March 10th - Elephant Hunting From Port Elizabeth

Today was Tracy's turn to experience a safari – and right from the start, her day didn't look like it would be full of sightings. The weather was grey and overcast and there had been plenty of rain showers before our arrival – perfect weather for animals to go into hiding. She visited the Addo Elephant Park, which was a 1.5 hour drive from Port Elizabeth along the bumpiest road ever, in what seemed to be a local school bus that had been substituted at the last minute. She knew it wasn't top quality transport when the guide had to keep risking her life, attempting to shut the door which kept flying open whilst they were travelling at 60mph.

On arrival the park rangers confirmed the downbeat news that there was little chance of seeing Elephants because it was so wet and windy - so with low expectations, everyone trundled off in their open 4 by 4s. Luckily, however, no-one had told the elephants that they weren't expected, so they happily came out of a hiding with a desperate need to eat, wash and play so she managed to get up close & personal , which left me off the hook after all the amazing wildlife experiences I've had over the past 3 weeks!