The Wild Coast, Wild Life and Wild Sports
The attractions of South Africa are well documented: the big five, Table Mountain, the cultural diversity and massive open spaces. Traditionally, the Western Cape is the tourist Mecca with Cape Town being one of the top ten holiday destinations in the world. With its neighbour getting so much attention, the Eastern Cape tends to be ignored, which makes it the perfect destination for savvy travelers.
The Eastern Cape is packed with underrated attractions that could keep travelers busy for months. This is part 1 of a four part series on the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
The Wild Life
Arguably one of South Africa’s biggest draw card is her wildlife. Whilst tourists flock in their hordes to the Kruger Park, all sorts of fascinating creatures can be spotted in the Eastern Cape.
The largest of the national parks in the Eastern Cape is Addo Elephant Park. It claims one of the few places on earth containing the big 7 (whales and great white sharks making up 6 & 7). To me, the most obvious attraction of the park are its elephants. What makes Addo a special place to see elephants is the vegetation. There are many wide open plains, virtually guaranteeing elephant sighting.
An often overlooked Eastern Cape park is Mountain Zebra National Park near Cradock. One reason a visit to this park is a must is its location – almost the entire park is on top of a mountain, providing a breathtaking backdrop for the rare mountain zebra. There are about 700 mountain zebras in the world, so seeing them in such a beautiful, wild environment is well worth the trip.
Travelers with deeper pockets are especially well catered for in the Eastern Cape with 6 star lodges in private game reserves where big five sightings are guaranteed. Shamwari and Kariega are popular, but travelers willing to take a risk will be well rewarded visiting a lesser known lodge. If you’re on a budget, camping is very affordable and the weather in most of the Eastern Cape makes camping a popular and viable option.
With such a diverse amount of parks to be seen, it is easy to overlook the less glamorous species found naturally, all over the Eastern Cape. Dolphins outnumber surfers in most lineups, completely different eco systems within the Eastern Cape host a diverse range of bird life and a macro lens will reveal a fascinating world of insects.
Next up – Eastern Cape, the Wild Coast.
Love checking your pics out…always awesome. Looking forward to the wildcoast post.
Nice shots and info man! The site is looking good too…
[...] This is part 2 in an in depth travel photography series on the Eastern Cape, South Africa. If you missed part 1, check out The Wildlife here. [...]