Elephants in Camp!

It’s the middle of the night. We’re camped in our little tent. No fences, anywhere. What was that noise? It was lions grunting! How far away? How far does the sound of a lion grunt travel?

For that matter, how far does the sound of an elephant fart travel? Earlier that day we had horses next to our tent, and elephants just meters away, still without fences or barriers. An elephant actually walked through our camp!

This is the only place on earth like this. This place will blow your mind. It’s Elephant Sands Camp. And these elephants are all wild. Literally TONS of them. There is a 1 meter walking barrier around the restaurant and registration area. This barrier is made of small concrete pyramids, about 15 cms high, some with a steel post sticking out of the top. This is all that separates these massive wild animals from people. It’s hurts their feet to walk on them, so they don’t.

We had heard of this place from Kinga and Henriette. It was a must go to place in Botswana. Henriette _fortheloveofwheels was still there when we arrived. Then we find out that our friends from Kasane, Karen and Teinnie Riekert, were riding their BMW down to camp with us that night also.

In the fading light, with a fire in the braai pit behind us, we pulled our chairs, with a couple bottles of wine, to the edge of the concrete, and the edge of the barrier. Just meters from the waterhole. Do you know the feeling of having a massive bull elephant look you in the eye, standing just in front of you, without a fence? We do! And talk about feeling uneasy, small and vulnerable. They look into you, reaching out with a massive trunk, smelling you. Then turn around and drink, sometimes even sparring with another elephant right in front of you. The grunts, bellows, and even farts. Right there, literally in your face.

The campground, a different story. There are some of these concrete pyramids in place, but the elephants can still walk around them and into camp. No one has ever been injured, BUT… We put up out tent next to the barrier, looking out in the main attraction, the waterhole. The elephants come from all directions to drink and play in the waterhole. And then there were the mongooses to play with.

Here are photos of the days and nights we camped there.

Cheers,

2WANDRRs