Day 8, Duma Tau - The tracking abilities of our guides were unbelievable. My first occasion to find an elephant was after discovering fresh uh, evidence that one had been in the area.

Our vehicle zoomed off as the spotter, who sat on a seat at the edge of the vehicle's hood pointed the way.

We usually drove faster than I could discern any animal tracks so I just sat back in awe of the tracker's ability.

The picture above was taken during my closest encounter with an elephant. He was so close, in fact, that I didn't need to use my zoom lens. Luckily, we were moving along...

Elephants tend to group in herds. Older elephants who aren't up to traveling the distance the herd moves daily are frequently found alone. We even spotted two females watching four youngsters while, as our guides presumed, their mothers were elsewhere.

The impala was perhaps the one animal that we could pretty much bank on seeing during every game drive. They are plentiful - and a mainstay of many large predators.

A one-of-a-kind antelope, they are distinguished by a streak of black hair running down the ankle of their hind legs. If only I had a 360 degree camera to capture how many impala were at this location.