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Namibia 

Little Kulala by the numbers!.  Sand: infinite; 1 trillion Stars; 37 000 hectare (91,500 acre) Private reserve; 365 Days of sun per year; 383 meter (1,257 feet) Big Daddy Sand dune; 60 Camelthorn trees in Deadvlei; 44 km (27 miles) from Sossusvlei; 22 Skybeds; 20 toes in the sand private dinner in wine cellar; 20 sorry make that 10 toes pointed at the stars in the romantic skybed; 8.4 km (5.2 miles) from the Dune belt; 3 Hot air Balloons; 0 Paparazzi & no Blackberry. 

 

The Desert Elephants of Kaokoland (Today Kunene District, north-west Namibia).  Kaokoland is a harsh and arid area which forms the extreme north western corner of Namibia. Its harshness however, does not detract from its beauty, for this is a truly wild country where man seldom treads and never does so without danger of losing his life. It is a country which tolerates man only as long as he obeys the rules of survival, and this should be equally true of the many species of wildlife still found there. The difference between man and the other animals, however, is that the wildlife have long since adapted perfectly to their sub-desert and desert environment. Kaokoland is mostly covered by the Namib Desert and sub-desert. In such an environment one hardly expects to see animals usually regarded as bush and savanna dwellers, yet, Kaokoland probably harbours the only elephants in the world which have become perfectly adapted to the desert life. The usually dry rivercourses that run from east to west across Kaokoland are responsible for the existence of elephants. These riverbeds contain huge specimens of Acacia albida and Acacia erioloba as well as other plants on which the elephants browse. The sandy riverbeds also contain subterranean water, which is dug for by elephants and is thus also made available to other wildlife. Thus the elephant of Kaokoland are not only unique in the adaptation to desert life, they are also of vital importance to the survival of myriads of other animals which depend on the water which the elephants make available. On their own, the elephants of Kaokoland are phenomenal ecological puzzles. The faeces of these animals are virtually devoid of moisture when passed, indicating that the maximum water extraction has taken place in the digestive tract. This contrasts markedly with elephants elsewhere. Further adaptation to make use of relatively dry browse material and to thrive on this food is an interesting study topic in itself. The microbial population of these animals must also equally be quite specific and highly effective to break down rough browse into available energy for the elephants. These elephants are characterised by long and relatively slender legs, with huge feet which allow easy travel across desert sands. These enormous feet make it possible for the elephants to traverse seemingly impossible terrain, and it is known that some of the Kaokoland elephants cross at least 90km of desert sand between their nearest available browse and the nearest available water.” Professor J. du P. Bothma.