Charged By An Elephant – by Jae

The day after we got down from Kilimanjaro our Exodus Travels group had arranged to visit Arusha National Park on the way to the airport. It meant we had to have everything packed and be ready to leave the hotel at 7.30am, when we would be picked up, taken on a quick safari with all our luggage in the back, and then dropped at Kilimanjaro Airport at 3.30pm for our 5.30pm flight. It felt a bit mad to rush about so much the day after getting off the mountain but our whole group agreed that we should make the most of our time in Africa, so we’d booked the safari.

I am so glad we did!

Giraffe
We saw lots of giraffe
Baboon families sit and groom each other by the roadside
Baboon families sit and groom each other by the roadside
Lunch overlooking a lake in Arusha National Park
Lunch overlooking a lake in Arusha National Park
A shy bushbuck checked us out
A shy bushbuck checked us out

Not only did we see baboons, Colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, giraffe, zebra, water buck, a bushbuck, bee eaters, bulbuls, an African Crowned Eagle, hornbills, sunbirds, and loads more besides; we also found a gorgeous view of flamingo lakes, with Kili in the background (on a clear day), to scatter another fifth of Grandma. I know she’d have loved the vastness of the panorama – even the three teenage lads with us were flabbergasted as they walked up the steps to the viewing platform!

The view over the flamingo lakes which Grandma now gets forever!
The view over the flamingo lakes which Grandma now gets forever!

And the very last thing that happened as we were speeding back to the exit to head to get to the airport, was that Oscar and Sharon spotted some elephants in the undergrowth. Alex, our driver and guide, quickly backed up and we glimpsed a couple of elephant bums disappearing. Then, suddenly, there was a huge bull elephant on other side of us, staring us down. It flapped it’s ears and started to charge. Alex stepped on the gas (fortunately everyone was holding on!) and we moved far enough away to calm it. The elephant moved into the bush so Alex reversed a little but it came back out into the road and made to charge again, so we moved forward again. It was at this point that we realised more elephants were waiting to cross the road. We stopped and watched as a family, including the tiniest elephant we had ever seen, filed across. What a way to finish an amazing visit to Tanzania.

Didn’t manage to get video of the bull charging but you can see his family here!

 

One thought on “Charged By An Elephant – by Jae”

  1. What a thrilling end to your adventure, Jae! Great stuff. Breakfast time won’t be the same without your blogs.
    Love,
    Pat

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