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Posted on January 3, 2013 by admin in Day tours, Grahamstown, Port Alfred, Port Elizabeth.

An encounter with these amazing animals gives your heart a little race.  As these giants walk the fields of Addo they have been known to brush the vehicles.  They are so close that you could even touch them.

Not only will you see these large animals but also have an option of seeing the other big 5.

 

We depart from either Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth or Port Alfred at 9 am

The day is searching for these amazing pachyderms.  We will visit the Reptile and Raptor Centre and get to touch and feel these animals.  The rest of the day is spent looking for the big 5 that roam this amazing park

 

Tour includes: Park entrance fees, Reptile and Raptor centre gate fees, Guide, Transport and a light lunch.

Optional Extras: Schotia Tooth and Claw, Elephant Back Safari

 

 

Posted on January 3, 2013 by admin in 2 Day 1 night tours, Grahamstown, Port Alfred, Port Elizabeth.

A 2 day trip visiting the Addo Elephant park, a visit to the Daniel Cheetah Breeding Project, The Reptile and Raptor Centre.with options of riding Elephants and a visit to Schotia Reserve.

Picking you up from Port Elizabeth, Grahamstown or Port ALfred we head to Addo for a trip through the park looking for the big 5,  We head to Addo town and visit the Raptor and Reptile Centre.  Touching and Learning about snakes owls and other reptiles and birds of prey.

Once done with touching these animals we will head back into the park and search for the large herds of elephants and the other big 5.

 

Those who would like to take part in the Scothia Tooth and claw will do so.

We head to our accommodation and settle ourselves on a working citrus farm.  We prepare the dinner under an African sky.

The following day breakfast is served and visit the cheetah breeding project.  Here we get to touch a cheetah.  An education about these beautiful elegant feline creatures.

The rest of the day is spent at one of the other activities found in the area.

Included:  Dorm Accommodation (upgrade possible), Entrance fees into Addo Elephant Park, Reptile and Raptor Centre Daniel Cheetah Breeding Project, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Transport and Guide

 

Optional Extras: Addo Elephant Back Safaris, River Cruise, Schotia Tooth and Claw, Cheetah walk

 

At Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape, in the curve of the Secret River that flows only after hard rains, sits River Bend Lodge in all the upright colonial fashion and comfort of a blazered old Englishman enjoying a Sunday afternoon on his porch.

The five-star lodge has a honeymoon suite and seven other rooms in a circular layout around a spacious garden. Large trees create a peaceful space filled with the songs of a great variety of birds and the charming main building houses a dayroom with board games and a TV, a library for reading and wine-tasting evenings, a lounge, a classic dining room and a sprawling stoep, from which you can stare out over a plain that ends at the Zuurberg Mountains on the horizon.

Weekends here are easily filled with private morning game drives, walks with giraffes, photography workshops, high tea, evening game drives with nightcaps, wine tastings and exceptionally good meals and the conversations they induce.

A stay at River Bend Lodge is made even more memorable by the magical meals conjured up by the chef, who describes the creations as a modern interpretation of familiar flavours. My favourites were the parma ham, crispy egg, pea mousse with truffle dressing starter, the main dish of African spiced saddle of lamb bredie with roasted red pepper and cumin sauce and for dessert an almond clafoutis, vanilla streusel, confit of yellow peach and vanilla ice cream.

The guides on the game drives are loaded with interesting information. The lodge is exclusive and comes with five-star benefits such as turn-down and room service, private dinners on request and nannies for kids (with prior notice).

Summers on the stoep comfortably become winters in front of the lounge fireplace and, overall, the lodge offers a great escape and the food alone is worth the price of the stay.

The lodge has a fenced swimming pool. Kids of all ages are welcome and there is a dedicated play area. The lodge isn’t wheelchair or pet friendly.

River Bend Lodge

From R2 800 a person a night sharing, including all meals, game drives and a walk with giraffes (drinks excluded). Special rates for kids.

Tel 042-233-8000, reservations@riverbendlodge.co.za, www.riverbendlodge.co.za.

