<img class="size-full" alt="The First Time. " src="http://elizabethalkhas.com/wildlife/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_0224.jpg" />

My first encounter with the elephants on safari will be a treasured one.

When in the Maasai Mara, you can’t help but feel the expansiveness of the land, the beauty of the animals and the sounds of nature all blending together to orchestrate what is best known as the bush. To me, it is magic.

A popular place for visitors on safari, it is not uncommon to be amongst handfuls of safari vehicles all traveling toward key points of wildlife to capture an iconic photograph. It is a real safari park where humans come to gain a glimpse of predators and their catch busy about their day. It begs questioning. Must we always be so intrusive to nature I wonder? Might it be best that we give them a rest once in awhile?

After an early game drive and breakfast amongst zebras, we began to make our way back to camp. In the distance, I could see a family of elephants. Luca asked the driver to head over so we could have a closer look. My heart pounded because I knew the time had come to finally see the creature who has stolen my heart. Lucky for us, not a single other safari vehicle was in sight. I kept my fingers crossed to have the moment with the animals undisturbed.

As we approached slowly, the family remained in the close distance each picking up their feet to turn the ground to dig for something to eat within the earth. Slowly they moved, almost making no sound, undisturbed by our presence while carefully finding small acacia roots to nibble on.

I was struck by the energy of their presence and the quiet as the moved through the grass, delicately selecting the roots and picking them up with their trunks, and then placing the thorny greenery in their mouths to chew. Each minute that passed, they came closer and closer to us, not minding as we watched them graze.

Taking a few moments to notice us between bites of acacia, we were one with this family for a brief period of time, sharing their day moving through the grass. It was something I will never forget – a chance to be alone, one on one with these animals, in their own environment for the first time. A gift.