There is a place that more impresses me on my journey through southern Africa. This is a camp in Botswana , more precisely the Elephant Sands . There are many camps in which we have assembled and dismantled our tents, which we reached at sunset and abandoned at the first light of dawn, but here two things happened that struck me and amazed me so much that it made it an unforgettable place for me.

Let’s go in order, starting from the first topical moment that coincides exactly with our arrival at the Elephant Sands Lodge & Campsite. In fact, as soon as we get off the truck, we take just a few steps and we find ourselves facing a large pool of water where we are drinking  splendid specimens of elephant . We can not believe how close we were to approach and observe them closely. We are there, leaning against a wall of stone that defines the perimeter of access to the pool, motionless, a bit incredulous and at the same time enchanted in front of these majestic mammals.

Two concepts on what are the largest land animals. First of all it must be said that there are two species of elephants, the Indian and the African ones. Obviously, those we have been lucky enough to observe from such a short distance are those in Africa. The African elephant can be quickly distinguished from the Indian elephant because of its larger size. Even the ears are larger, so that they can reach a length of 1.5 m. The African elephant is taller, has a wrinkled skin and both sexes have fangs, while in Indian specimens are present only in the male, and the proboscis has only one lobe, instead of two. Males reach a height between 3/4 meters ,while the females, these little ones, reach a height that is around 2.5 meters. Characteristic of this species is the possessing large and mobile ears that frequently wave.

Unfortunately, it is up to me to disillusion those who, witnessing this wave of ears, have thought of a courteous form of greeting. In reality, this movement serves the elephants to lower the blood temperature of their body.

The elephants consume 225 kg of fodder a day and drink 190 liters of water , which is why they can often be seen around the rare pools of water and this is also why their stay in these places often drag on for a long time. The water is sucked from the proboscis fundamental organ for most of its activities, and then it is thrown into the mouth. Very versatile, the proboscis is also used to emit recalls, to lighten trees in order to create a passage and tear off leaves.

But the characteristic that, more than any other, struck me in the elephants, is their stealthy step. I did not miss the term, I wrote a sweatshirt. Contrary to what reason would suggest to these giants, the progression of elephants is silent and delicate, so much so that even in total silence it is difficult to realize their presence. In fact, despite having set up the tents very close to the water, none of us heard noises during the night indicating their passage, although in the morning the signs were very clear on the sand all around.

The road from the airport of Mombasa was taking me to Watamu had something magical but sad at the same time. It was as if all those dirt roads and villages without running water wanted to make me feel guilty about the fact that that night I would sleep in a room with a comfortable bed and air conditioning. When we are faced with poverty, we always feel small and small.

Watamu is a part of Kenya that actually does not have much of Kenya . Or rather, it is the tourist destination par excellence since it has a beautiful sea and easy access to various excursions.

By the way, on the beach you will find many, many beach boys , always smiling guys ready to sell you any type of package at prices much cheaper than those of the resorts and some of them are well recommended in the world of the web. I have, in fact, bought a package for € 250 (including accommodation in the savannah and meals) that offered: Safari at Tsavo East, Blue Safari and ride to Malindi , another town not far from Watamu that, in my opinion, however it does not have much of memorable to tell. The two safaris, however, fall into the most beautiful experiences of my life .

Tsavo East safari is definitely the most ‘purchased’ safari. About three hours from Watamu, it is a truly unmissable experience! Kenya postcards , with all the animals imaginable free in their habitat and very close to the jeep: the giraffe at sunset, the elephants, the rhinos, the lions and many others. It allows you to make a little stop, before entering the savannah, to admire the crocodiles and the little monkeys. Beware of sunglasses, they seem to have a certain tendency to steal them! Usually this experience lasts two days because inside the park there are also places to sleep. Imagine the excitement of waking up at dawn with that show before your eyes!