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River Bend Lodge is a mere 55 minutes’ drive from Port Elizabeth and is an ideal malaria-free safari addition to a Garden Route holiday. Personalised game drives are led by enthusiastic and experienced guides, who will ensure you have a truly memorable safari experience. Article source: http://riverbendaddo.blogspot.com/2012/12/festive-season-greetings-from-river.html

Port Elizabeth Budget Accommodation

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!– google_ad_client = “pub-8982229653008092″; google_ad_slot = “2158176860″; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; //– Our beautiful Tiger dog is no longer with us as of today. He has been unwell for just a few days after spending a wonderful holiday with my mum who has loved him and looked after him so well while we […]

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Article source: http://budget-accommodation-port-elizabeth.com/budget-accommodation-port-elizabeth-day-135-addo-elephant/

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!– google_ad_client = “pub-8982229653008092″; google_ad_slot = “2158176860″; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; //– Our beautiful Tiger dog is no longer with us as of today. He has been unwell for just a few days after spending a wonderful holiday with my mum who has loved him and looked after him so well while we […]

Port Elizabeth Budget Accommodation

Go to:My Addo

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The Addo Elephant Images of elephant have stayed with me since my post of last week and sparked by Buzzerbeezz, who highlighted a wildlife sanctuary for orangutans,  i’d like to pay tribute to these regal creatures and the conservation work of the Addo Elephant Park. On this particular visit there had been a lack of rain […]

Port Elizabeth Budget Accommodation

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Article source: http://budget-accommodation-port-elizabeth.com/the-addo-elephant-nature-on-the-edge/

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!– google_ad_client = “pub-8982229653008092″; google_ad_slot = “2158176860″; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; //– !– google_ad_client = “pub-8982229653008092?; google_ad_slot = “2158176860?; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; //– It was a clear warm day with no wind that greeted us this morning. In fact, I was positively hot for a while. We left Mossel Bay […]

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Now this is a journey that has only one final destination: Eternal life. We often do not understand normal life. Then, as soon as we cope with it a curveball is thrown. This especially, blows your mind. In my case, it was literally. Monday, 21 May 2012, changed my life. A normal workingday ended with […]

Port Elizabeth Budget Accommodation

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Now this is a journey that has only one final destination: Eternal life.

We often do not understand normal life. Then, as soon as we cope with it a curveball is thrown. This especially, blows your mind. In my case, it was literally.

Monday, 21 May 2012, changed my life. A normal workingday ended with 10 days in hospital, immediate brain surgery, and now 6 weeks to sit,walk and talk again. Trying times, but oppertunity for improvements and lifestyle choices.

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!– google_ad_client = “pub-8982229653008092″; google_ad_slot = “2158176860″; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; //– It was a clear warm day with no wind that greeted us this morning. In fact, I was positively hot for a while. We left Mossel Bay and headed towards Plettenberg Bay. The drive was beautiful. You really know why it […]

Port Elizabeth Budget Accommodation

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After a nice self-catered breakfast on the backpacker’s patio, we motored to the gate and collected our maps of the park, complete with a checklist of the animals we hoped to see. No more than a few minutes passed before we started to spot the wildlife.

Tons of Warthogs were munching on vegetation, while a Black-backed Jackal was simply chilling out. My old friend, the Ostrich, was soon seen, as were the pretty yellow Weaver birds when we stopped at the first watering hole. John was very adept at identifying each animal or bird and sharing a quick fact about them.

When you’re in a park with wild Lions, Leopards, Black Rhinos, Cape Buffalo, and hundreds of African Elephants (The Big 5), it makes sense that you don’t get out of your car except for a few signposted occasions. The skeletal remains of male Kudus (antelope-type animal with long twisted horns) below us near the watering hole were a good reminder of why exiting your car is also at your own risk!

As we continued onward, John navigating his way through the loops and criss-crossing paved and dirt roads of the park’s northern territory, we spotted Jackal Buzzards perched atop bushes and Vervet Monkeys running around on the ground. A little after 8am, we spotted a bunch of Cape Buffalo, our first of the big five animals.

We also began to see lots of similar animals to the Kudu, including Red Hartebeests, Bushbucks, and Elands. Same same, but different. By late morning, we were getting anxious to see some elephants, although any one of us would have passed on the pachyderms for the chance to see lions or leopards.

Yvonne spotted the first elephant of the day, off on a distant hill. To the naked eye, it appeared as a grey outline against the green and dark browns of the landscape. Using the binoculars I picked up in Hermanus, you could see more detail, including the tusks. We were all excited to have seen a wild elephant, our second of the big five animals. And John assured us they start to pop up everywhere once you see one.

Sure enough, we drove a little further to another watering hole and saw tons of elephants, and what appeared to be a small parking lot of cars and safari trucks quite close to the action. Now we were REALLY excited! John maneuvered us into a good spot and turned off the engine. We sat and watched the behavior for about 15 minutes.

Males tested males, little ones chased away the warthogs in the area, babies nursed from moms, they rolled around in the mud to cool off, and had noticeable trouble lifting themselves up and out of the muddy embankments. About 3 of the 6 families were at the watering hole. The park has about 450 elephants, and with some of the older males off on their own, it meant each family must’ve held about 50-60 elephants.

