I stayed at the Elephant’s Footprint Lodge in Colchester, just outside the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa for one night during a nine day road trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town via the Garden Route.
Colchester is ideally located just outside the Addo Elephant Park and it is the perfect spot for an overnight stay and to fill up your tank.
The beach is also very near, so if you feel like you can even extend your stay and enjoy the place for a weekend, sunbathing on the beach after a trip to visit the elephants and zebras.
Related: Read My Full, One Week South African Road Trip Itinerary Here
Finding the Hotel
The Elephant’s Footprint Lodge in Cochester is a luxury accommodation provider at the south entrance of Addo National Park, about 10 minutes from the beach by car.
As you exit the gate of Addo National Park, drive down the road and turn right towards the bridge which you can see from the distance. The bridge was recently closed down to traffic so in fact the hotel is in a quiet cul-de-sac thanks to this.
Entering The Elephant’s Footprint Lodge
The hotel has an electric gate and is walled-around. There is a sign outside the gate displaying the hotel’s name and four star rating. You need to press the buzzer to enter the hotel – the gate will open once the manager checks you out in the camera.
First Impressions of Elephant’s Footprint Lodge
The moment I parked up the car I knew it was going to be a great stay: there was a small pool, a waterfall, green grass and a lot of plants at the center courtyard.
We arrived just after 6PM and the manager was taking orders for dinner which was served at 7PM. We decided to take it easy and check out the room then walk to the bridge before dinner.
The Lobby Area And The Garden
You access the lobby area and reception by walking across the garden of the Elephant’s Footprint Lodge. There were sun loungers in the garden on a grass patch, facing the pool and waterfall – it was all very tranquil. Most rooms open out to this inner courtyard, making it look very harmonious and peaceful.
The reception is within the restaurant area and bar, next to the in-house kitchen.
Checking In
We booked our room at the Elephant’s Footprint Lodge on Booking.com. The check-in process was very quick and smooth even though we only booked the room less than an hour before our arrival.
The Lift and Public Areas
There was no lift because every room is on the ground floor. The Elephant’s Footprint B&B has 12 rooms and there were fully booked the night we were there.
Inside the Room
You will enter the room through a double door into a large room which is divided into four sections. On my right was a seating area with two armchairs and a single bed, above which was the flat screen TV. Opposite this was a cupboard and on top of that was the kettle, tea and coffee. The bathroom was in front of the double bed, both of which faced out to the back garden.
The room had no ceiling, instead we could see the thatched room – so basically a full height indoor paradise!
The Bed at The Elephant’s Footprint Lodge
The bed was very comfortable and I slept like a log all night! One tip I would give is not to leave the window open as you will invite the insects and various night animals to come inside the room. We had to sleep with a bat all night which sneaked in when I stupidly left the window open!
The Rest of the Bedroom
There were two bedside cabinets on each side of the bed with a plug for each. Above the cabinets were two lamps and a fan.
Wifi in the Room
There was wifi in the room which I used to check my email. It worked perfectly fine.
The Bathroom
The bathroom had a bathtub, a separate toilet and even an outside shower! It was super nice and the water was warm almost straight away.
The Swimming Pool
I did not try the swimming pool as it was raining the day before and it was not warm enough but it did look nice as a decorative feature.
Cost of the Room
The room at the Elephant’s Footprint cost 1,850 Rand for two, including two double rum and lemonades, dinner and breakfast. The food was very delicious so I would recommend staying around for dinner instead of going out. The dinner was prepared by two local ladies and I will never forget the taste of the cauliflower and cheese and the special sweet potato fries!
Overall Impressions
Although the Elephant’s Footprint Lodge was a little more expensive in comparison to other hotels that I stayed in while in South Africa I would totally recommend it.
It really set the bar high for us and we did not manage to find another hotel that served such good food and offered the same service at the same price.
Address: 1 Riverside Drive, Riverside Park, Colchester 6175, Colchester, 6001, South Africa
Phone: 0027 21 762 1543
Christo says
Dear Janos,
Thank you so much for the fantastic review of our beautiful Lodge. We work tirelessly to make sure our service and overall impression of Elephants Footprint Lodge is impeccable. With reviews like this we are highly motivated to exceed our guest’s expectations.
I was blown away by the fact that the Bat did not compromise your view of our Lodge. We are still laughing between the staff and myself about Margaret, the lady that you told about the Bat. She does not speak English very well and thought there was something wrong with the Bed when you said there is a Bat in the room. Her words to me was: “Of course there is a Bed in the room, you can’t sleep on the floor”. 😊
The review is excellent with only one mistake though, we have 12 rooms and not 20. But other than that, we are even more motivated to let our guests check out with the same memorable stay and satisfaction that you experienced.
Thank you once again for the fantastic review. We hope to host you again on your next visit to South Africa.
Warm regards,
Christo – Lodge Manager