It’s like a fairy tale kind of amazing how the light in Amboseli makes everything feel old, especially when the herds start to move together. It is a beautiful sight that stays with you long after the dust has settled. Families walk together across the endless Savannah, which is a very humbling sight. Parents, aunts, uncles, siblings all walk softly on the dry ground, their huge feet barely making a sound. You hold your breath because you don’t want to disturb the quiet dignity of their march as they walk through the wide open spaces that have been theirs since the beginning of life.
There is something so incredibly hearty about the steps of the young ones, trying their best to keep pace with the rhythmic, heavy grace of the elders. Scuttling between two matriarchs is a sight oft seen. Seeing these young cubs running in glee makes your safari complete. The young ones’ steps are so strong and sweet as they try to keep up with the elders’ slow, heavy grace. They haven’t quite gotten the hang of walking steadily yet and swaying like adults do, you see them scuttling between two matriarchs. This is a common and much-loved sight. The sight of these young calves running around happily, with their ears flapping and trunks swinging wildly, really makes your safari complete. It reminds us that even in the wild, where things are rough, there is room for fun and the simple joy of being alive.
Every so often, one member of the herd needs to stop for a dust bath. Watching this ritual is so very interesting. They send trunkfuls of dirt billowing over their faces, trunks and backs until they are completely covered in a thin layer that protects them from the hot sun. A quiet, slow-moving parade of grey on grey stands out against the bright green and gold of the grass around it. No hurry, just the steady beat of the afternoon.
Click click goes our camera, but you do realise that no lens can really show how deep the moment is. It seems like the history of the land is written all over these giants’ skin. Then, there is something that stops you in your tracks. Like everything else in their world, the gentle giants of the Savannah move slowly and carefully, creating an air of mystery that is almost tangible. They walk with a calm strength that doesn’t need to be shown.
You leave with a deep sense of peace as they fade away into the shimmering heat haze of the horizon. After all, you’ve seen a family in its purest form, living in a world that is completely theirs. This is when the “Bedouin mind” in me finds its anchor in the steady, ancient rhythm of the herd. You sit in the quiet of the jeep, watching the dust settle. You know that some mysteries are better left unsolved and some sights are meant to be felt rather than just seen.