{"id":1576,"date":"2018-06-25T22:48:56","date_gmt":"2018-06-25T20:48:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/andtraveller.com\/travel\/searching-for-elefants-in-the-desert\/"},"modified":"2019-09-18T12:45:35","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T10:45:35","slug":"searching-for-elephants-in-the-desert","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/andtraveller.com\/en\/tours\/searching-for-elephants-in-the-desert\/","title":{"rendered":"Searching for Elephants in the Desert"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are there Elephants in the Desert?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

In Northwestern Namibia, around the Hoarusib, Ganamub, Hoanib and Jumib rivers, near the oldest desert on the planet, one of the very few populations of desert elephants can be found. Survival is even more difficult for these pachyderms here than for their brothers in the savanna, since they must migrate hundreds of kilometers and even dig the ground in search of water.<\/p>\n

Here, in the Hoanib Valley, you can meet desert elephants and lions with unique characteristics adapted to survive in these extreme conditions.<\/p>\n

Their ability to adapt to other environments and transmit knowledge to their offspring makes them special<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
DEPARTURE PLACE<\/strong><\/td>\nEtosha<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ARRIVAL PLACE<\/strong><\/td>\nDamaraland<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ARRIVAL TIME<\/strong><\/td>\n3 to 4 hours in a 4×4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
TRAVELLER PROFILE<\/strong><\/td>\nInclusive familias with children<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
INCLUDED<\/strong><\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/i>Hotel<\/td>\n<\/i>Food<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/i>Local Transportation<\/td>\n<\/i>Profesional Guide<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NOT INCLUDED<\/strong><\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/i>Entries to the National Park<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/i>Tips<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
END OF TRIP<\/strong><\/td>\nSkeleton Coast<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Its Evolution to survive in the Desert<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The adaptation to such a tough ecosystem has created a good number of physical and behavioral differences<\/strong> compared to the well-known African Savanna Elephant. Until recently, the Desert Elephant was considered a subspecies of the other, but recent genetic studies cast doubt on it. The differences are evident: Even so, Desert Elephants are as large as those in the Savanna – males can reach four meters in height – but their bodies are thinner<\/strong> due to a diet that is poorer in quantity and nutrients . However, they can exceed six tons in weight.<\/p>\n

One of the particularities of the Desert Elephants is the seasonal long-distance migration <\/strong>in search of places with water and food. To do this, they have developed larger legs than their relatives in the savannah, which allow them to cover long journeys on rocks and sand. The migration is what makes our encounter with them more complicated, but our professional guides usually guarantee us their discovery.<\/p>\n

Another peculiarity of their behavior is the way they obtain water: they dig holes in the ground<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

To get food they must also use special techniques, such as stretching their body to the fullest supported by the back legs, almost adopting dancer poses, to be able to reach the greenest buds in the height.<\/p>\n

The elephant herds are matriarchal groups<\/strong>: the oldest female is the one who leads the family, she has the longest memory and knowledge of water sources, seasonal food and migration routes to help her family to survive.<\/p>\n

There is only one other population of Desert Elefants in the world: a population of 400 exemplars found in the Sahara, in Mali.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Northwestern Namibia, near the oldest desert on the planet, in the Hoanib Valley, one of the very few Desert Elephant populations can be found. Survival is very difficult in this place as they must migrate hundreds of kilometers and even dig the ground in search of water.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[204,291],"product_tag":[713,628,714],"class_list":["post-1576","product","type-product","status-publish","product_cat-africa-en","product_cat-southern-africa","product_tag-desert","product_tag-namibia-en-en","product_tag-namibia-en-2","tour_category-photographic-safari","tour_category-wild-life","first","instock","shipping-taxable","product-type-tour"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/andtraveller.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/1576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/andtraveller.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/andtraveller.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andtraveller.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/andtraveller.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andtraveller.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=1576"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andtraveller.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=1576"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andtraveller.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=1576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}