Its SouthAfrica

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.

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.

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 and the Addo Rose and Garden show, held in October, is 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.