One, Two, Three, Four-tee-Four Elephants - Elephant Sands - Nata -Botswana

My sister-in-law Lol is a loyal follower of our travels. When she realised we were at Elephant Sands, she wrote, “I’ve often been to Elephant Sands near Nata, a lovely spot, but in all the years, we never saw one elephant! Good luck."

While Butch was handling our registration, I went exploring and walked straight up to a herd of elephants at the watering hole. I ran back to tell Butch, afraid they might wander off and not return during our stay. Fortunately, they kept coming in droves all afternoon.

Elephants are everything a wildlife photographer yearns for. They’re so photogenic. For a first-time visitor to a game reserve, elephants will undoubtedly meet all their expectations.

They’re magnificent in every way, yet full of contradictions. Elephants are enormous, with tiny hearts. They’re thick-skinned but sensitive, fierce when provoked yet gentle mothers, a force to be reckoned with yet vulnerable when a gun’s pointed at them. Their feet are enormous, yet they walk silently. They stand their ground yet avoid confrontation. Their size should hamper their mobility, yet we can’t outrun them. They’re independent yet do better in herds with clear hierarchies. Their grey colour should make them visible, yet they blend perfectly into their environment.

Elephants have hair, yet you'll struggle to dislodge a single strand with a pair of pliers. Don't even think about it.

For thousands of years, African mythology has held that the elephant connects heaven and earth. Wearing an elephant-hair bracelet will put you in sync with the universe's forces. You will not fall ill; you will be strong and healthy. You will not be poor but will be prosperous.

Let’s put this into perspective: Like our Honey Badger, they weigh 6 tonnes. They can run at 40 km/h. On a downhill bike, I can’t reach that speed! They stand 3.2 m tall, and the Honey Badger is 3 m high, yet they seem smaller when we observe them, even up close.

Elephants are matriarchal; they live in female-led groups called breeding herds. The matriarch is usually the largest and oldest, and she leads a multi-generational herd comprising other females, known as cows, and their young. After the males left the watering hole, I observed the breeding herds coming at night to drink, bathe, and dust-bathe.

Having a baby elephant (calf) is a serious commitment. Elephants have the longest pregnancy of any mammal—almost two years. Cows usually give birth to one calf every two to four years. At birth, a calf weighs 100 kg and stands about 1 m tall.

Adult males, known as bulls, tend to roam independently, sometimes forming smaller, looser all-male groups. Males occupied the watering hole mainly during the day.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Elephants recognise themselves in a mirror—something few animals can do.

— National Geographic

Elephant family members show signs of grief and may revisit the deceased's bones for years, touching them with their trunks.

— National Geographic

Mud baths protect elephants from the sun and clean their skin of bugs and ticks.

— International Elephant Foundation

African elephants can eat up to 300 pounds of food a day.

— African Wildlife Foundation

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In a tree right next to the Honey Badger, a breeding pair of Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills was busy knocking and probing at the entrance, supposedly to free the female and her chicks.

The female lays her eggs in a tree hollow; she stays with them, then seals the entrance with dung and mud. After the chicks hatch, she stays for two months. The male feeds her and the chicks through a small opening. I believe she loses all her feathers during this time. When it’s time to leave the nest, he breaks it open, as shown in the pictures.

Fascinating. My window looked down on them, giving me a unique opportunity to photograph them without disruption.

Their huge bills let them prod, probe, dig, scratch, and pinch with expert precision. They aren’t fussy eaters either and will dine on virtually anything. Their tok-tok-tok gave them away, making them easy to locate. The raptor was hanging about, waiting to snatch a chick or two.

I couldn’t resist the Marabou Stork. Aren't they just the ugliest birds? Marabou Storks have hollow leg and toe bones. For such an enormous bird, this is an essential adaptation for flight. They’re scavengers, drawn to lion kills, farmyards, cultivated fields, and rubbish tips.

The marabou stork doesn’t have a voice box, but it makes sounds using its throat pouch or by clattering its bills together, especially when it‘s feeling vulnerable. Marabou produces moos, whines, whistles, and hiccups when courting or when threatened.

They fly ahead of a veld fire, then swoop down on smaller animals fleeing the blaze. In flight, the marabou tucks its neck in to form a flattened S. This allows the weight of its beak to be borne on its shoulders.

The relationship between bees and marabou storks is commensalism. Marabou storks are carnivores that use their powerful bills to tear apart carcasses for food. Bees use the scraps as food and as shelter to lay their eggs.

This one’s “hair” reminds me of my coiffure when the humidity rises! We know all about bad hair days.

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We spent four nights at Elephant Sands. The sizeable artificial watering hole is the focal point of the lodge, with bungalows encircling one side and the unfenced campsite on the other. The lodge sits close to the watering hole, and the large, covered restaurant and bar area has an excellent viewing deck where guests congregate, swim, or enjoy a meal and a drink.

Wild camping, with no electrical or water points for campers, is a lovely aspect of the camping experience. Campervans and trailers can park and set up anywhere within the camping area. We were fortunate to find a spot adjacent to the ablutions and close to the watering hole, with an unobstructed view of the elephant herds.

One morning, while showering, I looked up to grab my shampoo and locked eyes with an enormous bull staring at me. Elephants had discovered the bathroom drain, which they quenched their thirst at before reaching the watering hole. I must confess I was pleased that the fence and bathroom wall separated us.

Ringing in the new year is always a bittersweet time for us; this time, we decided to spend it with the elephants. Butch cooked a scrumptious rib-eye steak over the coals. We popped our Champagne corks; one old bull trumpeted his annoyance at being shouldered aside by a young Turk; that was all the excitement we needed.