We started to follow the ones wandering away from the watering hole, watching them cross the road just a few meters from our truck. After they get muddy, they spray themselves with dry dirt which helps to clean the parasites off of them. We stopped at another watering hole where an area protected by electrified fence allows you to get out of your vehicle and walk to a viewing point behind a wooden fence.

After the toilets were used, we returned to find a lone Cape Buffalo hanging out in the water. And then it was back to the most active watering hole where we watched a new family of elephants arrive from over a nearby hill. Watching them in the wild, marching along in a group, is fascinating. It made me glad I didn’t decide to skip the park (thinking elephants were boring). I was learning to appreciate the whole experience, and all the animals, not just the carnivorous cats we hoped to see.

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Categories: South Africa

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It was a clear warm day with no wind that greeted us this morning. In fact, I was positively hot for a while. We left Mossel Bay and headed towards Plettenberg Bay. The drive was beautiful. You really know why it is called the garden route when you drive around this magical place. The green […]

Port Elizabeth Budget Accommodation

Go to:My Addo

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While Kruger National Park was the out-and-out winner for your favourite park in South Africa, here are the runners-up.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape

There are few other protected areas in Southern Africa that can match Kgalagadi’s size, sense of wilderness and range of accommodation options. Spread across two national parks in South Africa (9 591 square kilometres) and Botswana (28 400 square kilometres), this cross-border conservation area is larger than most small countries. Contained within it are Southern Africa’s last migrating herds of springbok, as well as hundreds of wildebeest and eland and large indigenous lion and cheetah populations.

‘The palette of natural colours Kgalagadi has to offer is a photographer’s dream,’ adds Capetonian reader Anton Lotz of the park set within the Kalahari Desert, a three-hour drive north of Upington. Its landscape is defined by endless dunes, which are fixed in position by the vegetation despite strong prevailing August winds. Cutting through these dune fields are two ephemeral rivers – the Auob and the Nossob – which flow only every few decades when rainfall is particularly good. The two main roads follow these dry riverbeds, as do most of the animals, which congregate around 120 manmade waterholes tapping into ground-water reserves more than 50 metres below. Along with fences on the western and southern borders of the park, these boreholes are people’s only real influence in this massive conservation area; the rest of the park’s ecological system operates pretty much unhindered, as it has done for tens of thousands of years.

Another reason Anton and others love Kgalagadi is that it’s less well known than some other parks. ‘The wildlife experiences are more intimate and the enjoyment of nature more personal.’

It’s one of Africa’s last great wilderness areas, yet visitors can choose from a variety of comfortable accommodation options, including eight small, unfenced wilderness camps (each with eight fully equipped self-catering chalets), as well as campsites and chalets at the three larger camps of Twee Rivieren, Nossob and Mata-Mata. Privately owned !Xaus Lodge is a communityrun luxury concession in the southwest of the park.

Top tip:
Visit in November or December. Although temperatures are high, the first thunderstorms would have transformed the semi-arid landscape into a wonderland of life. You’ll also miss the busy winter season and get a 30 per cent discount if you visit between 1 November and 15 December.

Top activity:
A morning walk with a ranger at Twee Rivieren, Nossob or Mata-Mata gives you a chance to stretch your legs and learn about the survival strategies of plants and animals.

Top accommodation:
Get away from the busy southern region and head to the wilderness camps of Grootkolk or Gharagab, near Union’s End on the Namibian border.

Contact and prices:
Tel 054-561-2000, email reservations@sanparks.org, www.sanparks.org. Accomodation rates in the park range from R170 for a campsite to R1 135 for a wilderness camp chalet (sleeping two people) and R1 600 a person a night sharing at !Xaus.

Richtersveld, Northern Cape

The desert mountains and vast valleys on the southern border of Namibia may be South Africa’s most inaccessible wilderness area, and it’s a magnet for seasoned 4x4ers and self-sufficient nature lovers who enjoy stark yet stunning landscapes.

The Richtersveld is part of the greater |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, which covers more than 6 000 square kilometres of conserved land across southern Namibia and northwestern South Africa. About 27 per cent of this area – 1 600 square kilometres – makes up the South African portion, through which the Orange River runs like a vein of coolness, bringing much-needed relief to visitors. At night, silence reigns supreme as the sparkling stars twist in a dreamy circle above your campfire.

Don’t come here expecting to see wildlife, although incredibly there are some hardy residents such as klipspringer, gemsbok, Hartmann’s zebra and leopard. Rather, the rewards of the Richtersveld lie in its utter remoteness and imposing atmosphere. Out here you’re truly very small and, more than most other national parks, this cathedral of nature imparts a sense of wonder that is hidden by the humdrum of modern life. Marie van Rensburg of Gordon’s Bay says, ‘I love the barren, wide-open spaces, the loneliness, the absolute silence and the unique plants.’

