African Elephants - Tembe National Park To download our
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animated brochure The largest African elephants in the world, along with rhino, buffalo, leopard, hippo and antelope species in a 190 sq.mi. park on the South Africa / Mozambique border. Excellent birding opportunities and scuba diving on the nearby Tongoland reefs. The name speaks of untamed Africa - where nature still holds sway and life beats to the ancient rhythms of a timeless continent. This is the Africa of Tembe African Elephant Park, where the real Africa of the wild begins. Situated in Maputaland, the north-eastern region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, adjoining the Mozambique border, Tembe is home to the province's biggest African elephant herd and its only indigenous elephants. Tembe's African elephants used to be South Africa's last remaining free-ranging herd, at one time moving seasonally between Mozambique and Maputaland. In recent years they have sought refuge in the dense sand forests of Tembe to escape the depradations of border conflicts and landmines, and their continuous harassment by ivory poachers. The magnificent African elephants, more than 140 in number - from massive full-grown adults to juveniles - are Tembe's main attraction and make for spectacular viewing. The larger adults are physically the biggest in South Africa and signs of their presence are everywhere, clearly evident through the broken branches and foliage left behind from their voracious foraging. Tembe's mosaic of sand forest, woodland, grassland, and swampland, comprises an ideal habitat for highly-visible elephant spotting, enabling them to be observed at close-quarters from game-drive vehicles or from the discreetly-located hides which overlook their watering holes. | |
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