21-Day Hunting Safari in Liparamba, Tanzania
Booking Season: 2026
Hunt Difficulty: Moderate, Difficult
Designed by Hunters, for Hunters
Hunting Elephants is one of Africa’s greatest dangerous game hunting adventures, which will test your endurance, staying power, and patience. An Elephant hunt can be frustrating, and after walking miles on the African soil in tough conditions, it is exhausting!
But when your trophy Elephant is down, there is no greater euphoric rush that you can experience on a big game hunt.
For many American hunters, an elephant hunt represents the ultimate dangerous game safari. It is not simply about harvesting Africa’s largest animal, but about the challenge of tracking a mature bull through remote wilderness with an experienced professional hunter and skilled trackers. Most elephant hunts are conducted on foot, following fresh spoor through sand, mopane woodland, or riverine areas until the trackers close the distance for a safe shot.
Tracking elephants is a skill developed over many years by experienced African trackers. Fresh spoor is carefully followed through sand, dust, or riverbeds while constantly monitoring wind direction. A mature bull may travel many miles in a single day, making patience and teamwork essential for a successful elephant hunt.
Man has been conducting Elephant hunts for more than a million years, first for their protein, and then later by trophy hunters and traders for their ivory. An Elephant hunt is a challenge for hunters stalking Africa’s largest mammal, and these Elephant hunts provide much-needed financial resources to African countries, bringing value to the Elephant.
In the central and northern regions of Africa, Elephant populations have been reduced due to poaching and loss of habitat, which then has a knock-on effect by resulting in conflict between man and Elephant, as can be seen in countries such as Botswana and Zimbabwe.
In many southern African countries, Elephant populations are stable or growing due to successful conservation initiatives. Elephant hunting in modern-day Africa is limited to a handful of countries, including South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Cameroon, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, and the Republic of Congo.
Elephant hunts can be split into exportable trophy hunts or non-exportable (own use/community) hunts. Tuskless Elephant hunts are becoming popular in Zimbabwe, due to the affordability of the hunt and the sheer number of tuskless cows.
Hunting an Elephant bull is considered to be the pinnacle of a big game hunter’s career, especially harvesting a bull over 70 pounds, with over 100 pounds being the magic number.
Elephant hunts are usually conducted on 14-, 16-, or 21-day dangerous game hunting safaris.
Because elephant hunts require time to locate mature bulls, safaris are generally longer than plains game hunts. Hunters should be prepared for long days on foot, sometimes covering many miles while tracking bulls through thick bush or along river systems. The wind direction, fresh spoor, and the skill of the trackers often determine whether the hunt will be successful.
The starting point before embarking on an Elephant hunting safari would be determining the type of hunt and quantifying the end goal, i.e., trophy, non-trophy, or tuskless.
Namibia offers Elephants in the Zambezi (formerly known as the Caprivi Region), with big bulls being hunted in Bushmanland. Namibia offers outstanding opportunities for Namibia elephant hunting safaris, particularly in the Zambezi Region and Bushmanland where large bulls are regularly pursued.
Zimbabwe produces exceptional bulls in areas such as Matetsi, the Zambezi Valley, Gona Ezhou, and Save Valley Conservancy, making Zimbabwe elephant hunting safaris some of the most respected dangerous game hunts in Africa.
In Mozambique, Niassa in the north is very popular. Remote wilderness areas such as the Niassa Reserve make Mozambique elephant hunting safaris one of the most authentic elephant hunting experiences available in Africa. Luangwa and the Zambezi Valley in Zambia are known for consistently producing bulls over 65 pounds.
In Tanzania, the Ruaha Valley and Selous Reserve are popular hunting blocks, with Botswana having no shortage of Elephants in the Chobe Region, Okavango Delta, and Tuli Block. Forest Elephants are hunted in Cameroon and the Republic of Congo. In South Africa, Elephant hunts take place in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.
The African Savanna Elephant is found in the majority of African countries, with the Forest Elephant being found in the equatorial forest belt of West Central Africa.