We didn't see the old year out exactly; we slept through the shenanigans and woke early to a wet, rainy day. Not a single elephant was at the watering hole.

That was a great chance to pack away our photographic equipment and spend the day mingling with other guests at the bar, where we soon met some fascinating travellers. Most campers are overnighters en route to or from Chobe or Kasane in the north.

With a few hours' drive to Kasane, guests can use Elephant Sands as a base. Guests depart early in the morning for a day or two in Chobe, either staying in a lodge or returning in the late afternoon after leaving the park.

The Honey Badger is our introduction to many campers. Gentlemen stop by to peep at her vital statistics, e.g. whether she is a 4x4, her horsepower, weight and tare. They check her tyres and want to know about the electrics, electronics and solar panels. Ladies prefer to look inside and quickly measure the bed, the blinds, and how much packing space we have. Butch is excellent at hosting all that and has the relevant info stored in his noggin.

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While I work at the large window, a few inquisitive people stop to ask what I sell—pancakes, I could do.

One afternoon, a man with a big smile stopped, walked around the back of the truck, stood with his arms folded, and introduced himself. Braam. He loves trucks and trucking so much that he’s involved in the industry across South Africa and beyond our borders.

Braam is an encyclopaedia of border-crossing rules and regulations, weighbridges, and guidance on how and where to exchange foreign currency, as well as when using a runner at a border post is advisable. And the age-old question: to bribe or not to bribe? Terrible to even consider, but it’s universal.

Butch was thrilled to make his acquaintance, and soon I saw their heads together, poring over maps, websites, and instruction manuals. Braam and his wife, Hannah, invited us to stay overnight on the lawn at their home as we passed en route to the Kruger National Park, with instructions to weigh the Honey Badger.

Weight has been our biggest headache. For one, we’re not sure what our current weight is or what would be considered too heavy. If we’re overweight, how do we redistribute the weight across different axles, and what tricks of the trade do trucking novices not know?

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The bar, it turns out, is the watering hole for man and beast. It’s where many guests spend much of the day horsing about, and it’s where the guest Wi-Fi’s best. The barman soon knew each guest’s preferred tipple and kept our glasses full. It’s very vibey, and the food is excellent. We enjoyed a couple of meals there. On our last evening (we seem to celebrate our departures), we booked a long table and met up with the lovelies we’d met during our stay. The chef served a delicious steak, and we could choose from an array of scrumptious buffet vegetables. I had crispy chips—the best in the west—and some gorgeous crunchy greens.

We loved our stay at Elephant Sands, but it was time to move on. Butch was eager to have the Honey Badger weighed, and we realised time was running short. We had an appointment in Hoedspruit and nine days to get there.

I was so focused on the elephants that I didn't notice the chalets, cars, and people in the background. Many of my photographs are disappointing because of that. Rule no. 1 in photography is: take note of your background. Do keep it in mind.

Lorraine, we were privileged to see massive herds of elephants daily, except on one day after the rains, when they returned in dribs and drabs the next morning.

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During a heavy rainstorm, we stopped to spend the night at Nylsvley Nature Reserve en route to Polokwane. Only once we were well into the campsite did we realise the space was too cramped, with low overhanging trees; water poured, forming rivulets and a mudslide. Butch engaged 4X4 mode, locked the hubs, put the gear lever into reverse, revved, and, as he would say, “I sent it”… Jip, into a massive tree behind us—a bull's-eye in his blind spot.

The rain drowned out the excruciating crunch of my bike, and only much later, when we’d got ourselves out of that mess and parked in the restaurant’s car park, did he mention it. I was oblivious and didn’t notice anything as I directed him out of the campsite. The damage to my bike looked horrendous, and we later discovered his bike was not unscathed either.

These things are meant to test us, forcing us to review our short-term insurance to ensure we’re covered as we head into Africa. Paula van Rensburg of Pollol Brokers was soon on our case. After extensive investigation, Paula has brokered our insurance for the Honey Badger while we’re in East Africa.

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In Polokwane, we dropped the bikes at a recommended cycle shop, had the Honey Badger weighed, and were advised on how we could, if needs be, reduce our weight. We could let some of our water out or reduce our diesel by not filling up before a weighbridge to minimise our anxiety.

Another difficulty is explaining that the Badger isn’t a commercial vehicle but a motorhome. Braam suggested we "advertise" this by branding the truck as a leisure vehicle. In the future, we’ll be covered in flags and maps, and I'll even drape a colourful African cloth over the dashboard. At the time of writing this blog, the Honey Badger’s looks have improved remarkably, but more about that later, alligator.

Hannah entertained us while Braam went on an emergency mission to recover a hijacked truck. He said it was all in a day’s work and, if truth be told, he loved the drama.

The world is small, and South Africa is tiny. We discovered that Braam’s cousin is a very good friend of ours in Worcester.

Thank you, Braam and Hannah, for being such wonderful hosts, for all the advice you so generously shared, for escorting us around Polokwane and taking us to your favourite butcher, baker and restaurant for lunch. But most of all, thank you for stopping to chat with Butch. We are in your debt and hope to meet again one day. Who knows, maybe in Zimbabwe, where Hannah lost her heart.

The cycle shop had good news. Like many wounds, they can sometimes look worse than they are. After a thorough assessment, the bicycle technician diagnosed that we needed only one new rim and one new tyre. Relieved, we paid a fraction of the price I had expected.

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