What it is
Addo sits about 60 km from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, in dense low thicket. It was proclaimed in 1931 to save the eleven elephants that were left in the area, and now holds several hundred, along with buffalo, lion and black rhino.
Why go
It is malaria-free, easy to self-drive, and it sits at the end of the Garden Route rather than at the other end of the country, so you do not need an extra flight. Elephant sightings at the waterholes are close to certain. Lion and leopard are present and hard to see, because the bush is thick and low.
When to go
Year round. Animals concentrate at waterholes in the dry months, roughly May to October. Summer is hot with occasional rain. Midday is the busiest and the emptiest for sightings, so go in at opening and again from mid-afternoon.
Most people stay 2 nights.