Elephant Safari
May 18th, 2006 | 06:43 AM
#2
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 818
Likes: 0
We did this in July 2004.
Here's a copy of my post in response to this question from another Fodorite. Definitely make advance reservations if you decide to do this.
We did the safari offered by the Zambezi Elephant Trails when we were in Livingstone for our Vic Falls visit. It was terrific ... here's a portion of the write up from my trip journal. And, if you'd like to see photos - check out our album (the ellie ride starts with picture 278)
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/eerkun...rkun/my_photos
An Elephant Moment with Our Friend Lewa
We had a fantastic morning on our elephant ride. A representative from the Zambezi Elephant Trails operation drove us to the elephant camp. Since we were the last to be picked up, the van ride was short. There were 11 participants, the number restricted by the elephant population of the camp.
Sipping coffee – hot tea in my case – we took care of the housekeeping issues first: liability paperwork and safety briefing. Then we met the elephants. The ellies in this camp were brought over from a similar operation in Zimbabwe. Two of them were orphaned during culling operations – Danny and Bop. The other four were saved from certain death during a bad drought – Madinda, Mushumbi, Marula, and Lewa.
I don’t necessarily think training wild animals is a good thing, but in this case bringing them to this camp was a matter of saving their lives. Besides, by allowing visitors a close encounter, they serve as ambassadors for the preservation of their species – that’s a good thing.
Wow! And wow again! Such a simple word, but so appropriate to our experience. How else can I describe being nose-to-trunk with a full-grown bull?
The elephants lined up side by side, a virtual wall of gray. Standing near them, I experienced one overriding feeling. No, it wasn’t fear. It was pure ‘awe’. Little did I know that things were about to get even better. As our guide started introducing each animal, Danny, the biggest of the elephants, stepped out. He came directly towards me, raising his trunk to sniff first my hair, and then the hand I instinctively held out to him. At 5’2” [1.5m], I’ve never thought of myself as particularly small, but with multi-ton Danny standing next to me, I felt downright diminutive.
Someone had told me, “When you photograph an elephant in the wild, zoom in on the eye; it will be an amazing picture.” Forget the picture; looking Danny in the eye was the ultimate in amazing. Wow! That’s all I can say – it’s an experience I will treasure forever.
Shortly thereafter, accompanied by an armed guide and a videographer, we were on the backs of these gentle giants. With one of the ellies pregrant, Danny did double duty, carrying four people. The expecting ellie accompanied us riderless. Mui and I rode astride Lewa, a 16-year old female. I was a fair distance from Lewa’s head; nonetheless, her flapping ears reached back to cover my legs. It was like having an extra blanket against the morning chill.
Together with Christopher, her handler, Lewa took us through Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park and along the banks of the Zambezi. Her slow, plodding gait was surprisingly quiet as we rode through the bush. In our saddle, we gently swayed side to side – it felt like we were in a cradle. At one point, we stopped by the river for a photo op – that picture will make a great Christmas card this year.
When she wasn’t stopping to sample the bounty of nature every other step, Lewa gave us the ride of a lifetime. A branch too hard to break off? No problem, let’s just take the entire sapling with us! And so we made our way through the bush with Lewa munching away – it gave ‘take away food’ a completely new meaning!
We did not see much in the way of wildlife during the ride; several wild elephants just outside camp – hence the armed escort – and a lone giraffe further into our ride. We weren’t on a game drive, though, so the lack of sightings did not bother us. We had a beautiful day for our outing; a little on the cool side. We were halfway across the world living a very special adventure. We sat back and enjoyed the experience and our surroundings. Throughout, running through the back of mind was Clarke’s words from the article about Abu. In this instance, I’ll paraphrase:
With each step, every muscle in her body flexed. Her pelvic girdle swayed. Her shoulder blades protruded like pistons – left, right, left, right. The thick massive skin on her back rolled back and forth across her spine.
I know.
I was riding on top of Lewa.
And I felt like I was riding on top of the world!
After the ride, we had a chance to interact more closely with our ellie. Feedbag in hand, I sat on Lewa’s bent knee and fed her – sometimes commanding her ‘trunk down’ to place food pellets directly into her trunk. At one point, in a very trusting way, she laid her head on my shoulder! Ugh – talk about heavy! I bore her considerable weight with a smile and patted her cheek.
After about 20 minutes, the ellies left us to get their treats – they prefer the sweet oranges and eat them first, and then move onto the lemons. Who can blame them? As they munched on their fruit, we were escorted to our own meal – a full-blown English breakfast consisting of: steak and eggs, beans, potatoes, steamed tomatoes, and a fruit compote. For a buffet, the food was very good.
Conversation throughout the meal was quite animated and revolved around the elephant ride as we compared experiences. We were all in total agreement – it was indescribable. Nevertheless, here I am, trying to do just that.
Here's a copy of my post in response to this question from another Fodorite. Definitely make advance reservations if you decide to do this.
We did the safari offered by the Zambezi Elephant Trails when we were in Livingstone for our Vic Falls visit. It was terrific ... here's a portion of the write up from my trip journal. And, if you'd like to see photos - check out our album (the ellie ride starts with picture 278)
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/eerkun...rkun/my_photos
An Elephant Moment with Our Friend Lewa
We had a fantastic morning on our elephant ride. A representative from the Zambezi Elephant Trails operation drove us to the elephant camp. Since we were the last to be picked up, the van ride was short. There were 11 participants, the number restricted by the elephant population of the camp.
