Day 5: Storms River and Drive to Addo

Today's destination was Addo Elephant National Park. The drive was a continuation on the Garden Route between Knysna and Port Elizabeth with a stop over at Storms River in Tsitsikamma National Park. The highlight of the park is a hike to a suspension bridge spanning the mouth of the Storms River. From Storms River we headed east along the N2, then north(ish) ... along several routes. The result was a meandering scenic drive toward Addo with 45 minutes spent crisscrossing and trying to get out of the city of Uitenhage. We made it to Addo around 5 p.m. and settled into our first night's accommodation, a small chalet overlooking the fenced game area.



Picture of the day: Suspension bridge at Storms River

With much sadness we said goodbye to our hosts at Knysna Country House, Erik and Ypie. We were again fortunate to have found an outstanding guesthouse. The accommodations were beautiful, the hosts helped us set up reservations for activities, and their little wire haired Jack Russell terrier was adorable. If you're ever in Knysna, we highly recommend it.

By 10 a.m. we were on the N2 heading east. After about 2 hours we reached our first stop for the day, Storms River. To reach Storms River's famous suspension bridge, one must hike one kilometer of boardwalk through the coastal forest. But don't let the idea of boardwalk fool you, there were some very steep inclines and declines on this trail.




The hike was well worth the view at the river's mouth.





After Storms River, we proceeded towards Port Elizabeth. Lacking good information from our maps and guidebooks, we took what we thought was the most appropriate route to Addo. We quickly found out that we were mistaken. There were no complications along the rural sections of the route we chose, however once we entered the city of Uitenhage, directional signage was nowhere to be found, at least by us. The result was a 45 minute tour of Uitenhage. If you ever need to know how to get around Uitenhage, give us a shout.

Driving through the countryside to Addo we passed orchard after orchard of citrus trees. Apparently we arrived just as the workers were leaving for the day. The roads came alive with tractors pulling trailers full of locals home and people walking down the sides of the road, eating oranges along the way.

By 5 p.m. we arrived at Addo Elephant National Park and checked into our chalet. We booked a sunrise game drive. Let's hope our next entry brings plenty of exciting game shots!

Until then,

Rachel & Becky



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Addo Elephant National Park