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4x4 Safari's

Cape Recife and Grysbok Game Reserve
Code (HD12)

On your doorstep in Port Elizabeth, this tour takes place at Cape Recife, the meeting point of two of the most awe inspiring environments on earth, the restless expanse of the Indian Ocean and the mysterious continent of Africa. The moody ocean, caught in a never-ending struggle for dominance with the terrestrial environment, the frontline, a surging, dynamic, ever changing boundary, the seashore.

Here the surf zone spills foaming breakers onto shifting sand dunes, tentatively covered by hardy, salt resistant plants, a prelude to the vast thicket, savannas, deserts and the forest of the African continent.

We delve into rock pools discovering diverse habitats and inhabitants that occupy the intertidal zone at low tide, under the watchful eye of the historical Cape Recife lighthouse.

A bird watchers paradise with as many as 8 species of Tern, the Rosette Tern being the most sought after, Gulls, Waders and other marine bird species from far and wide and a good number of the endangered Black oystercatchers are either visitors or full time residents of this exposed shoreline. Close inland many raptors such as the Rock Kestrel, Secretary Bird, Jackal Buzzard and the migratory Steppe Buzzard. The Marshal Eagle, Africa’s largest and the Brown Snake Eagle have all been known to visit these vegetated sand dunes.

Game Drives:
Alan Tours offers 2 game drives daily

The Morning game drive starts at 8.30 a.m., summer or winter. Pick up at your place of residence in Port Elizabeth and depart for Cape Recife and Grysbok Reserve on the edge of Port Elizabeth.

We stop to explore this coastal wonderland, the hardy fynbos and the many uses these plants had for the early inhabitants. Watch the elegant mammals, the iconic Springbok, Zebra, Red Hartebeest and the diminutive, endemic Grysbok, occurs in abundance in the reserve that bears its name.

We include the intertidal zone especially at low tide, and the spectacular Cape Recife lighthouse.
The drive lasts for approximately 2.5 hours.

Tour includes:

Pick up at place of residence in P.E.
Bottled water.
Guided Tour

Rate per person: R250.00. Quoted as a minimum of two persons.

The Sunset game drive starts at different times according to the seasons.

Winter departure (April – August) is at 15hrs30.

Summer departure (September – March) is at 16hrs00 while.

At sunset we take a break to enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and snack before continuing into the darkness of the night with the aid of a powerful spotlight. We search for nocturnal creatures under the cover of dark. Owls and Bushpig, Porcupines and Caracal amongst others can be found on their nocturnal wonderings.

The Sunset game drive is approximately 3.5 hours in length.

Tour includes:

Pick up and drop off at residence in P.E.
Refreshments and light snacks.
Guided Tour.

Rate per person: R390.00. Quoted as a minimum of two persons.

click here to make reservation or enquiry

Kabouga Section - Addo Elephant National Park

Pick up at place of residence in Port Elizabeth. Depart in 4 x 4 vehicle for the Addo Elephant National Park, Kabouga (Where there are no Elephants or Lions) section. Travel via the picturesque town of Kirkwood before entering the rugged northern areas of this famous National Park. This is a unique experience and one will meet with few if any fellow travelers.

Checking in, we travel through increasingly rough terrain, keeping an eye out for species such as, Warthog and Eland, Red Hartebeest, Klipspringer, Ostrich and Zebra as well as the stately Kudu, the males with their huge horns blending into the background.

We spend the day exploring the area while constantly heading north through changing scenery into a valley where we break at the campsite on the banks for the Sundays River. Here we have the chance to stretch our legs or paddle on the quite water in a canoe, while Alan Tours prepares a scrumptious picnic breakfast over looking the river.

After breakfast we enter the 4 x 4 route proper traversing undulating terrain, steep sided valleys and rocky streambeds, ever alert to the birds and beasts that inhabit the area. Stop at scenic viewpoints, between challenging slopes through which we need to negotiate the Land Rover. We summit at top of the Zuurberg Mountains offering huge vistas both to the south towards the coast and the north into the Little Karoo, Lake Darlington and beyond.

From the summit we start descending into the Little Karoo, where we keep a watch for desert species such as Springbok, Gemsbok, Black Wildebeest, Ostrich and Zebra with the possibility of sighting a rare Black Rhino before reaching Lake Darlington where we keep an eye out for the resident Hippos. We unpack our picnic hampers on the lakeshore for a well-deserved late lunch before making our way through winding farm roads as we journey back to Port Elizabeth and the end of an exciting day.

Tour includes: