Port Elizabeth: Schotia Safari & Big 5 with Addo Park Pickup

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1/9

Duration7h

GroupUp to 30

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Elephants, lions and rhinos 45 minutes from the Port Elizabeth harbour

You're picked up at Port Elizabeth Harbour and driven 45 minutes to Schotia Game Reserve, where you spend the day in an open safari vehicle with a guide searching for the Big 5 and other wildlife. Snacks and water are provided, entry fees are included, and you return to the Harbour by late afternoon. No car rental, no separate guide booking, no timing to figure out yourself.

Step-by-step itinerary

Safari tour from Port Elizabeth Harbour

Pickup from Port Elizabeth Harbour
Drive 45 minutes to Schotia Game Reserve
Explore reserve with qualified guide
See Big 5 and other animals
Return to Port Elizabeth Harbour

The Experience

What stops most people from doing a safari out of Port Elizabeth is the logistics — you'd need a rental car, a guide, and time to figure out where to go. This tour removes all three. You get picked up at the Harbour, driven 45 minutes inland to Schotia Game Reserve, and spend the day in an open safari vehicle with a qualified guide who knows where the animals move. The reserve borders Addo Elephant National Park on its east side, which means the wildlife density is real — not a promise, but a fact of the geography.

Schotia is the oldest reserve in the Eastern Cape, and it's home to the Big 5: elephant, rhinoceros, lion, buffalo, and leopard. You'll also see giraffes, hippos, and crocodiles moving through their natural habitat. The guide won't guarantee sightings — animals don't follow a schedule — but they'll do the work of finding them. Each drive is different because the animals are constantly on the move, so you're not following a fixed route or stopping at the same viewpoints as everyone else. You sit in an open vehicle, which means you're low and exposed to the landscape, not sealed behind glass. Snacks and bottled water come with you, so you're not hunting for a lunch stop or rationing what you brought.

The day ends with a return drive to the Harbour, so you're back where you started. The whole thing — pickup, drive, safari, return — fits into one block of time without you having to coordinate transport, entry fees, or a guide separately. It's the kind of tour that works if you're in Port Elizabeth for a port day or a short stop and want to see actual wildlife without spending half the day on logistics.

What’s included

Hotel or Harbour pickup in Port Elizabeth, 45-minute transfer to Schotia Game Reserve, full-day safari in an open air-conditioned vehicle with a qualified guide, entry fees and landing facility charges, snacks and bottled water throughout the day, and return transfer to the Harbour by late afternoon.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditionsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Sunday's River Adventures

Is this one for you?Book this if you're docked in Port Elizabeth or staying nearby and want to see African wildlife without arranging a rental car, separate guide, or entry tickets yourself — the pickup and all-in pricing is what makes a real safari possible in a single port day.