It is in and around Africa’s Great Rift Valley that the first mammoths emerged some 4-5 million years ago – yes, the first mammoths were African! The first fossils were identified in 1920’s – Mammuthus subplanifrons – found essentially in the Great Rift valley in Ethiopia, East Africa and South Africa.

The best evidence may be seen in the fossilised molar teeth found in Langebaan on the South African west coast just one hour north of Cape Town. They were the cousins of the African and Asian Elephants that we are still privileged to see on safari today in the last protected wilderness areas.

These first mammoths walked and browsed the tropical woodlands of Africa before the time of early humans. Later mammoths left Africa and migrated across the globe, surviving until just after the last Ice Age 10-14,000 years ago. These mammoths co-existed with the humans and their lives have been reconstructed from human art in caves and the many skeletons unearthed.

Mammoth Safaris takes its name from these animals who walked the earth all those years ago, first in Africa and then beyond.  The mammoths were explorers and adventurers and we celebrate this in all we do…