Last December, I went on my second South African safari and it was a wonderful experience. Unlike my first experience which was in the middle of a record breaking drought, this one was during great weather and we saw the lushness that we had missed before. It also didn’t hurt that we stayed in a five-star lodge as opposed to large tents. We had so many great wildlife encounters that I will remember forever. One of my favorite encounters were the many elephants we saw. African elephants are magnificent animals and can be mesmerizing to watch. I have seen elephants literally step on the trunk of a tree and flatten it to the ground. I have been in the middle of a elephant herd of over forty in number at a waterhole (on this trip). I have been in the middle of another herd as they lumbered toward a waterhole during a drought. Just getting close to one is an exciting experience. They aren’t aggressive (at least in my experiences) but when they get close to your vehicle, the look in their eyes seem to say “get out of my way”.