A highlight of any safari in Africa is watching these gentle giants.
The African elephant is the world’s largest land mammal.
Adult savanna bulls can stand up to 4 meters (13 feet) tall and weigh over 6,000 kg (13,000 lbs).
Their large, fan-like ears are famously shaped like the African continent. They use them to radiate excess body heat.
I studied them first in Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa in 2023.
They can live up to 70 years.
I saw even more elephants on my 5 Days, 4 Nights Camping safari in Tanzania 2026.
They consume up to 150–300 kg (330–660 lbs) of vegetation daily, including grasses, bark, and fruit.
Most memorable was watching elephants give themselves a mud bath.
Around 90% of African elephants have been wiped out in the past century – largely due to the ivory trade – leaving an estimated 415,000 wild elephants alive today.
One ranger I spoke with in Tanzania told me they no longer have any problem with poachers in his National Park.
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