The Addo Elephant National Park and the myriad of private game reserves in the Eastern Cape offer exciting Big Five game viewing in a malaria-free area.

The region has some of the most luxurious safari lodges in the country, all seeking to offer discerning travellers the ultimate African adventure that harks back to the golden age of safaris. As the area is malaria-free, it is an ideal safari destination for families with children. In recognition of this, many lodges have family accommodation and special children’s programmes.

Game viewing in the Eastern Cape is excellent. The Eastern Cape straddles the meeting point of 5 distinct biomes, resulting in a breath-taking variety in animal and bird species. In addition, the carrying capacity of the vegetation in Eastern Cape game reserves is much higher than that of the Kruger area, so you will find a much higher concentration of animals.

With their close proximity to the Garden Route and Cape Town, the Eastern Cape game reserves are a logical start or finish to any trip along this route. Most of the game reserves are within 1 to 2 hours’ drive from Port Elizabeth, so the Eastern Cape is ideal if time is short and you don’t want to take up the best part of a day reaching your safari destination. You can self-drive yourself to your game lodge or private transfers from Port Elizabeth airport can be arranged.

As the Eastern Cape is perhaps not as well known as Kruger, it offers excellent value-for-money safaris, with lodges generally being cheaper than an equivalent lodge in Kruger.

Advantages of an Eastern Cape Safari

• Easy access
• Close proximity to the Garden Route
• Malaria-free
• Excellent game viewing
• Children’s programmes
• Value-for-money