One of the biggest advantages of visiting Addo Elephant National Park is that you don’t need to book an expensive guided safari to experience its wildlife.
Visitors can explore the park’s tourist roads in their own vehicles, with both tarred and gravel roads available in the main game-viewing area.
In fact, SANParks says all tourist roads are accessible to normal cars, although some gravel roads may close during particularly wet weather. The speed limit is 40km/h, but visitors are advised to travel at around 20–30km/h for the best game-viewing experience.
But with a network of loops, waterholes, dams and viewpoints, it helps to have an idea of where you want to go before setting off.
Here are some of the best routes and areas worth considering on a self-drive safari.
1. The Matyholweni–Main Camp route
If you’re entering Addo Elephant National Park from the Matyholweni Gate near Colchester, you can turn your journey into a game drive by taking the southern access road through the park to Main Camp.
SANParks puts the distance between Matyholweni and Main Camp at about 39km, with the journey taking roughly two hours, depending on stops and your speed while game viewing.
This is considerably slower than driving around the park, but that’s exactly the point. Instead of simply travelling to your accommodation, you’re already on a wildlife-viewing route.
Keep your eyes open for elephants, buffalo, zebra, warthog and antelope along the way.
The route is not suitable for cars towing caravans or trailers or for buses, so visitors with those vehicles need to use another entrance route.
2. The Hapoor waterhole area
For elephant lovers, the area around Hapoor waterhole should be high on the list. SANParks specifically recommends waterholes for elephant viewing, particularly on hot days.
The park’s tourist road map includes the Hapoor Dam and surrounding roads, making this an obvious area to explore when you’re looking for Addo’s famous elephants.
Don’t simply drive past a waterhole because there aren’t animals there immediately. Game viewing is about patience, and spending 10 or 15 minutes watching a waterhole can sometimes produce a much better sighting than covering another few kilometres.
3. The Zuurkop and Ndlondo area
Another section worth exploring around the main game-viewing area is the Zuurkop/Ndlondo section.
The tourist-road map includes the Ndlondo Loop and Zuurkop Lookout, along with several surrounding routes and waterholes.
A lookout point also gives you a chance to get out of the vehicle safely and stretch your legs while taking in the landscape. This is a good area to include when you have several hours rather than simply trying to drive from one gate to another.
4. The Gorah and Ngulube area
The Gorah Loop and Ngulube Loop are another option for visitors wanting to explore more of the main game area.
The park map shows both routes, along with Ngulube Waterhole, and the wider network connects with other game-viewing roads. This is the type of route where it’s worth slowing down rather than trying to cover as much ground as possible.
Addo Elephant National Park’s main game area is home to the Big Five, while also supporting species including red hartebeest, eland, kudu, zebra, warthog and spotted hyena.
5. The Marion Baree and Spekboom area
The roads around Marion Baree Waterhole and Spekboom are another option to add to a longer self-drive.
The park’s tourist map shows Marion Baree Waterhole, Spekboom Hide and Spekboom Tented Camp in this part of the game-viewing area.
The Spekboom area is also useful for visitors staying at the tented camp, although there is an important restriction: guests staying at Spekboom cannot join the sunrise, sunset or night drives departing from Main Camp because the game-area gates are closed.
6. The Vukani and Mbotyi loops
If you’ve already covered some of the more central roads, the Vukani and Mbotyi loops provide further options for exploring the main game-viewing area.
Both are shown on SANParks’ current tourist-road map, alongside other loops and waterholes. The advantage of having several loops is that you don’t need to follow exactly the same road on every game drive.
Try one section in the morning and return via another route later in the day.
How long should you spend driving?
This depends on whether you’re trying to get somewhere or see animals.
If you’re simply travelling from Matyholweni to Main Camp, allow around two hours for the 39km route through the park. But for a proper self-drive safari, it’s worth allowing at least half a day.
But remember that Addo Elephant National Park is not a race. SANParks recommends driving at around 20–30km/h for maximum game-viewing enjoyment, despite the 40km/h maximum speed limit.
When is the best time to drive?
Early morning and late afternoon are particularly useful times for wildlife viewing.
SANParks notes that lions and spotted hyenas are most often seen in the early morning or evening to night-time, while hot days can be particularly good for elephant sightings around waterholes.
You also need to plan your route around the park’s gate hours.
SANParks’ current information lists game-area access at 05:30–18:30 during the summer months and generally 06:00–18:00 during winter. Visitors are not allowed to drive around the game area after the specified gate hours.
That means you shouldn’t start a long self-drive late in the afternoon without checking how much time you have left.