Time travel exists. Ethiopia is proof of this. Not so much for a specific location over time, but just because you just left the airport in Addis Ababa you have the feeling of being finished in a parallel time …

First of all for the Ethiopian method of calculating the passage of time. I am writing this text on October 23, 2013 at 12.45. Well, in Ethiopia it is the 13th of the month of Tekmar in 2006. Ah, it’s 7.45 of the day. A casino in short …… also because, unlike many other countries that follow a different calendar from ours, in 99% of cases everything is regulated by the European time standard. In Ethiopia no. The first time I was in Ethiopia, I had a row of appointments behind the other. I was told to introduce myself at 4 and I, very precise, I arrived in mid-afternoon to understand that only have 6 hours late. But let’s go in order. The difference in the date is simply due to the fact that in Ethiopia the Coptic calendar is followed, while the difference in the timetable depends on the fact that being very close to the equator and having the days a regular duration between hours of light and dark hours (12 hours of light and 12 of darkness), it becomes more logical to start counting the hours of the day starting at dawn, at six in the morning, and dividing the day into 12 hours of light and 12 of “night”.

In addition to this temporary disorientation, there is also the reality : 80% of the 90 million inhabitants of Ethiopia live on agriculture , and it is clear: the sensation is that of having returned to a past with less cars and more carts, more stalls and shops and less supermarkets (in Addis there is a Western type, but they are still few and in the richest areas like Bole – the airport area).

Once you leave the plain where the city of Marrakech rises to the desert, the landscape changes radically . In fact, the fastest route passes through the largest Moroccan mountain range, the middle Atlas .

The metamorphosis of the landscape is at the same time gradual and impressive , from the arid plains we pass to a view full of shrubs to finally reach the imposing forests of cedars, where many monkeys are lodged.

The intermediate stages of this long transfer, which will take you to bypass the Atlas, are at the numerous kasbahs , old palaces of sultans who, like the castles of our latitudes, were the nerve center of rural life and offered defense to the mercantile streets.

Here the joint work between the orogeny and hydrology has created a breathtaking panorama where the rugged landscape of the bare rock merges with the green of the lush palm groves that rise in the valleys, thanks to small watercourses.

This is a magnificent example of the Dra and Todra valleys , so do not miss the chance to stay one night in the Kasbah Taborihte hotel located in the palm grove of the latter.

After two days of traveling you arrive at the small town of Rissani at the gates of the desert , you will not find anything luxurious and elegant, very few Western tourists, local people call themselves “people of the desert”.Here life is essential, we live on commerce and crafts. The current market is what remains of the place that for centuries has been a meeting point and bargaining for the Berber, Bedouin and nomad caravans who arrived there after crossing the desert.

As we understand the transfer to the desert is short, in less than half an hour you get to the hotels that rise at the foot of the majestic dunes. These are also the starting point for excursions ranging from the most classic walk, to the 4×4 or quads.

I had dreamed of Kenya for years. I dreamed it especially for the Savannah with its animals, landscapes and breathtaking colors. What I brought home from Africa goes far beyond the souvenirs . I learned that the law of the strongest is not only valid in the Savannah, that a smile of a child means above all hope. That a bus will never go too strong for the agile legs of a small eager to receive a few crayons and a handful of gift cards. That the sweets, those not because they hurt the teeth and the money is never enough to pay the dentist. 

That the orphanage is not, perhaps, the worst thing that can happen when on the other side of the fence you have dwarfs waiting for you to come out to receive their attention.I was shocked on the way from Mombasa to Watamu because of the impudent poverty my eyes are not used to seeing . I changed the yardstick then, entering the heart of Kenya, where the children waving their hands screaming “Jambo” and what they ask for as gifts are not games but water. I learned that a walk on the beach is impossible without being beached by beach boys , insistent guys who compete to sell you all the salable.

I learned that coconut wine is disgusting, that you have to swallow it without smelling it after having toasted on a full moon night. What to do your 31 years eating fresh fish, on the beach, by candlelight makes sense and is that of lightness, of the years you leave behind, and has the scent of new friends singing incomprehensible songs, sitting all by the fire .