The first giraffe tracking safari in South Africa started here in 2013. Just 45 minutes from Addo Elephant National Park and a short drive from Gqeberha, Bellevue Forest offers a guided walk on private land where guests can experience giraffes on foot in their natural environment.
This is not a vehicle safari or a crowded attraction. It is a guided tracking experience through private Eastern Cape bushveld, shaped around respectful wildlife viewing and the quiet rhythm of the reserve. What began in 2013 as a conservation-driven idea has become one of the region’s most distinctive safari experiences.
The experience started here. It remains small, personal and rooted in the land, led by guides who understand the animals, the terrain and the responsibility of tracking with guests through wild spaces.
At Bellevue, this tracking experience was not copied from somewhere else. It started here, shaped by the reserve and the giraffes that call it home. Guests and guides track entirely on privately owned land inside Bellevue Forest Reserve, guided by trained professionals who work with the animals and the landscape every day.
Your visit begins at the main camp inside Bellevue Forest Reserve. Guests are welcomed with coffee or tea while the guide gives a simple briefing about the plan for the morning and what to expect on the tracking experience. From camp, you take a short drive in a safari vehicle to the starting point.
Once you are off the vehicle, the walk settles into an easy pace. The guide points out the smaller signs along the way – tracks, feeding marks and details in the vegetation that show how animals move through the area. The route shifts between open spaces and small pockets of thicket.
A little further on, the guide slows down and lets you look ahead. The giraffes are there – calm and unhurried, moving in a way that feels completely natural to them. Guests meet the giraffes in their own space, without disturbing them or changing the way they behave.
You spend time walking at a respectful distance, watching how the giraffes move and feed. It is quiet, steady and, for many guests, one of the moments they remember long after the walk is over.
Bellevue Forest lies within Greater Addo, a malaria-free stretch of hills, valleys and wide Eastern Cape sky. The giraffes are the highlight, but the walk also reveals smaller details – tracks, plants, birdlife and the natural rhythms of the bush.
The giraffe tracking safari is led by trained guides who understand the animals, the terrain and the importance of keeping the experience calm and respectful. Guests are briefed before the walk and guided at a pace that suits the group and the conditions on the day.
Before heading out, your guide explains what to expect, how close to stand, and how to move so the walk feels calm and comfortable for everyone.
Every booking contributes to the wider conservation and community purpose behind Bellevue Forest. The experience is not only about seeing giraffes. It also supports the long-term care of the reserve and the people connected to it.
Through the Bellevue Foundation, part of each booking helps support conservation and community training. This gives the giraffe tracking safari a practical purpose beyond the walk itself.
A visual glimpse of the landscapes, wildlife and quiet moments guests can expect during the giraffe walking experience at Bellevue Forest.
(Children 2 – 11 years 50% of adult rate)
Includes guiding, and conservation contribution.
Track giraffes on private land at Bellevue Forest and experience one of the Eastern Cape’s most distinctive wildlife encounters.