Sipping coffee – hot tea in my case – we took care of the housekeeping issues first: liability paperwork and safety briefing. Then we met the elephants. The ellies in this camp were brought over from a similar operation in Zimbabwe. Two of them were orphaned during culling operations – Danny and Bop. The other four were saved from certain death during a bad drought – Madinda, Mushumbi, Marula, and Lewa.
I don’t necessarily think training wild animals is a good thing, but in this case bringing them to this camp was a matter of saving their lives. Besides, by allowing visitors a close encounter, they serve as ambassadors for the preservation of their species – that’s a good thing.
Wow! And wow again! Such a simple word, but so appropriate to our experience. How else can I describe being nose-to-trunk with a full-grown bull?
The elephants lined up side by side, a virtual wall of gray. Standing near them, I experienced one overriding feeling. No, it wasn’t fear. It was pure ‘awe’. Little did I know that things were about to get even better. As our guide started introducing each animal, Danny, the biggest of the elephants, stepped out. He came directly towards me, raising his trunk to sniff first my hair, and then the hand I instinctively held out to him. At 5’2” [1.5m], I’ve never thought of myself as particularly small, but with multi-ton Danny standing next to me, I felt downright diminutive.
Someone had told me, “When you photograph an elephant in the wild, zoom in on the eye; it will be an amazing picture.” Forget the picture; looking Danny in the eye was the ultimate in amazing. Wow! That’s all I can say – it’s an experience I will treasure forever.
Shortly thereafter, accompanied by an armed guide and a videographer, we were on the backs of these gentle giants. With one of the ellies pregrant, Danny did double duty, carrying four people. The expecting ellie accompanied us riderless. Mui and I rode astride Lewa, a 16-year old female. I was a fair distance from Lewa’s head; nonetheless, her flapping ears reached back to cover my legs. It was like having an extra blanket against the morning chill.
Together with Christopher, her handler, Lewa took us through Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park and along the banks of the Zambezi. Her slow, plodding gait was surprisingly quiet as we rode through the bush. In our saddle, we gently swayed side to side – it felt like we were in a cradle. At one point, we stopped by the river for a photo op – that picture will make a great Christmas card this year.
When she wasn’t stopping to sample the bounty of nature every other step, Lewa gave us the ride of a lifetime. A branch too hard to break off? No problem, let’s just take the entire sapling with us! And so we made our way through the bush with Lewa munching away – it gave ‘take away food’ a completely new meaning!
We did not see much in the way of wildlife during the ride; several wild elephants just outside camp – hence the armed escort – and a lone giraffe further into our ride. We weren’t on a game drive, though, so the lack of sightings did not bother us. We had a beautiful day for our outing; a little on the cool side. We were halfway across the world living a very special adventure. We sat back and enjoyed the experience and our surroundings. Throughout, running through the back of mind was Clarke’s words from the article about Abu. In this instance, I’ll paraphrase:
With each step, every muscle in her body flexed. Her pelvic girdle swayed. Her shoulder blades protruded like pistons – left, right, left, right. The thick massive skin on her back rolled back and forth across her spine.
I know.
I was riding on top of Lewa.
And I felt like I was riding on top of the world!
After the ride, we had a chance to interact more closely with our ellie. Feedbag in hand, I sat on Lewa’s bent knee and fed her – sometimes commanding her ‘trunk down’ to place food pellets directly into her trunk. At one point, in a very trusting way, she laid her head on my shoulder! Ugh – talk about heavy! I bore her considerable weight with a smile and patted her cheek.
After about 20 minutes, the ellies left us to get their treats – they prefer the sweet oranges and eat them first, and then move onto the lemons. Who can blame them? As they munched on their fruit, we were escorted to our own meal – a full-blown English breakfast consisting of: steak and eggs, beans, potatoes, steamed tomatoes, and a fruit compote. For a buffet, the food was very good.
Conversation throughout the meal was quite animated and revolved around the elephant ride as we compared experiences. We were all in total agreement – it was indescribable. Nevertheless, here I am, trying to do just that.
May 19th, 2006 | 10:01 PM
#4
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 5,553
Likes: 0
Sanctuary Lodges offers a very unique "Elephant Experience" at Baines Camp and Stanley's Camp.
http://www.sanctuarylodges.com/downl...t_activity.pdf
I have chosen to end my next safari with 3 nights at Baines Camp, partly in order to partake in the elephant experience (plus with only 5 luxury suites, this will prove to be the most exclusive camp of my entire safari).
While the Victoria Falls elephantback rides seem fun, to do a four hour walking safari with the trio of elephants at Sanctuary Lodges camps in the Okavango seems to be in a league of its own.
http://www.sanctuarylodges.com/downl...t_activity.pdf
I have chosen to end my next safari with 3 nights at Baines Camp, partly in order to partake in the elephant experience (plus with only 5 luxury suites, this will prove to be the most exclusive camp of my entire safari).
While the Victoria Falls elephantback rides seem fun, to do a four hour walking safari with the trio of elephants at Sanctuary Lodges camps in the Okavango seems to be in a league of its own.
May 20th, 2006 | 01:59 AM
#5
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,501
Likes: 0
Hello,
Stanley's and Baines offer a superb elephant interaction. If you would actually like to do an elephant back safari, however, I would advise looking at Abu Camp
http://www.abucamp.com
This is leagues away from what is offered in Vic Falls. The Vic Falls experience is nice, but Abu is in a class of its own.
Cheers,
Julian
Stanley's and Baines offer a superb elephant interaction. If you would actually like to do an elephant back safari, however, I would advise looking at Abu Camp
http://www.abucamp.com
This is leagues away from what is offered in Vic Falls. The Vic Falls experience is nice, but Abu is in a class of its own.
Cheers,
Julian
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