The Richtersveld contains some of the rarest desert flora, including the three species of quiver tree which have adapted to handle searing summer temperatures, minimal rainfall and cold winter nights. The region to the south of the park was declared a World Heritage Site in 2007 because of its botanical and cultural significance, and there are plans to eventually include the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park itself, which is also South Africa’s first national park to be owned by the local community (South African National Parks rent the land). Visitors are often surprised to see Nama shepherds, the last nomadic people in the country, moving their goats through the park.

The campsites at Sendelingsdrif, Potjiespram, De Hoop, Richtersburg (all on the Orange River) and inland at Kokerboomkloof are basic, with communal ablutions. For those wanting a bed and kitchen, there are fully equipped selfcatering chalets at the park entrance of Sendelingsdrif, and at the wilderness camps of Tatasberg and Gannakouriep.

Top tip:
Visitors should come fully prepared with all the food, water, camping equipment and first-aid kit they need. Once inside the park, there’s no cellphone reception and a few kilometres of rocky jeep track can take several hours to traverse. The summer heat reaches 45° Celsius in the shade, so most visitors prefer to travel between April and October.

Top activity:
There are no guided walks or game drives in the Richtersveld, but this is part of its charm. Visitors are free to explore where they wish and it can feel as if you have the park to yourself. One of the best day hikes, albeit strenuous, is to the top of Tatasberg, a mountain of boulders that gives mind-bending views over the whole region. Ask the ranger at Tatasberg Wilderness Camp for directions to the start of the hike and remember to take water, snacks, sunscreen, a hat and a GPS unit.

Top accommodation:
Although camping is the best way to appreciate the essence of the Richtersveld, rustic Tatasberg gives visitors the chance to dust off and freshen up; there are five rustic two-bed chalets, each with a kitchen and bathroom.

Contact and prices:
Tel 027-831-1506, email reservations@sanparks.org, www.sanparks.org. Accommodation rates in the park range from R180 for a campsite to R665 a night for a two-sleeper chalet.

Pilanesberg Game Reserve, North West

For Highveld desk slaves, the Pilanesberg offers an ideal weekend bush break: it’s a two-hour drive from Johannesburg, malaria-free, and offers a range of accommodation from affordable family-friendly self-catering to luxury lodges.

Pilanesberg fan, reader Amelia Byrne of Durban says, ‘The wildlife is fairly used to vehicles and because it’s not a huge reserve, the game is concentrated, so you can see a lot. You can easily spend a week there.’ Big Five sightings are frequent. Because of this and the amazing panoramas, Pilanesberg is a delight for photographers and point-andshoot happy snappers.

Most recently, wild dogs have made the wilderness area their new home and sightings have been common. (In the past few years they have stayed along the fence, only rarely being seen.) Also watch out for less common species such as brown hyena and sable.

Pilanesberg is home to more than 350 species of birds, because of large dams such as Mankwe, making it something of a twitcher’s paradise.

Top tip:
Keen birders and photographers should be sure to spend a few hours at one of the seven hides within the park. East-facing Mankwe, Ruighoek and Malatse boast beautiful afternoon light, while Rathlogo is equally as striking in the morning light.

Top activity:
If heights don’t make you queasy, take a hot-air balloon flight over the park at sunrise. For queries and bookings, email adventures@pilanesberggamereserve.com.

Top accommodation:
Bakgatla and Manyane have campsites and chalets available in the south and southeastern parts of the park, close to Sun City. You can also choose to get away from the crowds (Pilanesberg is particularly busy over long weekends) by visiting the more remote lodges, luxurious Shepherd’s Tree Game Lodge and the Black Rhino Reserve, which are both situated in an exclusive-use zone in the northwestern portion of the reserve.

Contact and prices:
Accommodation rates in the park range from R150 a campsite a night to R1 300 for two-sleeper chalets to R2 250 a person a night at a luxury lodge. For information on various accommodation and activity options in the reserve, go to www.pilanesberggamereserve.com.

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal

One of the three oldest protected areas in Africa, the amalgamated provincial parks of Hluhluwe and iMfolozi were proclaimed in 1897 to protect the last 50-odd white rhino left on Earth, survivors from the butchery of colonial hunters who wiped out several hundred thousand in less than a century.

Most visitors today will find it hard to believe that rhinos were – or are – in any danger of extinction; Hluhluwe-iMfolozi has such large populations of white rhino, you’re almost guaranteed to see them.

