I was working in Malawi at the time, as the assistant to the Rescue and Rehabilitation Manager of a wildlife centre near the capital city. Three months in, I needed to do a quick visa run, then return to Malawi to finish my contract. Normally, visa runs consist of a quick trip to the closest border, staying for an overnight or a couple of days, then crossing back over. This time, however, I got the chance to go on a four-day safari to one of the top five national parks in Africa.
Not bad for a visa run, right?
South Luangwa National Park in Zambia is known for its dense wildlife populations, particularly leopards and elephants. Each time I hopped into the open-air safari truck with our guide, Duncan, and a rotating group of other tourists, I wondered what amazing encounter we'd have this time. We saw elephants on every drive, but there was one particularly memorable experience on the third day.
We found a small group of three young male elephants. Duncan pulled over a safe distance away so we could watch the trio munching on the high branches of a tree. Every time they pulled down on a branch with their thick trunks they showered themselves in leaves and broken twigs. Slowly, they came closer. Duncan, not wanting to startle them, didn't move the vehicle, but kept the engine running, just in case.
The three elephants walked leisurely past the vehicle, eyeing us warily but not seeming too bothered by our presence. Our entire group was holding their breath. Two of the bulls passed us. The third, more curious than the others, came right over, stopping no more than a metre from the side of the vehicle. He looked at each of us in turn, an imposing figure, taller and heavier than the vehicle we were sitting in. My heart was pounding; the thought of trying to film or photograph the moment didn't even occur to me, I was so engrossed in this huge animal in front of me.
With a loud sigh, the elephant appeared to lose interest in us and continued after his two companions, his tail brushing against the metal side of the vehicle as he flicked it to one side. As a group we let out the breath we'd been holding in, laughing and whispering as the tension broke. I saw Duncan's hand relax from the gear stick he'd been gripping tightly, ready to move if he needed to.
I looked around at the others in the vehicle and saw the same wide-eyed look of wonder in all of them. We stayed for another few minutes, watching the trio find another tree to fill their bellies with, then we moved on to find more wildlife.
Want to read more about my adventures? Check out my blog www.thiswildlifeofmine.com for tips, itineraries and stories!