DebAnn Loc: Toronto

Today I'm showing the elephants I photographed in Kruger. I learned a lot of new information about them. For instance, I didn't know that they dig holes to get at fresh water. They use their feet to stabilize branches while they rip off the bark. They love to get into mud and then they rub it off by scraping themselves on tree trunks. They are also really good caretakers of the little ones.

Magnificent Beast

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Mr. Magnifico

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Taking a Drink

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Digging a hole for fresh water

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Baboon taking a wide berth

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Taking a lesson from mom

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Steadying a branch for stripping

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Getting all muddied up

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Family in the mud

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Junior making a fast exit

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angler Loc: StHelens England

Excellent set DebAnn.

W9OD Loc: Wisconsin

Great set, thank you for sharing. The information about the elephants is very interesting.

marsdad Loc: NE Florida

Great story telling with excellent photos DebAnn, thanks for sharing

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

Nice clean work DebAnn.....thanks for the education in how they feed on stuff and process things as they did for your camera. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us too......so generous.

Desert Gecko Loc: desert southwest, USA

Beautiful photos and nice captions. You didn't simply show some photos, but told a story. Elephants are amazing creatures, and you've helped endear them to us. Thank you.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

An outstanding set.

NMGal Loc: NE NM

Elephants are my favorite wild animal. Great captures.

fbeaston Loc: Vermont

You've done a great job capturing & commenting on these magnificent animals. Wonderful captures. Thanks for sharing.

toxdoc42

cool, when did you travel? what company did you use? was there anything that you can think of that you forgot to bring that you should have? We are planning a safari this winter.

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

Glad you asked. I would highly recommend the tour company we used - Bearded Heron Safaris. Neil Heron and his wife offer customized safaris in Kruger National Park. You can choose a few days or several. We (4 sisters and 1 husband) chose 9 days and they planned the trip going from the northern part of the park to the south. We stayed in very comfortable camps during our journey - clean and comfortable. Neil and his assistant provided the meals. We had coffee and rusks at around 5:00 am every morning, before heading out on our first excursion. That lasted until around 10:00 am when we returned to the camp and enjoyed a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausages, etc. Talk around the table was always interesting and informative. Around 2:00 pm we would head out again for an afternoon trip. Back for a BBQ around 6:00 pm. Neil is a knowledgeable and enthusiastic wildlife guide with more than 20 years experience in the park. He always had answers for our questions - or, if he didn't know, he'd find out before dinner. He's also a very good photographer and we had lots of conversations about our photo work. Some people on the blog have complained about being stuck at photo opportunities along with many other tour trucks. But Neil knows where to go to avoid them while finding the wildlife. We were lucky enough to see the big five and many other animals. The first two weeks of October are the end of the dry season. This is a great time to find wild animals because the landscape is still without much leaf cover so you can actually find them. When rains come in the spring the place turns lush and green but animals can hide themselves away. Also it gets really hot (it was 40 Celsius just a week or so after we left). If I was going again (and I'd love to) I would definitely go with Bearded Heron. Just google Bearded Heron Safaris for more info. As to what I forgot to bring, not much. I did my research. I really did need the two cameras I packed - A Canon 90D with the Tamron 18-400 lens and the Canon 6D Mark II with Canon 24-105L. I used the Tamron most of the time but the shorter zoom lens was essential when animals came close. Neil brought bean bags for us to use and I was so glad he did.

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

Thanks so much Angler.

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

Thanks so much for looking.

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

Thanks Blair. I appreciate your comments.

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

Thanks so much for your feedback DG. Much appreciated.