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In many respects, the Eastern Cape is a microcosm of the best of South Africa. Here are swathes of surf-lashed beaches, big industrial cities, desert horizons and green and quiet walking trails winding over mountain passes and along coastal cliffs.

And while safaris in the Eastern Cape may not pack the same punch as in Kruger, there is still plenty wildlife here and a diverse network of national parks and game reserves in which to enjoy the animals.

Read on for my essential guide to the best safaris and game reserves in the Eastern Cape.

Stuart Butler

Get the digested read

Where to begin? When to go? How to plan? So many questions, so little time. That's why we've asked leading South Africa safari expert Stuart Butler to answer your most frequently asked questions in this handy four-part email series.

Addo Elephant National Park South Africa

Addo Elephant National Park, one of the Eastern Cape's top safari highlights

The best Eastern Cape safaris

The best game reserves in the Eastern Cape

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Giraffe Kariega Game Reserve south africa

Giraffe in Kariega Game Reserve

Eastern Cape safaris: Need to know

Everything you wish you'd known before you booked

With easy access from major travel hubs, excellent tourist infrastructure and the possibility of slotting beaches, Cape Town and other attractions into the mix, the Eastern Cape is one of the most rewarding and deservedly popular wildlife destinations in South Africa, with a range of parks to explore.

In general, the parks and reserves in this region are smaller than those in the northern half of the country and lack something of the grand scale and wilderness found in other areas. Even so, with all the Big Five present, this is a great short safari destination.

Anthony Ham
By Anthony Ham

Going on safari in the Eastern Cape always feels a little like cheating. But why shouldn’t we see elephants and big cats and other safari specials not far from world-class beaches and the peerless city of Cape Town? Smaller reserves add to the sense of safaris that are custom-made for slotting into an all-round South African holiday.

Eastern Cape safari wildlife

The Eastern Cape contains many different ecosystems and this is reflected in the large range of different, and very diverse, species found here. How diverse? Well what would you think if we said that in the morning you could watch a lion yawning under the shade of a spreading acacia tree, and in the afternoon you could giggle at penguins, those classics of the ice-pack, waddling comically up a sub-tropical beach?

All of the reserves and parks listed here are home to buffalo, elephant, rhino, lion and leopard as well as a multitude of other big mammals. But the bird life is equally spectacular and includes some regional endemics. Talking of endemics, who would want to miss out on a date with the flightless dung beetle, Addo Elephant National Park’s endemic insect! Okay, so a photo of it isn’t going to wow your friends the way a picture of a snorting hippo might, but it does go to show what a depth of wildlife watching opportunities the Eastern Cape has.

Eastern Cape is a wildlife-watching destination all year round, but the prime months are April, when the summer rains should have ceased, the countryside is lush and green, and the temperatures are pleasant, and September and October when spring flowers bud in the semi-desert Karoo area.

Best time for Eastern Cape safaris

Eastern Cape is a wildlife-watching destination all year round, but the prime months are April — when the summer rains should have ceased, the countryside is lush and green, and the temperatures are pleasant — and September and October when spring flowers bud in the semi-desert Karoo area.

Back from the brink

Hunting and alternative land use decimated populations of large mammals throughout Eastern Cape in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, most of the private reserves in the region have been restocked with native wildlife and numbers of all the big mammals are rising fast.

About the author

The best Eastern Cape safaris

Stuart Butler

Stuart is an award-winning travel journalist covering safari, trekking and conservation in Africa for the Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, BBC, Bradt Travel Guides, amongst many others. He is the author of Walking With The Maasai, a journey through some of Kenya's lesser-visited Maasai lands.

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