- Location: South Africa, East Cape;
- Phone: +27 42 233 8600;
- Opening hours: 07.00-18.30
The Eddo Elephant National Park is a great place to relax and watch wild animals. '
How it all began?
The history of the park began quite tragically, because in the first quarter of the last century poachers of South Africa hunted for African elephants so barbarically that the population of these animals began to decline in front of them. This threatened her complete disappearance. When elephants are less than twenty, it was decided to create a park, where they would be protected from poachers. Today, not only elephants, but also lions, buffaloes, black and white rhinoceroses, spotted hyena, mountain zebra, leopard, reptiles, antelopes and about 180 species of birds dwell on the vast territory of Elephant National Park.
Rest in the park
Eddo National Park is a great place for recreation and safari. There are several recreation centers on the territory of the reserve, the most popular of them are Matyholweni and Spekboom. They have special platforms for a close view of elephants, which attracts not only lovers of these animals, but also other wishing to plunge into the world of wildlife. Also you will be offered a tour of the park by car, during which you will be able to get close enough to the inhabitants of the park: to see them at a watering place, during a hunt or at rest. While in the Spekboom camp, prepare for the thrill, because at night you will hear hyenas and lions, as the camp is located near their habitat.
Elephant National Park is also a great place for hiking, so here you can offer one-or two-day routes from 2.5 km to 36 km in length. You will be able to plunge into the world of wild nature and stay very close to the inhabitants of the park.
Interesting fact
When the idea to create a park was approved, the administration had a new task, how to make sure that frightened animals wanted to gather in one territory, because this is necessary to establish the boundaries of the park. Then the first caretaker Eddo will offer a simple but effective way - to bring to the territory oranges, pumpkins and pineapples, which are very popular with elephants. Then towards the Elephant National Park dump trucks with tones of fruit moved. This pleased the elephants very much, and they stayed. In 1954, the fence was finally installed and the park had quite visible borders, but the elephants did not stop feeding, which was disastrous for them. The animals turned into drug addicts who spent the whole day at the feeding trough and waited for the next truck with fruit. When he came, they rushed to him, not noticing anything in their path, as a result of this, several people were killed. Therefore, in 1976, to feed the elephants finally ceased and until today visitors to the park are forbidden to feed the inhabitants of Eddo citrus.
The park is located between the mouths of the Sundays and Bushman's rivers, near the sea coast, so today we have thoroughly thought about adding 120,000 hectares of marine territory along the Algoa Bay. This area includes not only the water depths, but also the islands on which the world's largest selection of cormorants are located, and the second largest nesting population of African penguins. Therefore, very soon, Eddo Park will become even more valuable and exciting.
A few reasons to visit the park
- The elephant park "Eddo" is the site of the densest population of elephants in the world.
- The Eddo National Park is the home of the Big Seven, which includes an elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard, southern right whale and a large white shark.
- "Eddo" is the territory on which cormorants live and reproduce.
- "Eddo" is the keeper of 5 of the 7 biomes of South Africa
- The Eddo National Park is the only place in the world where the wingless beetle dung beetle lives.
How to get there?
The reserve is located near the city of Kirkwood. Going to Eddo from this city, you need to go to the track R336 and follow the signs. If you are closer to the coast, for example, in the city of Port Elizabeth , then you should go along the R335. The journey will take no more than an hour.
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