There’s so much more to this park than rhinos, though. Lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog are often spotted preying on impala, nyala and kudu, which thrive in the hills and valleys of northern Zululand. Elephants, once hunted to local extinction, were reintroduced in the 1980s from Kruger National Park and today there are more than 600.

At 90 000 hectares, it’s a relatively small park but hugely diverse in habitats. The Hluhluwe section comprises dense scarp forest on hills at an altitude of 500 metres, while nearby in Imfolozi, the rolling grasslands and bushveld alongside the White Umfolozi River are just 60 metres above sea level.

It’s also among the most accessible of South Africa’s Big Five reserves. ‘I live in Pietermaritzburg,’ says reader Simone Gray, ‘so Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is only a three-hour drive away. There seems to be fewer tourists compared to, say, Kruger, so game-viewing doesn’t become a competition.’

Top tip:
Despite being a relatively small park, HluhluweiMfolozi’s diversity means visitors should spend at least a week here. Any shorter and you’re bound to leave feeling like you should have stayed longer.

Top activity:
A wilderness trail offers unparalleled experiences of South Africa’s wildlife heritage. Lasting two to five days, the trails in the iMfolozi section are guided by an experienced, armed ranger, who imparts his knowledge to hikers. Be prepared for a life-changing adventure; sleeping under the stars, walking alongside wild animals and listening to lions roar while keeping watch around the camp fire will recalibrate your spiritual compass. The four-night Primitive Trail costs R2 770 a person, including food.

Top accommodation:
Hilltop Camp in Hluhluwe has a range of rondavels, bungalows and luxury chalets, as well as perhaps the best restaurant of all parks and reserves in the country, with views on a clear day to Lake St Lucia on the Indian Ocean coast. The unfenced Mpila Camp in iMfolozi is more rustic and caters for the purist bush lover (while braaing at night watch out for lion, hyena and leopard on the edges of camp, but during the day you’re more likely to get a visit from nyala, zebra or impala).

Contact and prices:
Tel 033-845-1000, email bookings@kznwildlife.com, www.kznwildlife.com. Accommodation rates in the park start at R385 a person a night for a two-sleeper selfcatering chalet at Mpila and go to R5 400 for the exclusive Gqoyeni Bush Lodge, which sleeps eight.

Addo Elephant National Park, Eastern Cape

Reader Nigel Roach of Bedfordview loves Addo because it offers ‘an abundance of unforgettable experiences every few kilometres’ and one of these has to be close encounters with the majestic pachyderms that give the park its name.

Originally established in 1931 to protect the last few elephants of the Eastern Cape region, one of only three remaining indigenous populations of elephants in South Africa, Addo has expanded considerably and today is one of the country’s most diverse, both in terms of wildlife and scenery.

The Nama karoo scrubland of the Darlington section in the north of the park is a good place to spot black rhino; further south are the fynbos-clad mountains of the Kabouga and Zuurberg sections, with a beautiful 4×4 route, guided horseriding trails and breathtaking views.

But it’s in the subtropical thickets of the main section where most of the wildlife can be seen, including elephant, lion, buffalo, hyena and black and white rhino. At the southern end of the park, huge coastal dune fields contrast with the emerald temperate forest and pale-blue Indian Ocean. A marine protected area includes the largest Cape gannet colony in the world on Bird Island, while one of the largest breeding colonies of African penguins can be found on St Croix island.

Wildlife purists may be frustrated by the lack of ‘wildness’, but Addo needs to be seen in context. Surrounded by agriculture and towns, including Port Elizabeth just an hour’s drive to the southwest, the park is perhaps the most accessible, authentic Big Five destination in South Africa and is a rewarding stopover for the traveller visiting the nearby Garden Route. It’s also one of the few protected areas in Africa that con-serves both elephants and whales, the most common being the southern right.

Accommodation is equally diverse, ranging from the small, remote and rustic Narina Bush Camp in the Zuurberg section and traditional chalets at Addo Rest Camp, to the luxury of the privately run Gorah Elephant Camp and finally the Langebos Hiking Hut on the two-day Alexandria Hiking Trail in the south of the park.

Top tip:
To fully appreciate Addo, be sure to explore all its sections, starting in the dry northern Darlington section and ending on the dune fields in the southern Woody Cape section.

Top activity:
Unique among the national parks, you can explore the mountains of Zuurberg or spot the Big Five the main wildlife section on horseback.

Top accommodation:
While the chalets at Addo Rest Camp are comfortable and close to the main wildlife section, Narina Bush Camp along the Wit River is a wilder option, with just four two-bed tents and a boma for braaing.

Contact and prices:
Tel 042-233-8600, email reservations@sanparks.org, www.sanparks.org. Prices range from R190 for a campsite to R2 985 a night for the four-sleeper Hapoor Guest House.

