife species that can be experienced in one easily accessible destination. Within its borders, visitors can experience coastal islands, a marine reserve, valley bushveld thicket and the fynbos-covered Suurberg Mountains. An exciting development at Addo is the fact that it is now the only area in the world where Africa's Big Seven can be seen. Visitors can view the Big Five - the elephant, lion, rhino, leopard and buffalo, plus an extra Big Two - the Great White shark and whales! One of the largest active dunes in the world can be found at the Alexandria Dunefield, and can be reached by foot as part of the 2-day Alexandria Hiking Trail.

Entertainment: Depending on which time of the year they are in Addo, visitors can attend some interesting festivals. These include the Citrus Festival at the end of May, the Kirkwood Wildlife Festival at the end of June, the Addo Jazz Festival at the end of August, and the world-famous Addo Rose Festival which takes place mid-October.

Sport: Polo is played at weekends during the winter months at Addo Polo Club at Hermitage.

Did you know? The Addo Elephant Park is the third largest conservation area in South Africa.

Elephants at Addo Elephant National Park