Game parks: is the ideal place to watch elephants is the Kruger Park, where about 8000 of them are living. Another 500 are in the Addo Elephant Park near Port Elizabeth (South Africa). Large herds can also be found in the Etosha National Park in Namibia and in the Caprivi.

Advice: Elephants do not like it at all, if one gets too close to them. Avoid approaching the animals too closely with your vehicle. Do not leave the car.

Elephant

Observing an elephant herd belongs to the highlights of a South Africa journey. These massive animals are up to four metres high and weigh up to six tons. Their heart alone weighs 25 kg. That makes them the biggest land mammals on earth. They are vegetarians and eat about 300 kg foliage and other greens daily. If a tree is too high, they might crack it or tear it out. They drink around 200 litres of water daily.

Elephants live in family formations of between 6 and 200 animals. The leader of the herd is always a female. The young bulls are excluded from the herd at the age of 12 to 15 years when they reach sexual maturity. Then they join small "bachelor herds". The gestation of the cows takes 22 months. The calves live on mother's milk for about 4 years. Although elephants are basically peaceful animals, mother cows can become highly dangerous when they feel their calves are threatened.