The full-day safaris at a glance
| Safari |
Vehicle |
Lunch |
Park fee |
Pickup |
Duration |
All-inclusive full-day safari
Afroventures |
Closed, air-conditioned 4x4 |
Included |
Included |
Details on the product page |
9 h |
Full-day safari with braai lunch
Addo Game Drives |
See product page |
Braai, with beer or wine |
Included |
Cruise-port pickup available as an option |
9 h |
Full-day safari with braai
African Sightings |
See product page |
Braai |
Included |
Details on the product page |
9 h |
“All-inclusive” day safari
Into Tours |
Closed, air-conditioned |
Not included (despite the title) |
Included |
Details on the product page |
8 h |
Shore excursion with port pickup
Into Tours |
Air-conditioned |
Not included |
Included |
Gqeberha cruise port |
8 h |
Inclusions as listed on each product page. Where a point is not stated there, we say so instead of guessing.
1. The vehicle: closed and air-conditioned, or open?
This is the choice that shapes the day most, and the titles rarely mention it. A closed, air-conditioned vehicle keeps you cool and out of the dust on the park’s gravel roads, which matters in the southern summer, when temperatures in Addo can climb above 40 °C. The trade-off is the view: you look out through windows rather than over open sides.
An open safari vehicle gives all-round views and easier photography, and it feels closer to the classic safari picture. In return you sit in the sun and the wind, and a long summer day in the open can be tiring.
Among the full-day safaris here, the Afroventures safari uses a closed, air-conditioned 4x4, the Into Tours day safari a closed, air-conditioned vehicle, and the Into Tours shore excursion an air-conditioned vehicle. For the braai safaris our check could not confirm the vehicle type, so the product page is the place to look before you book. If an open vehicle is what you want and a full day is not essential, the Schotia port safari further down the home page runs in an open vehicle — though in a private reserve, not in Addo.
2. Lunch: included, a braai, or your own
Lunch is part of the package on the Afroventures safari and on the braai safaris. The braai safaris build the day around a South African braai — a barbecue — and on the Addo Game Drives safari beer or wine comes with it.
The Into Tours safaris do not include lunch. On the shore excursion that is stated plainly; on the day safari it is easy to miss, because the title says “all-inclusive”.
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“All-inclusive” without lunch
The Into Tours day safari from Port Elizabeth carries “all-inclusive” in its title, but lunch is listed as not included. The vehicle and the park fee are covered; for the meal, plan on buying something in the park or bringing your own. If an included lunch matters to you, the Afroventures safari or one of the braai safaris fits better.
3. The park fee
Every full-day safari on this page includes the Addo Elephant National Park entrance fee, so there is nothing to pay at the gate. For reference, the SANParks conservation fee for international adults is R492 per person under the tariff valid until 31 October 2026; SANParks adjusts its tariffs every 1 November.
That is not the case for every Addo safari. The half-day safari from Addo village, listed on the home page, leaves the conservation fee to you — worth factoring in when you compare a half day with a full one.
4. Pickup: hotel or cruise port
If you arrive by ship, the pickup is the first thing to check. The Into Tours shore excursion collects you at the Gqeberha harbour, and the Addo Game Drives braai safari offers a port pickup as an option you choose when booking. Gqeberha’s cruise season falls in the southern summer, and a port day leaves no room for delays: compare the 8 to 9 hours of an Addo day trip with your ship’s all-aboard time before you book.
For the other safaris, the product page sets out where and when you are picked up; pickup areas can differ between operators, so check that your accommodation is covered.
8 or 9 hours — and how much of it in the park
The Into Tours safaris run for 8 hours, the others for 9. With roughly an hour’s drive each way between Gqeberha and Main Camp, the time on the park’s roads is shorter than the headline duration — normal for a day trip from the city, and the reason the drive is part of the plan rather than a detail.
What to expect in the park
Addo is best known for its elephants, and they are the sighting the day is built around. The park is also home to the Big Five, but no safari can promise them: lions turn up some of the time, while leopard and rhino are rare. The park is malaria-free.
Season shapes the day as well. From November to March the heat is the main factor — bring a hat, sunscreen and water. February and March are among the wetter months, and the December–January school holidays are the park’s busiest weeks.
Not looking for a full day from the city?
If you are staying near the park, the half-day safari from Addo village keeps the day short. If you would rather have an open vehicle and a shorter outing from the port, the Schotia safari with harbour pickup visits a private reserve next to Addo. And if one day feels rushed, there is a two-day Addo safari. You will find them on the home page. Travelling from Cape Town along the coast? Our sister site gardenroutetour.com compares the multi-day Garden Route trips.
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In short
Want comfort in the heat and lunch taken care of? Look at the Afroventures safari in its closed, air-conditioned 4x4. Want a braai in the bush? The Addo Game Drives and African Sightings safaris build the day around one. Arriving by ship? The Into Tours shore excursion includes the harbour pickup, and the Addo Game Drives safari offers it as an option. Every safari here includes the park fee — only the Into Tours safaris leave lunch to you.