Zimbabwe remains one of the most respected elephant hunting destinations in Africa, particularly in areas such as the Zambezi Valley, Matetsi, and Save Valley Conservancy. These areas are known for producing mature bulls and offering traditional tracking safaris with experienced professional hunters.
Namibia offers a unique elephant hunting experience, especially in the Zambezi Region and parts of Bushmanland where hunters pursue large bulls in remote wilderness areas.
Zambia has long been considered a classic dangerous game hunting destination. The Luangwa Valley and the Zambezi Valley are known for producing large-bodied elephants and offering traditional safari conditions where hunters track bulls through vast wilderness concessions.
Mozambique has grown rapidly in popularity for elephant hunting, particularly in the Niassa Reserve in northern Mozambique. These hunting concessions are enormous and remote, offering one of the most authentic wilderness hunting experiences left in Africa.
Elephant hunts are best conducted during the dry season. Elephants need plenty of water and, as such, drink regularly. Besides water, an adult Elephant requires more than 300 pounds of vegetation daily, which means that large distances need to be covered by the Elephants each day.
With the Elephant continually on the move, this allows hunters a better chance of cutting fresh tracks. In areas where vegetation is abundant, such as reeds in the Zambezi of Namibia, Elephant populations are high, and there is no specific “best” Elephant hunting season; there are just so many Elephants.
Countries such as Namibia, South Africa, and Mozambique hunt for most of the year, but destinations such as Tanzania, Zambia, Cameroon, and the Republic of Congo have shorter elephant hunting seasons.
Most elephant hunts are most productive during the dry months when water becomes scarce and elephants concentrate around rivers and waterholes. These conditions make it easier for professional hunters and trackers to locate fresh tracks early in the morning.
Elephant hunts are among the most expensive dangerous game safaris in Africa due to the length of the hunt, the specialized equipment required, and the strict quota systems governing elephant hunting.
Depending on the country and hunting concession, elephant hunting safaris typically range between $25,000 and $70,000 or more. The final cost depends on factors such as trophy fees, government permits, and the quality of the hunting concession.
Because elephant hunting quotas are limited each year, hunters are encouraged to book their safaris well in advance.
Out of all the African hunts, hunting a trophy Elephant is probably the toughest. Traditionally, hunting an Elephant involves cutting fresh tracks, then setting out on foot, aiming to catch up to the Elephant and get a glimpse of the ivory, which is the goal.
In many instances, the ivory may turn out to be sub-standard, worn down, or broken, which can be gut-wrenching after having walked long distances in hot, dusty, and dry conditions.
The challenge on an Elephant hunt is to overcome the Elephant’s keen sense of smell and hearing by continually monitoring the wind direction. Elephant hunts can be humbling and will test your abilities to the maximum. The element of danger is an attraction, where the hunter may become the hunted. There is nothing quite like facing an Elephant bull head-on at 20 yards.
For many experienced hunters, the attraction of elephant hunting lies in the combination of danger, patience, and teamwork between hunter, professional hunter, and trackers.
A standard Elephant hunting safari will include the basic service offerings such as accommodation, meals, drinks, professional hunter, camp staff, trackers, on-territory transport, and field preparation of the Elephant trophy.
Elephant hunting in Africa is strictly regulated by national wildlife authorities and international agreements such as CITES. Each elephant hunt requires specific permits, quotas, and export documentation to ensure the hunt remains sustainable.
Exclusions and optional extras when booking an Elephant hunt in Africa:
Most professional hunters recommend rifles such as the .375 H&H Magnum, .416 Rigby, or .458 Lott for elephant hunting. These calibers provide the penetration required for ethical shot placement on such large animals.
Whether it’s finding elephant hunts, stalking, or walking and stalking at dawn, we’re here to deliver the experience of a lifetime with integrity and precision.
✉️ Contact us today to speak with an expert and plan your tailored elephant hunting adventure.
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Regulated elephant hunting contributes significant funding toward wildlife conservation programs, anti-poaching initiatives, and rural community development across many African countries.
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