Entabeni, Day 2: The Elephants

We are back at the lodge at approx 9.30 in the morning. Breakfast is served: cereal, fruit, bread, and a hot meal. A chef at a frying table serves lovely omelets or scrambled eggs at your choice. I try the scrambled eggs with cheese. Very tasty! I have actually tried this back home, omelet with cheese.

We relax for a couple of hours, some go to the pool, I start editing yesterday’s photos. Then lunch, followed by more relaxing – and editing. I did not have my swim shorts with me.

At four o’clock we reassemble at the lobby for the evening tour. This time it is the elephants we are looking for. It took me two tours to figure it out, but given that the reserve is about 250 square kilometers big you need to focus. 250 square kilometers is like a square with Södertälje, Stavsnäs, Sigtuna and Ljusterö as its corners. The rangers knew which animals that were within the compound, but not where they were. They knew that there was a lions’ flock, an elephant family, so and so many rhinos and hippos and so forth within the enclosure, but the task was finding them. They actually knew a lot about the animals – including details of who had dated who and who had rejected who…

Anyway, so far we had done two biggies out of five: the lions and the rhinos. The quest for the evening was the elephants.

As previously we set out for the gorge and the lower plateau. After the gorge the two jeeps split up and the search began. We hear Simon and Trevor talking to each other constantly over the radio. I guess they competed internally.


First, some fresh droppings! That is usually a good sign.




Then we drove and drove and drove around on the small roads. At one point a third jeep appeared, with a third ranger also looking for the elephants.





Mungamo!

More driving and, eventually, contemplating:



Other animals pass by...





Then, after two hours driving around, back and forth on all kinds of small roads, we finally get to see the elephants! Not close, but nevertheless there they are. Ah, thank you!!!






The sunset is absolutely fantastic. We drive to the same place as yesterday to watch the sun go down whilst talking energetically about the elephants. It turns out that the other jeep, i.e., Simon's, had an earlier encounter with them and they really got to see the elephants close! Not only that the guys in Simon's jeep could not stop taking about how close they came, L shows me some very nice close-up shots. Ahhhh, mungamo! Well, we saw them too.









Back at the lodge we are served dinner, this time inside. The staff in the reception come up and sing to us, that was very nice. Thank you!