My mind started writing this blog the moment the wheels of our game vehicle forfeited the smooth tarmac road for the rustic dirt trail that leads to The Elephant Camp. My eyes trailed hungrily through the thick tangle of trees that flanked us, searching for the wildlife that roamed between their ebony branches. My teeth unclenched as the roar of traffic fell away and birdcalls took its place, excited chatters that matched the thrumming of my heartbeat. The temperature didn’t change, but my body felt warmer as memories of my previous experience here flooded the chambers of my mind, eager to be reconnected to reality.
I had been to The Elephant Camp before, and since then it has been embedded in my memory with as much detail and distinction as an elephant print around a muddy watering hole. Over the hum of the engine, our driver-guide explained the details of the camp refurbishment and with every word spoken, he reminded me why I fell in love with The Elephant Camp- while being the pinnacle of luxury and refinement, everything about the Camp feeds back into a greater goal of community, commitment and conservation.
Suddenly, it seemed as though someone had reached down and pulled open the curtain of trees to reveal a beige canvas tent, sitting so contently amongst the bushes it seemed like a natural extension of the landscape. The Camp managers, Jon and Sarah, greeted us like we were friends returning from an extended trip away, and that is precisely how we felt. When I stepped into the lounge, I had a sense of stepping into a different time. Not the past, the present or the future, but a calm marriage of each era. The sunset-inspired colours in the room mirrored my favourite time of day. We were engulfed by wilderness, stretching on and on until it was swallowed by the horizon, reminiscent of a time before buildings commanded the skyline and aeroplanes replaced birds between the clouds. The raw, pristine nature didn’t make me think of what has past but showed me what the future can hold.
The deck has been expanded and seems to spill down into the tangle of trees below where two new seating areas await, tucked away in the corner of nature. From there, we had an uninterrupted view of the watering hole, where the tripod figure of a giraffe was bent to drink, and baby warthogs chased each other in circles, as if delirious with the unending sense of space to explore.
That evening, I stood beneath of canopy of stars with a stream of hot water washing away the weight of travelling. It was a surreal feeling to be standing in my stone floored outdoor shower, exchanging transspecies glances with a spotted eagle owl, feeling completely disconnected from the triviality of daily life, while my phone battery charged on a USB port. The Elephant Camp has mastered the delicate art of bringing the convenience of modern amenities into the lodge, without detracting from the sense of being at peace with the natural world. More often than not on this trip, I chose to let the soft sun rays, moon and stars replace the false, needy glare of my electronic devices. I sat around the sunken fire pit that night, watching the burning wood pop sparks into a lazy funnel of wood smoke, and wondered how I would ever bring myself to leave.
The following morning, I watched the sun crack open the sky from the deep frothy depths of my claw footed bubble bath. Wrapped in a cocoon of contentment, I devoted the day to the all-inclusive activities the Camp offers. We delved into the misty world of the rainforest, zipped between the lips of the Batoka gorge on a canopy tour, and feasted on buttery Zambezi Bream while perched above the raging rapids of the river in the Wild Horizons Lookout Café.
Of all the luxuries that The Elephant Camp provides, the greatest is the exclusive experience of game viewing. As the only Camp within the Wild Horizons Wildlife Reserve, the only other beings to share the paths with us were buffalo, impala, zebra and wildebeest. We admired every dazzle, tower, herd and troop that we passed on our way to the Elephant Encounter.
The resident herd of once orphaned or abandoned elephant that lives at the sanctuary wanders its vast plains to graze during the day. The Elephant Encounter takes place wherever they happen to have journeyed. On this particular day, the elephant chose to escape the heat-blistered atmosphere in the Masuwe River. We stood on its banks, unobtrusively observing them, when a massive bull rolled over in the water, filled his trunk, and shook his massive head from side to side. A tiny splash tickled my arm. I looked at the shimmering droplet, and realization clamped over my heart like an ice-cold fist. Without the dedicated conservation efforts of organizations like The Elephant Camp, moments like this will be banished to the memory banks of those of us who were fortunate enough to share their brief history. No smoke and mirrors shield the true purpose of this incredible Camp- to protect and conserve the wilderness and wildlife. It was a humbling moment, one that I will carry with me for decades to come. The elephant, who barely acknowledged that we were leaving, had moved me profoundly, and I stared at the wall of greenery that grew hazier as we drove away for a long time after it had obscured them.
The Elephant Camp is a special place, and it is not easy to transfer the incredible experience of the Camp onto paper. On my first visit, I couldn’t have envisioned any room for improvement. But the refurbishment did not just enhance the lodge, it brought the essence of the Camp into focus, shining a spotlight on sustainability and conservation with every subtle change. There is a certain magic that sweeps through Victoria Falls, but it lives at The Elephant Camp.