Thursday evening we joined two other couples for our first game drive in Phinda, Mies and Andrew from Holland and Gina and Stuart from the UK.
Our guide, Walter, and his trusty Zulu tracker sidekick, SK, met us in Walter's "office" at 3:30PM for four hours of exploring.
The Phinda reserve is so huge that the drives are longer and they rely on a Zulu tracker who sits on a chair on the hood of the vehicle to identify the tracks in the sand and the direction the animals are headed. If danger is around the next corner, the tracker hops into the vehicle. Thank goodness that they have learned to be quite perceptive and anticipate this change quite well. SK is listening for alarm calls of birds and watching the antsy, tense and twitchy behavior of any other animals in the area.
Walkie-talkie communication between all of the guides and trackers also helps to locate the animals.
It soon became clear to SK and Walter that a whole bunch of elephants were on the move nearby. Their tracks wandered back and forth quite a bit so did we too-- until finally it was discovered that they were headed straight for a pool at a nearby lodge. We drove quickly as the light of day dimmed and Walter positioned us to watch what he imagined might be close to 50 elephants heading for a drink. It would be a surprise for the tourists in this lodge if they happened to be inside!
Out of the woods streamed upwards of 80 elephants!
The sun disappeared quickly and we took a loop through the sand forest with flashlights looking for any nightlife. All was quiet--no complaining here though from this drive. We ended the evening together somewhere in Phinda on a trail with some lamps and a nice spread of snacks, wine and other hot and cold drinks before climbing back into "the office" for the drive to dinner and a good night's sleep.
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