Elephants walking along an Atlantic beach may sound unusual, but it really happens in Gabon.
In Loango National Park, forest elephants can leave the dense vegetation and emerge onto long stretches of sandy coastline.
The remarkable sight has helped make this part of Gabon one of Africa’s most distinctive wildlife areas.
Where do elephants walk on beaches in Africa?
Loango National Park lies on Gabon’s Atlantic coast, around 300 kilometres south of the capital, Libreville.
The protected area covers about 155,000 hectares.
Unlike many wildlife parks, Loango brings several different environments together. They include tropical forest, lagoons, wetlands, grasslands and Atlantic beaches.
That unusual combination means forest animals can move remarkably close to the ocean.
UNESCO notes that elephants and buffalo can be seen on the beaches of Loango.
Forest meets the Atlantic Ocean
The elephants found in this part of Gabon are African forest elephants.
They are adapted to the dense forests of Central and West Africa.
At Loango, however, their habitat reaches all the way to the coast.
As a result, elephants can emerge from the vegetation and walk across open stretches of sand beside the Atlantic.
They are not the only large animals to appear there.
Hippos and buffalo can also be seen around the coastline. UNESCO says some large animals occasionally even enter the ocean.
Why is Loango National Park so unusual?
Loango contains an exceptional mixture of land, freshwater and coastal habitats.
Its coastline includes beaches, lagoons and coastal plains. Meanwhile, nearby wetlands and forests provide important habitats for wildlife.
The park’s beaches are also important nesting areas for leatherback sea turtles.
Offshore, visitors can sometimes see humpback whales and dolphins during parts of the year.
This combination has created a place where wildlife normally associated with Central Africa’s forests can appear alongside the Atlantic Ocean.
So yes, elephants really do walk on beaches in Africa.
And on a remote stretch of Gabon’s coastline, the forest and the ocean meet in a way found in few other places.