THINGS TO DO
01
ADDO ELEPHANT NATIONAL PARK
The Addo Elephant National Park, a 25 minute drive to the park’s main entrance from Lupus Den through natural bushveld and established citrus orchards, is home to over 600 elephant & the only disease-free buffalo herds in the country. Lions, spotted and brown hyena, caracal, jackals, zebra, ostriches, baboons, numerous buck species, including eland, kudu, bushbuck, duiker and red hartebeest, dung beetles and many other fascinating smaller creatures, like meerkats, Vervet monkeys & mongoose can be seen. The park gates open at 07h00. Guests are required to take their passports with them when entering the park. The conservation fee covers your entry permit, valid for one day.
Your safari options are numerous! Guests are able to do a self- drive through the park or they can hire a hop-on guide to travel with them in their own vehicle. The park also offers 2-hour guided safari. Children under 6 years of age are not allowed on an open safari vehicle. If guests do either of the 09h00, 12h00 or 15h00 tours they are required to pay both the conservation and safari fees. This entitles guests to do a self-drive through the park before and/or after the guided drive. Should guests do a guided Sunrise, Sundowner or Night Drive safari in the park they do not need to pay the conservation fee. They only pay for the safari. However, should guests want to do a self-drive before and/or after their safari, they would need to pay the conservation fee. The rates and times change according to the time of year and will need to be checked beforehand on the Addo Park website.
Arrangements for this can be done through Lupus Den Country House.
02
CHEETAH BREEDING PROJECT
Visit the Daniell Cheetah Breeding Project, only 25 minutes from Lupus Den along the R75, where you can enjoy a one hour guided predator tour and experience close encounters with cheetahs as they relax, play, or feed. Open from 08h00 to 17h00 daily – except for the 25th and 26th December. There is no need to pre-book for the guided tour. By arrangement, a day in advance, guests can walk on the farm together with an habituated cheetah and guide. The project, in collaboration with Wild Cats World, Netherlands, is home to a variety of big cats including lions, leopards, caracals, and servals. Smaller species, like meerkats, can also be seen. A small shop available on site offers a variety of African arts & crafts and also serves tea, coffee and light meals.
Arrangements for this can be done through Lupus Den Country House.
03
Schotia Safaris Private Game Reserve
Only 45 minutes away on the N10, Schotia Private Game Reserve, 2500 hectares in extent, offers a “Tooth & Claw” guided afternoon and evening safari in an open Land Rover, ending with a hearty home-cooked dinner served with dessert in their atmospheric bush lapa.
Summer times: 14h30 for 15h00 to 20h45.
Winter times: 13h30 for 14h00 to 20h00.
You will be able to view many animals you would not see in the Addo Park such as different species of antelope, rhino, hippopotamus, giraffe and free range lions. As lions are nocturnal hunters, Schotia guarantees sightings from sunset.
Arrangements for this can be done through Lupus Den Country House.
04
GIRAFFE TRACKING AT BELLEVUE FOREST RESERVE
25 km from the Addo Elephant Park’s main gate is a 2500 hectare privately owned forest reserve focusing on wildlife conservation, especially the African Flightless Dung Beetle & many bird & tree species.
Beautiful scenery & vast open spaces are a special part of the Bellevue experience. Giraffe, the skyscrapers of Africa, dominate the treetops of our bushveld. An exhilarating, authentic African experience is to join a giraffe tracking safari on foot.
Giraffe are quite remarkable creatures and much more so from the perspective of being on the ground looking up! Filled with breath-taking moments, where beautiful memories are made, guests (maximum 10) experience an intimate walk through the heart of the Addo bushveld accompanied by a highly experienced trained, armed trails guide. The terrain is suitable for those of average fitness.
The morning walk, which lasts about 1 hour and 45 minutes, leaves camp at 09h30. The afternoon walk leaves camp at 15h30.
Arrangements for this can be done through Lupus Den Country House.
05
PRIVATE GUIDED SAFARI IN THE ADDO PARK
SORITA, who is able to speak german, is highly recommended as a qualified guide with many years of guiding experience whilst working for the Addo Park. Sorita, who is knowledgeable and passionate about the animals and nature in general, now freelances.
She meets her guests at the main reception area at either 09h00 or 14h00. Her fee includes the entrance (conservation) fees, minimum 4-hour game drive, snacks and drinks. After the 4-hour safari, in Sorita’s Volkswagen kombi, guests are returned to their own vehicle at reception.
If doing the morning drive, guests can do a self-drive in the afternoon using the day permit purchased by Sorita. Guests can also do an 8-hour safari, which includes lunch in an enclosed picnic spot deep in the bush. Here guests can soak up the atmosphere, breathe in the fresh air and stretch their legs. Sorita describes her guided safari as follows: A game drive is about appreciating, learning, enjoying and falling in love with nature. What guests can hope to see: Elephant, buffalo, zebra, kudu, red hartebeest, bushbuck, duiker, baboons, vervet monkeys, warthog, black-backed jackal, maybe lion, hyena, caracal and other smaller animals.
Lions can be difficult to find as there are only a small number in a huge area. In the Addo Park the elephants are the big attraction but we most certainly do not overlook the small creatures like the dung beetles, meercats (suricates), mongoose and numerous bird species.
To quote Sorita: “As a guide it gives me great pleasure to inform people about nature and, in turn, be educated by their experiences. Enough time is allowed for photo opportunities because your photos and your memories are all you can take away with you.”
Arrangements for this can be done through Lupus Den Country House.
MORE AMAZING ADVENTURES
THE LOOKOUT
An iconic & historic monument in memory of Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, an Irishman, who played an important role in the early development of the Sundays River Valley. Only 4 km from Lupus Den, this viewpoint offers panoramic views over the Sundays River, adjacent farmlands and citrus orchards. A perfect spot for sundowners!
ADDO ADRENALIN ZIP LINE & GIANT SWING
Adrenalin Addo, about 12 km from Lupus Den, is a family friendly attraction for anyone in pursuit of sheer fun and adventure. If exhilaration and an adrenalin rush are what you are after neither the longest double zip line in Africa nor the only giant swing of its kind in South Africa can fail to disappoint! For something more sedate, you can hire a canoe and paddle the waters of the Sundays River or hike up to their view points and enjoy the surrounds of a citrus rich valley. Adrenalin Addo is open every day of the week from 10h00 to 17h00.
ELEPHANT WALK IN THE ZUURBERG MOUNTAINS
The Barefoot Addo Elephant Lodge offers an exciting Elephant Encounter, where guests walk with Thaba, Mukwa & Duma in the indigenous forest in the Zuurberg mountains. Guests can revel in the natural beauty of the environs and its wildlife while walking & observing the elephant through the diverse valley bushveld, ravine and forest habitat.
The trained handlers share their specialised knowledge into the elephants’ behaviour. At the conclusion of the walk, guests can enjoy rewarding them with their favorite treats.
Two or three safaris are conducted per day commencing at 08h00, 11h00 and, possibly,15h00.
Each safari lasts approximately 1.5 hours.
