Finally, we
spotted one large elephant lumbering out of the bush. We snapped pictures
continuously as we were thrilled with our find.
Here he is. I must have taken 25 photos as he emerged from the trees. We followed him around the corner.....
.... only to come to a watering hole where we were within a few feet of at least 25!
These majestic giants drank, sprayed each other through their trunks and
jostled for the prime position in the middle of the water. They were not shy to
walk in among the vehicles.
How magnificent!
Interesting
fact – drivers are expected to avoid driving over elephant droppings and the
dung beetle. The dung beetle is considered endangered and necessary for breaking
down droppings to keep decomposition flowing.
Although the elephants steal the show at this national park, these warranted a look and pictures.
We drove
until noon and ate lunch at a restaurant at the main gate. The afternoon was
spent back at the campsite. The verandah on the front of the house was shady
and comfy for reading, playing crazy 8’s and trying to use South Africa’s
pathetic internet.
Early
evening is anther good time to view game. What an exceptional night! The
elephants were so close we could have touched them.
Hard to tell where one begins and another ends. A jumble of trunks and tusks.
Not only the elephants were out in the evening.
The herd of
buffalo has us up to two of the big five. The big five consists of the leopard,
lion, buffalo, elephant and rhino. They receive this classification since they
are considered the most difficult to hunt on foot. Everyone visiting Africa
wants to see the Big Five. Maybe this trip we will.
Luke and I
were advised not to run outside the gates of the campground on the potholed road. Not because of
the potholes, but for other safety reasons. The campground itself was too small
for running and we were not prepared to be part of the ultra marathon! No
running for a few days.
Saturday
morning, we were off in search of cats. The elusive cats did not show
themselves. We were once again mesmerized by the elephants, tortoises, buffalo
and zebra. Afternoon was spent in and around the chilly pool, which was perfect
for this 40-degree day. The evening drive did not show us much.
It was this
evening, after talking travel with other campers (as we usually do) that we
came to the realization that we were not going to make it to Botswana and
Namibia. The mileage is too great for the time we have. Although the expansive
sand dunes of Namibia would have been incredible to see, it is not going to
happen this trip. We have contented ourselves with seeing as much of South
Africa as we can. Up the coast we go!
