Diana Petterson African Continent, South Africa

South Africa: Addo Wildlife Park

We’re all back to setting up our tents and sleeping on the ground at our campsite in the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. We left Cintsa, South Africa, at 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning for the Addo wildlife conservation park.

Addo, one of South Africa’s 19 national parks, was created in 1931 to protect the region’s eleven remaining elephants. Today there are over 450 elephants in the park, as well as Cape buffalo, black rhinos, all kinds of antelopes and even the flightless dung beetle which is unique to the park.

After setting up our tents late Sunday afternoon, we took a game drive through the park. A smaller game reserve park than Krueger National Park, Addo’s terrain is also different..much more greener with dense areas of foliage and open ranges for grazing. Although we spotted three lions, in the distance at Kruger, we got to see a lion at Addo that was much more close and personal…but not too close, along with elephants, zebras and more.

Here’s the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. Next is the Tsitsikamma National Park in South Africa.

I haven’t set up a tent in seven days and this time, I had no Julia…my former tent mate…to help me. Thankfully Alexis and Gunnar pitched in and we were all able to get our tents set up at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa before heading out on an afternoon game drive. (Oct. 14, 2018)
The Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa nature reserve. (Oct. 14, 2018)
We spotted a host of these gorgeous Zebras at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 14, 2018)
The watering hole at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 14, 2018)
A male elephant enjoying an early dinner in the dense foliage of the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 14, 2018)
The open range of the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 14, 2018)
A male lion chilling on the open range of the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. We were close enough to get some wonderful photos of this exquisite animal. (Oct. 14, 2018)
The Red Hartebeest at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 14, 2018)
A family of elephants roaming the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 14, 2018)
There were plenty of sightings of Zebras at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 14, 2018)
More of the gorgeous Zebras at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 14, 2018)
Our camp site dinner gathering as the sun set Sunday evening at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 14, 2018)
Here we are gathering around the table to help ourselves to Meshack, our Intrepid guide and chef’s, delicious cooking at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 14, 2018)
I wasn’t sure about the food at the camp sites but Meshack, our Intrepid guide and chef, has made the most delicious, varied meals that would fill any camper’s stomach…including mine. For dinner, we had grilled or BBQ pork, a tasty salad and garlic bread. There was also the traditional South African pap, a white maize, which I did not get. (Oct. 14, 2018)
Sunrise Monday morning and we’re on the bus doing a morning game drive before taking down our tents, having breakfast and heading off to our next destination of Tsitsikamma National Park in South Africa for the next two days. (Oct. 15, 2018)
A field of green trees, bushes and shrubs at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa and in the middle is this white thorn-like tree. (Oct. 15, 2018)
A close-up to the white thorn-looking trees that dot the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 15, 2018)
A kudu making its way back into the dense foliage of the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 15, 2018)
Strolling across the road while everyone stops at attention is this male lion at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 15, 2018)
A quick moving hyena heading into the dense foliage at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 15, 2018)
I look like a truly rugged outdoors woman, well let me assure you, looks are deceiving. But I am warm and comfortable. When I was researching what clothes and other items to bring for this trip, I had to piece together information from various sites. So, once I get home, I’m putting together a list of what mature women need when traveling through South Africa. And, I also have a confession to make, I slept in these exact clothes Sunday night because I knew we would be leaving at 5:30 Monday morning for this game drive. So, maybe I do qualify as a rugged outdoors woman after all. (Oct. 15, 2018)
Alexis and Gunnar getting their snaps in of this African or Cape Buffalo at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. A lone older buffalo, like this one, means he was kicked out of the herd by the younger bulls who are staking their claim. (Oct. 15, 2018)
The African or Cape Buffalo at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. (Oct. 15, 2018)
Before entering the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa there’s a sign for vehicles to not drive over the elephant dung in the road because the dung beetles roll the dung and use it as a food source or breeding chambers. This is a photo of Goodman, our Intrepid driver, trying to avoid the elephant dung on the road. (Oct. 15, 2018)
The dung beetles at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa are site the largest remaining population of the endangered flightless dung beetles. Many dung beetles roll the elephant dung into round balls, which are used as a food source or breeding chambers. (Oct. 15, 2018)