South Africa Eco Marine & Wildlife Tour

South Africa is home to a variety of unique, wild and beautiful animals. It’s no wonder that aside from it’s varying and magnificent landscapes, the animals gain quite an audience from tourism.

I was fortunate enough to travel to this very diverse part of the world with my family in July 2017. We experienced a most memorable Marine-Eco Tour and Addo Elephant Park near Port Elizabeth on a private tour with a professional local guide and owner of his tour company. Our guide was so attentive to the questions we asked that provided a personalized opportunity to understand the wildlife and their habitat.

The Marine-Eco tour took us into Nelson Mandela Bay where we spotted for whales and dolphins. I will always remember these two young boys sitting on their surfboards surrounded by all these dolphins ducking and weaving around them. The boys sat bobbing away on their boards, while observing the pods of dolphins and taking the opportunity to remove plastic from the dolphin fins where possible. It was truly beautiful to see such a pure example of animals and humans coexisting in a very peaceful and natural manner. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to witness a truly breathtaking natural occurrence. It instilled a sense of faith in humanity towards its respect and genuine care for wildlife and the environment.

Similarly, Addo Elephant Park was just as special. Although home to the ‘Big 7’, the ‘Big 7’ were not all that easy to spot. A sharp eye and coffee in hand came in handy to really zoom in on the dry, rough and very bushy landscape. We were fortunate to see quite a few animals, but one can’t expect to see them all. The elephants and zebras were the most visible and spectacular in my opinion. It was interesting as the day went on that you began to notice personalities in each kind of animal, such as the cheeky and squeaky warthogs or the passive and gentle elephants. I truly enjoyed every second of this experience; it was like nothing else to experience the facets of nature in South Africa.

Thank you sincerely to Ciao Travel for making it possible, your in-depth knowledge of this destination and expertise made the experience truly unforgettable.

Isobel. Victoria, Australia