Tankwa Karoo National Park, Western and Northern Cape

Capetonian Julie Velosa says, ‘Tankwa Karoo seems an unlikely place to love, considering it can be barren, dry and dusty in summer. However, therein lies its charm. As you enter the region, you lose cell reception and you could be on another planet. The air is still and the silence is breathtaking. The night sky is ink-black, studded with more stars than you could think possible. No smog, no skyscrapers, no city noise…’

This relatively unknown yet increasingly popular park holds an indefinable charm belying its starkness. Here you’ll find big skies, distant horizons and never-ending views. Freedom and space are in almost limitless supply and there are few places that rival its simplicity, serenity and silence.

Named after the seasonal Tankwa River in the south of the park, it lies in the valley between the Cederberg mountains and the Great Karoo escarpment and incorporates three distinct biomes: pure desert in the west, open grasslands in the centre and the Roggeveld mountains in the east.

The park was proclaimed in 1986, but wasn’t opened to the public for 20 years, giving the veld time to recuperate from a century of overgrazing by livestock. Today it’s more than 140 000 hectares and famous among botanists for its endemic succulent plants – about 70 per cent of the region’s plants are found nowhere else in the world. In July and August, early winter rains add vitality to the arid landscape, which bursts into a kaleidoscopic carpet of spring flowers rivalling the more famous Namaqualand.

Animals are few and far between because of the arid climate, but thanks to the low-growing vegetation and endless vistas, visitors are able to see herds of springbok, hartebeest and gemsbok, while kudu can be found in the kloofs of the Roggeveld mountains.

Top tip:
Spring flowers seem to arrive here a few weeks before those in Namaqualand, so if you’re a flower fan visit in late July, when the arid veld turns into a palette of colour.

Top activity:
The 4×4 route to the top of Elandsberg will reward with a panoramic view incorporating the Cederberg, a vast valley of table-topped koppies and the start of the Great Karoo’s escarpment.

Top accommodation:
All the places to stay here are sensitively situated and designed. The old farmhouses have been restored to their former glory and the superlative Elandsberg Wilderness Camp is among the finest in the SanParks system.

Contact and prices:
Tel 027-341-1927, email reservations@sanparks.org, www.sanparks.org. Prices range from R95 for camping to R1 185 for the four-sleeper family cottage at Elandsberg.

Garden Route National Park, Western and Eastern Cape

The Garden Route National Park works its magic on everyone who visits what is arguably the country’s most photogenic protected area. Stretched 150 kilometres along the temperate Southern Cape coast, between the town of Wilderness in the west and the Groot River in the east, this rather fragmented area is an amalgamation of the former Wilderness, Knysna and Tsitsikamma parks. Reader Daniella Hayman of Cape Town says, ‘Every time we go we experience new things. We enjoy lounging on the beaches but also the tranquil forests. It’s the perfect weekend escape.’

There is so much to admire: the thick, luminous green jungle around Knysna, where 50-metre high, 1 000-yearold yellowwood trees stand guard over the biggest tract of indigenous forest in the country and where the last freeroaming, unfenced, wild elephants in South Africa survive (recent studies suggest there could be five remaining). Despite the pressures of urban development, the Knysna Estuary is still among the most important – and beautiful – in the country, providing a crucial nursery for ocean fish.

In Wilderness, bird lovers will find joy on the coastal lakes of Langvlei, Rondevlei and Swartvlei: these sustain the highest number and concentration of waterbird species on the Cape’s southern and east coasts. If you stay at the Ebb Flow Rest Camp, be sure to paddle up the forested Touw River Gorge, and keep your eyes peeled for the scarlet flashes of Knysna turacos.

The Tsitsikamma coastal forest and the adjoining marine protected area (the oldest in the country, declared in 1964) is the dreamscape through which hikers on the famous Otter Trail saunter (or suffer). The rewards far outweigh the efforts, though; hikers sleep in spectacularly positioned huts and the sea views are more marvellous than fiction. Visit the Storms River Rest Camp and restaurant if you want an easier way to appreciate the natural beauty and the walk over the suspension bridge at the river’s mouth is not to be missed.

Top tip:
It’s impossible to do everything on offer in this national park, but visit the following places to get a good sense of what it entails: the restaurant at the Storms River Mouth, the elephant museum at Diepwalle in the Knysna forest and the Touw River Gorge where you can kayak from Ebb Flow Rest Camp.

Top activity:
There are so many worth mentioning, including walking and mountain-biking in the Knysna forests, paddling up the Touw River Gorge with Eden Adventures (www.eden.co.za), exploring the languid Storms River with Untouched Adventures (www.untouchedadventures.com), birding on the lakes, sunset cruising on the Knsyna Estuary, or paragliding with Cloudbase www.cloudbase-paragliding.co.za). Still, the Otter Trail takes the cake; it must be done by everyone at least once in their lives.

