‘To spend a morning at close quarters with these magnificent creatures was an extraordinary experience….’

We set off after breakfast from Camp Kipwe, near Twyfelfontein, in the north-western Namibian desert, looking for the famed desert elephants. We were lucky - there is no guarantee of seeing them - for within the hour we had caught up with a family group, spread out on the plain.

The rangers in this area have spent years building trust with the elephant herds, and it was amazing how close they let us get, how at ease they were, even allowing the infants to draw near - until finally, in a gesture of confidence that I for one found deeply moving, they lay down to rest in the shadow of some trees.