The impalas were hopping around on their graceful legs in great leaps when we were out and about the next morning at 5:15 am. We did not see the lions whose roars we had heard during the night. But we would rather see elephants than a few lions lying around lazily. Or elands roaming gracefully through the undergrowth. Or ospreys perching on trees; always ready to pounce on the next fish in the Zambezi.

We stood more than we drove that morning. If you have time and are not in a hurry, the animals come to the visitor and not us to them. It was the same this morning. Sometimes I had the impression that the elephant family recognized us when they welcomed us into their midst. After three hours and full of unforgettable impressions, we returned to the camp and lay down in the shade. (This is a recommended strategy for temperatures above 40 °C!)

At 4 pm. we went on the next game drive. Luckily, we did, because that evening we saw something you don’t see every day: elephants standing on their hind legs to tear the tastiest branches from the trees. We saw Bosswell and Fred Astaire – that’s their names – at work!

PS: If you want to know more about these extraordinary elephants, look here.