All 5 in 3 days here: ~10%
Addo Elephant National Park
🇿🇦 South Africa
Southern Africa, South Africa 1006 spp. recorded
Nestled in the malaria-free Sundays River region of South Africa, Addo Elephant National Park is a protected sanctuary defined by dense Mediterranean scrub and rolling thicket. This distinct habitat shelters a thriving population of the African Bush Elephant, the signature species that roams the park's dusty tracks and dense bush.
-33.258° S 25.236° E
🦜 Nature
518 Species sighted
31,747 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Apr Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 682 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 5 in 3 days here: <5%
All 4 in 3 days here: <5%
Recent sightings in Addo Elephant National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
56Jan
54Feb
54Mar
58Apr
52May
51Jun
47Jul
46Aug
51Sep
57Oct
50Nov
56Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Jack's Picnic Site Botanical Reserve
-
Colchester
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Bushmans River
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Cannon Rocks
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
High
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Moderate
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Excellent
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
5.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 679
🐒 Mammals 190
🦎 Reptiles 106
🐸 Amphibians 31
1006 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
59 Threatened 14 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
3.5
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
57% 📊
Coverage (232 species at ≥5% of 1006 in the inventory)
23% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (10 bird, 2 mammal)
37% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
141 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
21 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
24 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.3
Climate Mixed Medium
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism High Low
Trails Moderate Medium
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
The entertaining warthog Warthogs (and a kudu cow on the right) Speaking of kudus, we often saw them grazing together with warthogs.
Photo: Steven Lang We saw (and photographed) a lone chacma baboon, hundreds of elephants, buffalo, warthogs, and kudu as well as several bird species that I am not able to identify.
We also saw warthogs and several kudu in the same area.
At the first waterhole we found a small group of elephants quenching their thirst, while a Warthog approached carefully to see if he could get a look in.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Addo Elephant National Park?
1,006 species
Addo Elephant National Park has 1,006 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Hadada (about 70%), Southern Fiscal (about 60%), Speckled Mousebird (about 60%), Cape Wagtail (about 60%) and Plains Zebra (about 60%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Leopard Tortoise (about 40%); among amphibians, Painted Reed Frog (about 20%).
When is the best time to visit Addo Elephant National Park for wildlife?
June
In that month the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 50% in February–April and November–December. That is one of Addo Elephant National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 50 mm in November.
Can you see an African Bush Elephant in Addo Elephant National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report an African Bush Elephant sighting in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, based on 1,140 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February, June, August–September and November (about 60%).
Can you see a Plains Zebra in Addo Elephant National Park?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Plains Zebra sighting in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, based on 536 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June (about 70%).
Can you see a Lion in Addo Elephant National Park?
Yes
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Lion sighting in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, based on 321 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May–June, September and December (about 40%).
Can you see an African Buffalo in Addo Elephant National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report an African Buffalo sighting in Addo Elephant National Park on a given day, based on 337 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February and June (about 60%).
Where in Addo Elephant National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Jack's Picnic Site Botanical Reserve
The richest sighting zone is around Jack's Picnic Site Botanical Reserve, followed by Main Rest Camp and Colchester, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Addo Elephant National Park good for wildlife watching?
4.0 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Addo Elephant National Park rates 4.0/5: 118th of 316 parks worldwide and 48th in Africa. 32 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
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