Getting our Ellie Fix (March 2016)

[nan]

what big ears you have... it's for hear better... say the... is not the same story

again, some souvenirs

[Mel]

All ears as you said Mel.

I'll squeeze myself in the trunk for this jaunt around the park with you if you don't mind.

Great ellie pic.

You're welcome to join and you may even help yourself to some cold drinks.

[Mel]

A very blue sky

And a nice contrast against the green vegetation and the red gravel roads.

[Mel]

Hi Mel,

Matyholweni was the first place we stayed on our first trip to SA in 2014. It is a great location in that not only do you have the southern part of Addo on your doorstep, but it also gives you faster access to the Sundays RIver saltpans as well as the mouth and dunes of said river. It is also quicker to get to Alexandria Forest from there than from the main rest camp.

We are glad we stayed there when we did, as SANParks has now priced the place beyond what we consider "normal" for this type of accommodation.

Matyholweni is beautifully located, I think and a lot quieter than the main camp. The only thing I personally didn't not cherish that much were the huge spiders everywhere (which is totally natural considering the shrubs around each unit ). I'm a bit phobic on that side. Hence I'm totally proud of myself that I managed to take photos of two out of the four that camped out with us.

I agree on the pricing, but in general. At the moment we Europeans are quite advantaged by the exchange rate though, so we didn't find the accomm fee too bad and - if I remember correctly - we paid the same for a CH2S in the main camp with much less privacy since their are detached units and you can basically talk to your neighbours without even seeing them.

[Mel]

Mello!

Interesting info!

If you say so

[Mel]

Nice ears

You haven't properly seen my ears yet.

[Mel]

Oooh elephant way toooooo close

Lis already said it: Ellies in Addo are really placid compared to their Kruger cousins. Having said that: The first time we went we had rented a what we call an elephant skate sized car and we were sitting at Hapoor Dam waiting for the herds to arrive for their morning drink. A big bull passed our car so closely I could have touch it. I don't think I ever managed to hold my breathe as long as I did back then. It was only the second time when a local who met us in the park kept totally calm when something similar happened again that the SO & I understood that if you treat the ellies with respect and don't do anything stupid you're relatively safe.

[Mel]

and info on the cat sightings will be there Dec

You should have told me before the trip and I could have tied the cats down to where we saw them.

Well, PJL can still do that closer to time.

But I think the Addo cats like their limelight. They are regularly seen.

[Mel]

You're right about Easter... it gets very busy these days - particularly with the southern entrance being so close for people to get to.

Looking forward to hearing more about your stay

Believe it or not, we might be back already next year... and might not be able to avoid Easter again due to other schedules around it.
Might end up in Kruger though. Nothing is quite clear yet.

[Mel]

what big ears you have... it's for hear better... say the... is not the same story