Top accommodation:
Ebb Flow and Storms River rest camps are among the most popular in all national parks, as both are spectacularly situated, but to get away from the masses stay at either the luxurious, isolated Knysna Tree Top Forest Chalet in the Harkerville Forest, or the rustic Diepwalle camping decks in the forest north of Knysna.

Contact and prices:
Tel 044-302-5600, email reservations@sanparks.org, www.sanparks.org. Prices range from R180 for a campsite at Nature’s Valley to R2 565 for the four-bed guest cottages at Storms River Mouth Rest Camp.

Text by Scott Ramsay and Kerry de Bruyn. Photos by Jazz Kuschke, Alison Westwood.

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Tags: Addo Elephant National Park, Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, Eastern Cape, Garden Route National Park, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, KwaZulu-Natal, Namibia, National Parks, Northern Cape, Pilanesberg Game Reserve, Readers’ national parks, Richtersveld, Tankwa Karoo National Park

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The Addo Elephant Images of elephant have stayed with me since my post of last week and sparked by Buzzerbeezz, who highlighted a wildlife sanctuary for orangutans,  i’d like to pay tribute to these regal creatures and the conservation work of the Addo Elephant Park. On this particular visit there had been a lack of rain […]

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Our beautiful Tiger dog is no longer with us as of today. He has been unwell for just a few days after spending a wonderful holiday with my mum who has loved him and looked after him so well while we have been away. It has been a day of sadness and tears for the […]

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River Bend Lodge is a mere 55 minutes’ drive from Port Elizabeth and is an ideal malaria-free safari addition to a Garden Route holiday. Personalised game drives are led by enthusiastic and experienced guides, who will ensure you have a truly memorable safari experience.

Elephant twins do exist. Although very rare in nature, they have been recorded a number of times.
There are a few records of twins being born to Asian elephants in Thailand and Nepal. Their African counterparts in Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape of South Africa have had three sets of twins, with the latest being in 2005, and Amboseli National Park in Kenya had a pair born in the 1970’s.

One can see clearly how these two youngsters are pretty much identical in size

Elephant calves weigh around 100kg when born. Although twins would possibly be individually lighter at birth, they would nevertheless need a great deal of milk from their mother. The energy demands placed upon the female would make it unlikely, or at least less likely, that both calves would survive, since competition would be intense. It is possible therefore that more sets of twins are born in the wild, but in large wildlife areas such as the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park and surrounds, if one of the two calves does not make it to 6 months old, the occurence may well go unnoticed if the herd is not coming into contact with people that often.

Both calves were still relatively young, probably less than 6 months old.

A few days ago, we came upon a very large herd of elephants close to the Londolozi Camps. Within the herd was a pair of very small calves, both of identical size, both vying for suckling rights from the same adult female.

The youngsters compete for the same teat.

Knowing the rarity of twins among elephants, I was immediately sceptical of the possibility that this was what we were seeing. Why should it not be though?
If the pair were not twins, what would be the explanation? Had the mother of one died and had it now latched on to a foster mother? Maybe, although it seems highly coincidental that both youngsters were exactly the same size. Also, elephants have no real natural enemies, so if the mother had died, what had killed her? Old age? Elephant cows typically give birth up until around 50 years old, and live to around 60, so again, it is unlikely that a mother of such a young calf did infact die.

One of the calves flaps its ears in agitation, competing with what may well be its twin.

If they are indeed twins, it would be wonderful if both these calves survived.

I would dearly love to believe that we witnessed Londolozi’s first recorded set of elephant twins. Unfortunately, without conducting DNA tests, it will be impossible to know for sure.

I’ll leave it up to you to decide? Twins? Or not….

The two youngsters with their little legs try to keep up with the adults.

Written and Photographed by James Tyrrell

11th December 2012 at 8:36 am

nice composition, toning and conversion here Mario…

It was a clear warm day with no wind that greeted us this morning. In fact, I was positively hot for a while. We left Mossel Bay and headed towards Plettenberg Bay. The drive was beautiful. You really know why it is called the garden route when you drive around this magical place. The green bush,the wildflowers, the mountains and the sea, just beautiful!

We stopped at the caravan park in Plettenberg Bay and met up with some of the Hops family who were busy dealing with in the influx of matrix students. What a spectacular spot with 180 degree views of the bay. Our plan is to go back and spend a couple of days there before flying home.

