International

A Trunk Call From Kruger Safari: How To Have A Classic African Safari Experience

The classic African safari - the kind that books and movies are made of, is not for the faint-hearted, a traveller finds out on a maiden trip to Kruger National Park in South Africa

A game drive from the posh Imbali Safari Lodge in Kruger Photo: Imbali Lodge
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An enormous African elephant bull, the largest land animal on earth, stands majestic in our path and trumpets his bugle call. We freeze. I remember all the stories I've read about African elephants - they can weigh up to eight thousand kilos, they can topple a Land Cruiser like a tin can. Our perfectly composed guide whispers, "Don't worry, he thinks you are part of the jeep." He explains later, "If he were really dangerous, his ears would be pinned back and he wouldn't have trumpeted as he just did." Then comes the afterthought, "But he was in a state of musth or raging testosterones, when he could have veered towards being aggressive."