Addo calling

Addo Elephant National Park is popular for a reason: encountering an ellie is highly likely. Here's what you can expect in a small section of this well liked reserve.

- Cyril Klopper

The Addo Elephant National Park is made up of eight sections, with the Addo Main Camp taking centre stage for tourists. This section boasts a road network of 124 km, predominantly dirt roads, that you are free to explore in your own vehicle at your own pace.

Roughly 2 km before you reach the Matyholweni Gate near the small town of Colchester in the Eastern Cape, a sign warns you that caravans, trucks and buses aren't allowed through this gate. Large motorhomes and caravans must, therefore, use the park's main gate to the north. However, you may enter with a bush trailer or a smallish 4x4 caravan at this gate the specifics on size and offroad capability remain ambiguous.

Barely 4 km past the gate, you'll find the Ndlovu lookout point where you can (at your own risk) exit your vehicle. The landscape around you is fairly flat with dense bush, so the chance of spotting wildlife here is slim. This is followed by the 4,6 km long Mbotyi loop, initially also surrounded by bush, but eventually opens up into a beautiful grassland where herds of zebras and families of warthogs frolic.

Next up is the 4 km Vukani loop, where the grass remains short enough for you to even spot smaller wildlife.

Then, we tackle the Ngulube loop (10,4 km) that winds through the park's hills, particularly in the upper half of this circular route. You're almost guaranteed to encounter elephants at the Ngulube watering hole.