Let’s talk elephants – African elephants. I’ve been in love with these cute, cuddly creatures for some time now. Prior to landing in South Africa, my only “interaction” with the species had taken place at the Zoo. I did manage to see a few Asian Elephants while traveling in Thailand and Cambodia several years ago, but sadly, they had been domesticated and forced to carry tourists on their backs and eat a crap load of bananas. No bueno.
Luckily, that’s not the case for those living within the national park of Addo. The park was founded in 1931, when only sixteen remained in the area. Today, the population inside the sanctuary is estimated at 550 and growing strong. It is also home to a wide variety of other flora and fauna. Lions, zebras, hyenas – you name it, they’ve got it (including the awesome flightless dung beetle!).
We pitched our tent, replenished supplies, and immediately wanted to explore. Over the course of two days, we spent a good 15-20 hours getting ourselves in and out of trouble – that’s just what we do. Throughout the park there are signs telling visitors to stay inside their vehicles. At first, we agreed with this logic, but after seeing several maintenance workers lounging around by the watering holes with their sack lunches, we decided to make an exception… or two. Okay, maybe five or six is more like it, but who’s counting?
Now, before I proceed, I should probably mention that we’re both (somewhat) level-headed, considerate, law-abiding citizens, with enough common sense not to go chasing down a pride of lions on foot or running into a heard of buffalo. When we did exit the car, it was to take a peek at the beetles, snails and tortoises, while sticking to the road. Does it make it right? No. Do we condone or encourage this type of behavior? Definitely not. Would we do it again? Probably. Are we morons? Eh, on second thought, don’t answer that.
The park hours change depending on the day. While we were there, the closing time was 6:30PM. We had every intention of exiting by then, but just as we were heading out, we spotted a group of lions off in the distance. The clearing was just outside a tented camp and “hide” (a camouflage viewing area), which we assumed was specifically for the guests staying at the camp. Feeling jipped, we did something stupid. Very, very stupid. Instead of kissing our kitty-cat dreams goodbye, we decided to ignore the ‘Do Not Enter’ sign and drive along the camp, towards the back. Thankfully, our Polo couldn’t preform and we were forced to retreat. We’re idiots – what can I say? I’d love to blame Rich, as he was behind the wheel, but I’m equally at fault. Imagine the look on our faces when we later learned the hide is open to everyone. In the end, we got what we deserved.
Our little detour put us behind, so we made a mad dash for the gate. We came flying around a corner when along came a hyena, strutting down the road, without a care in the world. We stopped, rolled down the windows, and stared. Those things are crazy. They could literally rip you to shreds in seconds. Foaming at the mouth, it came within a few feet from us. I could have easily reached out and touched it – surely losing my hand in the process, but awesome to know nonetheless.
With all the activity, we arrived at the gate 20 minutes late. To our surprise, everyone had already cleared out. Locked inside, I called the headquarters to inquire about getting out. The lady on the other end was less than pleased. She said an employee would be sent to unlock the gate or we’d have to wait for the scheduled night drive to arrive. So, unsure of what would happen, we waited. Eventually a disgruntled employee showed up with a half-naked child in tow. He wasn’t about to let us out without receiving a little ‘something’ for his troubles. We assumed this would be the case and scrounged up a few rand. Not enough, I’m sure.
Things took a weird turn, as they often do, when we arrived at our campsite. We had neighbors – very unhappy neighbors. Apparently our car was too close for comfort. We parked next to our site, which was close to theirs, but by no means in their way. They disagreed. Instead of asking us to move, they erected a tent on our back bumper. We sat there side by side, sipping our wine in disbelief, as the wife made it a point to squeeze between the two, as if to say, “F-YOU.” Is it really that hard to come over and ask politely? Had there been another spot, we would have gladly parked elsewhere.
They huffed and puffed for a while. Honestly, we found their passive aggressive display entertaining, which only added fuel to the fire. We discussed the many ways to mess with them, but didn’t, fearing retaliation. Waking up to slashed tires would have really put a cramp in our day. Eventually another couple took notice and asked if we wanted to move to their side. They didn’t have to ask us twice.
Day two can be summed up using one word: AWESOME. Elephants were everywhere. On multiple occasions we found ourselves surrounded – scary and exciting, all at the same time. Watching these powerful mammals up close is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. If you need an elly fix, Addo is surely the place to go.
