African Elephant Safaris

The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest land mammal on Earth, with males weighing up to 5.5 tonnes and stretching nearly 4 metres tall. Highly intelligent and deeply social, elephants live in matriarchal herds led by older females, with calves born after an extraordinary 22-month pregnancy, the longest of any mammal. Newborn calves already weigh around 90 kg and are fiercely protected by the family group.

There are two species: the African bush elephant, found in savannahs, grasslands, and deserts, and the smaller, elusive African forest elephant, adapted to the dense rainforests of Central Africa. Elephants’ iconic trunks, containing over 100,000 muscles, are used for feeding, drinking, and communicating, while their vast ears, shaped like the African continent, help regulate body temperature. Their continuously growing tusks, used for digging, stripping bark, and fighting, also make them vulnerable to poaching.

Despite their strength, elephants are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to ivory poaching, habitat loss, and conflict with humans. Conservation projects across Africa, from anti-poaching patrols to community-based eco-tourism, are helping to stabilise populations and protect their habitats. By joining an elephant safari, travellers directly support these efforts while experiencing the awe of seeing the world’s largest land mammal moving gracefully through its natural environment.

African elephants are among the most adaptable mammals on the planet, inhabiting an extraordinary range of ecosystems across sub-Saharan Africa. From lush wetlands to arid deserts, their ability to survive in diverse habitats has made them one of the continent’s most iconic and widespread species.

• Savannahs and Grasslands – Kenya & Tanzania: In the open plains of Amboseli National Park in Kenya, herds of elephants are often seen moving in front of the snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro — one of Africa’s most photographed wildlife scenes. In Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, vast congregations of up to 500 elephants gather during the dry season, mingling among towering baobab trees and acacia woodlands.
• Wetlands and Rivers – Botswana: The Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park provide a water-rich paradise, where elephants bathe, feed on lush grasses, and cross river channels in spectacular numbers. Chobe is home to one of the largest elephant populations on Earth, with over 120,000 individuals, and boat safaris along the riverbanks offer unparalleled close-up encounters.
• Deserts – Namibia: In the harsh environment of Damaraland and Kaokoveld, rare desert-adapted elephants have evolved behaviours to survive extreme drought. They travel vast distances to find water, dig dry riverbeds with their trunks, and browse on hardy desert vegetation. These elephants are smaller, with longer legs and larger feet adapted to sandy terrain.
• Rainforests - Central Africa: In the dense jungles of the Congo Basin, the elusive African forest elephant thrives. Smaller and stockier than its savannah relative, with straighter tusks and rounded ears, this species plays a critical role as a “mega-gardener of the forest,” dispersing seeds and shaping the ecosystem. Sightings here are rare but deeply rewarding, offering a glimpse into one of the least-explored corners of Africa.