Into the Herd

This has to be one of my favourite elephant sightings to date. Sometimes I wish it wasn't me driving the vehicle around though, as it would give me more opportunities to take photos, but being the driver does also have it's advantages- I get to position the vehicle so I can get the right lighting and frame the shot how I would like it. Selfish? Perhaps. But I haven't had any complaints yet from guests about not being in the right place.
It was late in the afternoon, and as we were looking for a place to stop and have a drink, we bumped into a herd of about 35 elephants walking down the road towards us. Rather than let them walk right by and then follow them, we decided to just keep reversing in front if them as they moved in our direction, allowing plenty of time to get a few shots of them from the front as they followed us.

Elephants are magical animals, and are arguably the most gentle of animals considering their size. Not to be underestimated, they can be extremely dangerous, but given the space they need, and by reading their body language, one can have absolutely incredible experiences with these wild giants of the African Savannah.
On this occasion the afternoon light was just perfect, giving a warm glow to these giants as they moved together. Eventually we did let them catch up with us, and stroll right past us, surrounding the vehicle at one point. It's quite a reverent experience being in amongst the Herd, and really gives one a sense of wow!