Gourma Elephant Range

A few hundred elephants live in the Gourma, the semi-arid country between the Niger bend and the Burkina border, and they are the northernmost surviving population in Africa and among the last desert-adapted elephants anywhere. They move on a circuit of several hundred kilometres a year following water and browse, one of the longest migrations recorded for the species, converging on lakes like Banzena in the dry months.

What's there

• The desert elephants - the northernmost surviving population in Africa.
• The migration circuit - a route of several hundred kilometres through the year.
• The dry-season waterholes - the lakes the herds converge on as water fails.
• The Gourma country - semi-arid bush between the Niger bend and the border.

When to go

November to February is the cool dry season and the practical window. The herds concentrate at water as the dry season advances. The rains from June disperse them and close tracks.

Before you go

The herds move constantly and finding them is not guaranteed even with guides. There is no infrastructure of any kind. The population has been under severe pressure from poaching and habitat loss.

Nearby

Douentza is southwest, and Gao is northeast.