Addo Elephant National Park

Vital Information

Climate

The climate is temperate to hot and temperatures in summer (November to February) may reach over 40 degrees Celsius.

Winter days are mild but cold at night with frost occurring at times. The average annual rainfall is 450 millimetres and is spread throughout the year, although peaks do often occur in March/April and September/October. Read more

Day visitors

• No booking is required for a day visit, unless the visitor wants to partake in organised activities.
• Day visitors can make use of a wide variety of activities, including wildlife viewing from their own vehicle, guided game drives, horse rides, hiking trails, bird hide, the PPC Discovery Trail, picnic and braai site, shop and restaurant.
• Day trips can be made to the outlying sections of the park - the Zuurberg M***Please note that the swimming pool is for overnight visitors only.***ountains, the Darlington Dam and the coastal section.

Office and Gate hours

• Main Camp Reception is open from 07:00 to 19:00 daily
  Matyholweni Reception is open from 07:00 to 17:00 daily
• See How to get there for Gate Times

The gates are staffed by security guards after closing time. Visitors with accommodation bookings can still enter and exit the gate after closing times but before 22:00 provided they inform reception of this. After 22h00, there is no access into the Park as gates are closed.

Check-in and check-out times

• Check in time is 13:00 for all accommodation.
• Check out time is 10:00 for all accommodation. Check out time for campsites is 12:00.

Park Regulations

• To ensure a safe and joyful trip through our parks, kindly adhere to the Rules and Regulations as stipulated by South African National Parks.

Tips & Hints

• Swimming pool for overnight guests only.
• Hot days at waterholes are best for elephant viewing.
• Black rhino are most often sighted in the early evening.
• Lions and spotted hyenas are most often seen in the early morning or evening to night time.
• Pets are not allowed in national parks.
• Vehicle fuel is available in all parks (or is available on the park periphery) - South African legislation stipulates that fuel stations will accept legitimate petrol/fuel/garage/credit/debit cards or cash as a form of payment for any fuel purchase.
• Firearms are to be declared at reception where they will be sealed. The seal will be broken upon departure.
• No citrus fruits may be taken into the wildlife viewing area.
• What visitors need to take (preparation for the trip)
  • Bring along binoculars, camera, walking shoes and wildlife reference books.
  • Please note that guests need to provide their own tents and caravans for the camp and caravan sites, as well as their own vehicle for the 4x4 trail.
• Road maps of tourist routes within the park are available at the reception area. Various information sheets are available at reception.
• For summer (September – March), cool comfortable clothing is recommended along with sunhats and sun protection cream.
• For winter and autumn (April – August), warm clothing is recommended for the night times.
• Insect repellant is recommended, especially in summer.
• No immunisations are needed for travel to this park. The park is situated in a malaria-free area.

Emergencies

For emergencies within the park, contact Reception during office hours (07:00 - 19:00) on +27 (0) 42 233 8600 or the Manager on duty at any time (including after hours) on 082 471 0267.

• The nearest hospital and doctor are in Kirkwood, 35km from the park.
  Hospital Tel (after hours): +27 (0) 42 230 0406
  Doctor Tel (office hours): + 27 (0) 42 230 1082
• The nearest private hospital is in Port Elizabeth, 75km from the park
  Greenacres Hospital Tel: +27 (0) 41 390 7000
• The nearest police station is in Addo, 15km from the park
  Tel: +27 (0) 42 233 0314

Internal Road Network

Two loops of the tourist roads in the park are tarred while the others are graveled. The gravel roads are in good condition and can be accessed with a normal vehicle, but may be closed in very wet weather. The main entrance road into the park is tarred.

The southern access road links to Addo Main Camp to Camp Matyholweni. The distance from Camp Matyholweni to Addo Main Camp through the Park is 39km. The southern access road is not accessible to buses and caravans.

Vehicle Restrictions

Roads in the park are suitable for all vehicles. Open-top game viewer vehicles are only allowed by special permission of the Park Manager.

While travelling in the wildlife area, visitors must remain inside the vehicle at all times, except at the designated lookout points, where visitors exit their vehicle at their own risk.

Lost and found

For lost items, please contact Reception by telephone: +27 (0) 42 233 8600 or e-mail us.

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