The drive along the edge of the Tsitsikamma National Park was one beautiful spot after the next. The road crosses some deep ravines and bungee jumping happens off one of the bridges. We stopped and watched a few of the nutcases diving off a perfectly good bridge. Jordan and Brady are seriously considering having a go on the way back.

We arrived at Addo Elephant Park late in the afternoon and set up camp with a great view of the waterhole and a pile of kudu wandering around on the hill. As the sun was going down we settled into the hide and were soon rewarded with a fantastic view of a couple of families of elephants that came right up close for a drink. There were some tiny babies which were very cute but the one that made us laugh a lot was the ‘teenager’ who was swinging its trunk around like a Hulu hoop.

Our beautiful Tiger dog is no longer with us as of today. He has been unwell for just a few days after spending a wonderful holiday with my mum who has loved him and looked after him so well while we have been away. It has been a day of sadness and tears for the loss of a very special part of our family.

We were lucky to be able to spend the day close together while we drove around the Addo Elephant Park. Tears were intermingled with laughs and enjoyment of the animals. We left a big pile of luggage locked in our sausage tent and spent the whole day driving around enjoying the never ending opportunities to see elephants. We sat at the edge of a dam for ages and watched herd after herd come running (literally running) down the hill for a drink and in some cases a swim too… Or at least some mud throwing. You then drive around the corner to another dam or mud bath and see another massive group of them. At one dam we saw a heap of them swimming and climbing on top of each other in the water. This was some of the best elephant viewing we have had in Africa. Apart from elephant we saw buffalo, zebra, baboons, monkeys, warthog, jackal, kudu, eland, red hartebeest, ostrich, lions, meerkats, masses of tortoises and oh, did I say elephants!!! The tortoises were particularly amusing and we watched a couple sprinting across an open plain, one appeared to be chasing the other. The meerkats too, were running flat out across the grass with their tails in the air. We also saw one perched right on top of this bush / tree playing lookout while the others dug about under the tree.

The bush and the views were also stunning and in some places there were masses of flowers, lots of yellow, some pink, purple, and blue. The bush was quite thick and tall and we probably drove past a mass of other animals. When you sit at the camp and watch the hill and waterhole, you see all sorts popping in and out of the bushes.

In the evening we sat and watched some comings and goings from the lookout platform and after some dinner we headed back to the tent and were lucky enough to see a rhinoceros coming down the hill for a drink. The camp has low lighting over the waterhole and so we could see quite well even though it was dark.

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Day 4 (17 Nov) of our tour took us from Prince Albert via Meiringspoort, the quaint towns of De Rust, Willlowmore and Steytlerville to Addo Elephant Park where we stay 3 nights. Meiringspoort Waterfall Meiringspoort is another spectacular road (13km) through the Swartberg. A highlight is the 55m waterfall that plunges in a crystal clear […]

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!– google_ad_client = “pub-8982229653008092″; google_ad_slot = “2158176860″; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; //– !– google_ad_client = “pub-8982229653008092?; google_ad_slot = “2158176860?; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60; //– Published: November 4th 2012Africa » South Africa » Eastern Cape » Addo Elephant National ParkAugust 10th 2012 Elephants at AddoAfter leaving Shamwari, we made the short drive to Addo Elephant […]

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I am not really interested in following the politicking behind sports (in fact it is the main reason I do not watch sport), but it seems to me that the Western Cape Trail Running body in the Western Cape has been ineffectual in that it seems that decisions are being made autonomously by the ASA which if I am not mistaken it set out to prevent in the first place. So we see the Addo Elephant Trail Run selected (or maybe it was just pulled out of a hat) as the “national championship” event. That being said, it is a vast improvement from the last time athletes were chosen to represent South Africa in trail running, which was possibly the main reason many people felt that some regulation was necessary in the sport in the first place.

Where: near Kirkwood, Eastern Cape (about 78km from Port Elizabeth)
When: 06h00, Saturday 02 March 2013
Website: www.extrememarathons.com
Facebook: Addo Elephant Trail Run
Twitter: @ExtremeMarathon

Some info from the communication:

“We are excited to report a first tangible step in the process of creating a national structure for trail running in South Africa by announcing our first ever national championship.

Event: South African Ultra Trail Championships

Category: Ultra distance (50km – 80km)

Race: Addo Elephant Trail Run

Distance: 76km

Entries for this event have already opened and all prospecting runners are invited to enter at www.extrememarathons.com. Please note that the event will be organized by the existing owners under their rules, as in the past, and that all runners at the event will be treated equally. It is the runner’s full responsibility to enter, arrange transport and get accommodation. Please enter quickly, because the event can only take 300 entries.

This event will be used to select the national team to represent South Africa at the IAU World Trail Championships in Wales on 6 7 July 2013.”

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