It may be a mistake to always assume that encountering the most famous African animals would leave the strongest impression. Personally, I am not too touched by seeing the lions, for instance. It is always a pleasure, yes, but there are other sightings that get me a lot more excited. And encountering elephants is definitely one of those things! Time and time again they impress me. The way they walk, behave, the way they can fool around with each other, and also the caring way they are towards their little ones. I always feel an emotional link between the way we as humans are, and elephants. They think, ponder, feel and they all have different characters, and it is very obvious to everyone’s eyes, especially if you take time to observe them.

Elephants in Africa are so much bigger than their Asian counterparts (a fully grown male elephant can exceed 6m in height!), and weigh well past 10 tons, even up to 12 tons and beyond, so you can imagine the sheer size and mass such an animal represents. Photos do not reflect this astonishing impression that being close to such an animal leaves with one. These animals tower over our game drivers even, and it leaves everyone in awe, without fail, always!

Jay-Dee sent in a lovely photo of yet another encounter with our elephant herd that happened yesterday. Our guests absolutely loved it! Many thanks for sending it through, it always puts a smile on my face.

Lucky guests …. I wish I had more time to be out there on safari with our guests and rangers. They have the best job in the world. 🙂