Last week I was lucky enough to spend a few days at the Addo Elephant Back Safari and Lodge in the Eastern Cape. The lodge is nestled in the Zuurberg Mountains, and is located just a short distance from Port Elizabeth and borders the Greater Addo Elephant National Park.
The reason for the trip was more to have a relaxing mini-break rather than a ´working/holiday´ but I was so impressed with the lodge´s dedication to going green, that I thought they were worth a mention on the blog!
Addo Elephant Back Safari´s currently has a green code in place to which they strive to adhere to at all times. The lodges are equipped with energy saving light-bulbs, the running water in the rooms as well as your very own private jacuzzi is heated by solar-powered geysers and the lodges feature energy efficient wood-burning fireplaces. The fireplaces were lit for us each evening while we were having dinner in the communal dining room. What a treat to come back to a warm room on a cold evening and I can vouch for the fact that they are extremely efficient. Recycled materials were also used wherever possible in the construction of the lodges. The pylon supports and large viewing decks of the lodges were in fact constructed from recycled timber – specifically that sourced from the boxwood used by DaimlerChrysler to transport parts for their motor vehicles.
To treat all waste water from the lodge, an Eco-Reed Bed Waste Water System has been installed. This is an extremely efficient natural system that makes the treated water available for other uses – an important factor in the face of ongoing drought and water shortages that the Eastern Cape is currently experiencing – a situation that may become a permanent, or at the very least, a regular consideration in light of climate change.
Elephant Back Riding
The attraction of the lodge is of course the elephants. The lodge has three bull elephants – Duma, Thaba and Mukwa. The elephants who´ve been residents at the lodge since 2003, were rescued from Kruger where they were set to be culled and have now been given a second chance at life at the farm. I got to ride Duma, with experienced, elephant handler Tendai. Tendai has been working with elephants for over ten years so I felt pretty safe in his hands which is important when you are straddled about 12 feet above the ground on a moving object! The ride lasted around an hour and half and was fantastic, although we saw no game, we had a very informative ride thanks to our excellent elly handlers. As well as being educated about elephants in their natural environment the handlers were also able to tell us about the local vegetation in between us sharing our life stories.
After the ride, we also got to feed the elephants – amazing – and then watch them frolicking in the waterhole whilst enjoying some lunch. Cottage pie, cooked beetroot and salad… delish!
Guided walks
On day two we were due to have our guided walk but this was postponed due to the area receiving some much needed rainfall. So the afternoon of day three was dedicated to a hike with our fabulous, informative guide, Elias. Elias who has been with the lodge for just five months knew all the local plants and animals and was a great source of information. The hike was wonderful, we got to see zebra, eland and blesbok up close. The farm doesn´t house the big five but should this be on your to do list when visiting the area you can always pop over to the neighbouring Addo Elephant National Park. And vice versa, should you be staying at Addo Elephant Park you can also arrange to be flown into the Addo Elephant Back Safari and Lodge for an elephant ride during the day and some lunch.
Thanks again to all the staff who made our trip a hassle-free and memorable one, we had a brilliant stay and hope to see you all again soon.
Click through the image gallery below for some pics of the farm and of course the elephants. Enjoy!
Nics
x
