ELEPHANT BACK SAFARIS
As soon as guests arrive at Abu Camp they are "introduced" to the elephants and will soon feel part of the Abu herd. The experience is not just about "riding elephants" but rather an Elephant experience – mud baths, swimming and feeding the elephants. The 500 000 acres of Okavango wilderness can also be explored via bush walks and mokoro (dug-out canoe) safaris. Boating and catch-and-release fishing is also available.
Getting to know the elephants at Abu Camp on a personal level is a rare and humbling experience. Meet each member of the herd, learn their history and begin to understand a little of what makes these grand, wise creatures what they are. Watch the interactions of the herd, how they walk silently and majestically along through the bush, trunks swinging, ears flapping.
Whether walking alongside them or seated in large padded saddles mounted behind experienced elephant-handlers, to join a herd of the largest land mammals on a walk through the bush is to see Africa from a completely different perspective. Surrounded as you are by the herd, many other animals allow you to approach closer than ever.
Herds of giraffe, zebra and antelope continue to graze, unconcerned by the approach of the elephant herd of which you are now an honoured part. Also available are guided nature walks, bird watching (Abu boasts a list of nearly 500 species) or time spent drifting on the tranquil waters of the Okavango Delta in a mokoro.
Abu Camp offers a three-night safari for a maximum of twelve people, ensuring that all the guests grow with the herd as they get to know them, offering a superb learning experience that is also a journey through the eyes of the elephants. All guests arrive and depart at the same time, allowing them to
begin to relax and absorb the tranquillity of their surroundings and to get to know the herd at the same pace. Cathy and her loving patience with the small calves in her herd, the antics of the youngsters, and the obvious wisdom of the elders all come together to create a rare glimpse into the lives of these intelligent and extraordinary animals.