Monday 1 November 2004

Experience Addo at night

During the evenings they have proper guided tours of the park. We went on one. It cost us R160 each.

We sat in a chair on a high Landrover and proceeded into the cold night.

The guide was very good, as was the driver. They seemed to know exactly where the animals were, as if they had asked the animals to be there especially for the tour.

They were knowledgable and friendly. This was a real treat. I didn't take a photo in the dark, not wanting to frighten the animals away!

No citrus in the park!

Do not bring any kind of citrus fruits into Addo Elephant Game Park if it can be helped. Oranges, pineapples, clementines, naartjies etc. The park has decent fences around the it, but in times past, it didn’t, and animals used to get out of the park and into the citrus fruit trees and eat whatever they could find.

Naturally this enraged the local farmers and many elephants were shot, maimed and killed because of it. Animals have excellent memories generally, especially elephants, and they associate the smell of citrus fruits, with that of pain and suffering. This might make them restless and even angry, so best to play it safe and not bring them into the park.

Addo Elephant National Park - Keen sense of smell!