Southern Africa - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 176

234 TEmbE ELEpHANT pArk,
SOuTH AfrICA

When you are eyeball to eyeball with an
enormous bull elephant, the chances are you will
be the first to blink. Just don't run. The trick is
to stay calm, control the surge of adrenaline and
wait for your safari guide to interpret the tell-
tale signs of the elephant's mood. The brief from
the guide is simple: the elephant is the boss. It
will let you know when you can move on.
Close encounters with elephants are common
at Tembe Elephant Park - home to the Big
Five game and a huge range of colourful birds
- in the north of South Africa's KwaZulu Natal
province. For centuries the ancestors of these
elephants roamed freely across the sand forests
of Maputuland, the region that straddles
the border of South Africa and Mozambique,
but their numbers collapsed during the
Mozambiquan civil war due to poachers and land
mines. In 1989 a fence was erected across the
border to protect those elephants that remained
on the South African side and now, after twenty
years of successful rehabilitation, their numbers
are again thriving.
The only camp in the park is Tembe Elephant
Lodge, a joint collaboration between a Durban
businessman and the local Thongan community,
the historic custodians of Maputuland. There
are luxurious tented pavilions with large double
beds and outdoor showers, while meals are
prepared by women from the village and served
in a boma (eating area) under a thatched canopy.
The safari camp's facilities are standard for
South Africa, but what sets Tembe apart are the
thrilling game drives in the experienced hands
of local guides. When you're close up to one of
these enormous bulls, you'll appreciate having
them around.

Elephant at Tembe;
Local guide Tom
Mahamba always has
a tale to tell about the
birds you can see at
Tembe

Need to know Tembe is around four hours from
Durban and eight hours from Johannesburg. For
more on getting there, excursions, accommodation
and rates see W www.tembe.co.za; T +27 (0) 31
267 0144.