The Greater Addo Region, Eastern Cape

Greater Addo is largely dominated by the Addo Elephant Park, the boundaries of which now extend right from the edge of Darlington Dam in the north to Colchester at the coast, incorporating the beautiful Sundays River Valley.

However, the region of Greater Addo is an incredibly diverse, beautiful area in the Eastern Cape Province that remains largely ‘undiscovered’, despite the thousands of visitors to the park.

Did you know? Once you've booked your hotel or Greater Addo accommodation in the Eastern Cape, explore the town and destination pages below for info on attractions, activities and things to do when you explore the Baviaanskloof.

Often overlooked in favour of the Sunshine Coast, the park includes the incredible Zuurberg Mountains in the north and the Alexandria dune fields - the highest dunes south of the Namib Desert - and forests where the Sundays River meets the sea.

Greater Addo is essentially a conservation area. It has an incredible diversity of fauna and flora - from the arid Karoo basin in the north with its mainly succulent shrubs and endless plains, through grassland vegetation and valley bushveld to subtropical thicket. The emphasis is on biodiversity and the complete wildlife experience, and it is little surprise to realise the full beauty of the different landscapes in the Greater Addo region.

Did you know? South Africa’s third largest reserve, in the Sundays River Valley in Greater Addo, has one of the densest African elephant populations on Earth.

Greater Addo is far more than just elephants. The Sundays River Valley, which nestles in the crook formed by the Addo Elephant National Park as it skirts the edge of the valley, is one of South Africa’s major citrus producers. Millions of oranges find their way around the world from orange packing facilities in the valley.

The little settlement at Kirkwood is worth a visit, particularly in June for the Kirkwood wildlife festival, as is the missionary station of Enon. The valley is also famous for its roses considered the best of its kind in the world.

A visit to Greater Addo promises a series of adventures that include game viewing, horse-riding in amongst elephants, elephant-back safaris, hiking, fishing, citrus tours, private game reserves, spas, donkey cart rides and mountain walks.

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South Africa Accommodation / Eastern Cape Accommodation / Frontier Country Accommodation / Greater Addo Accommodation

Destinations in the Greater Addo Region

Addo

Overnight? Addo accommodation
Completely overshadowed by the world-renowned Addo Elephant Park, there is actually a little town about an hour’s drive from Port Elizabeth, called Addo. This small citrus farming community serves mainly as a supplement to the park, offering accommoda...

Addo Elephant Park

Overnight? Addo Elephant Park accommodation
Lodges and tented camps are just some of the options when it comes to Addo Elephant Park accommodation, which is a fantastic wildlife experience for visitors to South Africa. Now South Africa's third largest national reserve, Addo Elephant National Park l...

Alexandria

Overnight? Alexandria accommodation
Alexandria lies en route to Bushman’s River Mouth and Kenton-on-Sea just 50 kilometres from Port Alfred, roughly halfway between Durban and Cape Town. It is described as a friendly farming community that sustains itself from chicory, dairy and pineapple p...

Amakhala

Overnight? Amakhala accommodation
The Amakhala Game Reserve is named after the Xhosa word meaning Aloes, the prolific indigenous plant found in this uniquely diverse province. Steeped in history and beauty, this 6000-hectare game reserve creates an ideal environment for an unforgettable s...

Colchester

Overnight? Colchester accommodation
Whether you’re looking for a luxury lodge or budget accommodation in Colchester, you will find a choice of options for anyone travelling in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Lying on the banks of the Sundays River, just 20 minutes’ drive from the coast of Port...

Cookhouse

The Eastern Cape may be South Africa’s largest province, but it is certainly one of its quietest and least urbanised. As a result, it is home to a number of small, relatively unknown villages, which are secreted in its hills and valleys, countryside and c...

Jansenville

Overnight? Jansenville accommodation
Lying north west of the upper reaches of the Addo Elephant National Park, Jansenville lies in the Eastern Cape's nature and conservation region, an area of roughly 438 000 hectares of managed nature reserves that are committed to protecting bio-diversity,...

Kirkwood

Overnight? Kirkwood accommodation
The farming community of Kirkwood, in the heart of the Sundays River Valley, close to the town of Addo and the northern regions of the Addo Elephant Park, would arguably remain in obscurity were it not for the Kirkwood Wildlife Festival in June of every y...

Middleton

The tiny settlement of Middleton may be described as a village, or even a hamlet, thanks to its being so small. It is secluded in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, about 140 kilometres from Port Elizabeth (the main metropolis of the Nelson Mandel...

Nanaga

Overnight? Nanaga accommodation
The somewhat obscure little village of Nanaga scores by dint of the fact that it is ideally placed on the South African map. Not only is it virtually just outside the Greater Addo Elephant Park, but it is also a short drive from the Sunshine Coast and oth...

Paterson

Overnight? Paterson accommodation
Stay in one of the Paterson accommodation venues to be close to Addo and its world-renowned elephant park, just an hour away from the best hotels in Port Elizabeth. In the foothills of the Zuurberg Mountains, bang in the middle of game reserve country,...

Sidbury

Overnight? Sidbury accommodation
Lying in the midst of what is considered 'frontier country', Sidbury is one of several quaint little towns, with Grahamstown as their centre, that make up one of the most ecologically diverse regions in South Africa and the heart of thousands of hectares ...

Somerset East

Overnight? Somerset East accommodation
Apart from its beautifully preserved buildings that are worth a visit in their own right, Somerset East is perhaps best known because it is on the Blue Crane Route in the Eastern Cape. This picturesque and quaint town is at the foot of the Boschberg Mount...

Sundays River

Overnight? Sundays River accommodation
Along the banks of the idyllic Sundays River, outside Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, is the residential area of the same name. Many of the homes here are holiday homes, and it is no wonder, as they perch on the banks and boast breath-taking views of ...

Sunland

Overnight? Sunland accommodation
We hadn't heard about Sunland either, but then any town so ideally placed in the nook of the Greater Addo Elephant Park would vanish into obscurity too, if you gave it half a chance. Although Sunland, on the strength of its name alone, does not. It even h...

Zuurberg

Overnight? Zuurberg accommodation
Lying in the north western corner of the Sundays River Valley, Zuurberg lies at the foot of the mountain of the same name. The historic Zuurberg Pass, almost entirely surrounded by the Greater Addo Elephant National Park, is a narrow cutting through the Z...

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