Spot the elephant

Text: Naomi Scott Photos: Murray Anderson-Ogle

Source: Lowveld Living Issue 31

The Maputo Elephant Reserve is not the kind of destination where you can expect the comforts of roadside cafes, signposts or boards full of pins to tell you where the animals are.

Setting off with my 4X4 packed with three mates and minimal equipment – three blow-up mattresses – the plan was to do a fly-by of the reserve in one day. Boy, was that a laugh.

We started off crushed on to a ferry to cross the bay. On the other side, we loaded the car with fresh bread and began the 80-kilometre road to the reserve. Having been graded recently, the drive was slightly better than in previous years, but it was still a spine-jingling stretch of hard corrugated sand broken by a patchwork of rotting tarmac.

Established by the country’s Portuguese colonisers, the reserve was demarcated to protect elephants from ivory poachers as they migrated along the Futi channel between southern Mozambique and the Tembe reserve in South Africa.

As many of the stories go in Mozambique, the animal population was decimated during the civil war and the rangers stations morphed into army camps. By 1994, there were only 200 elephants left, all the rhinos had been killed and only a scattering of the other animal populations remained. Many of the elephants were so traumatised they rarely ventured into the open plains during the day.

Despite the common use of the name Maputo Elephant Reserve, it was actually changed in 1969 to the Maputo Special Reserve. The word “elephant” was taken out to indicate the wider variety of wildlife in the park.

Arriving at the entrance, we were surprised to find a large colony of ducks and geese rush to welcome us. We entered the nipple-shaped hut to pay our entry fees and talk to ranger Belarmina Albino in her velvet-green hat. She told us poaching had greatly reduced in recent years due to 24-hour patrols and a strengthened electric fence.

Our plans for the night fell through when she explained that the huts at the gate were not available for hire. Belarmina kindly arranged for us to sleep inside the dining hall of the ranger station which, apart from the scorpions, was acceptable.

All that arranged, we set off for a jaunt through the park before dark. Generally the tracks are covered in deep, loose sand and require agile 4X4 handling and a car with a high clearance.

After an hour and a half we reached Lagao Piti, one of the many saline lakes in the reserve with yawning hippos, a wide variety of birds and fish, and of course plenty of gnarled crocodiles. We climbed on top of car and drank a toast to the fat, wobbly sun descending rapidly towards the horizon.

The girls remained on the roof to spot elephants as we set off, dodging mouthful of leaves. We passed through thick bush, savannah and out into the softly undulating hills of the south-west perimeter. At times the landscape looked so manicured we half expected a flurry of golf carts to pass by.

The paths were dotted with dinner plate-sized elephant footprints and spiky footballs of dung, but there were no elephants in sight.

Back at camp, shop owner Clara arranged us a chicken, wild garlic and tomatoes, and set up a fire for cooking. Over the pot, she told us about the rise in tourists entering the park.

“I used to stock the bare essentials – rum, toilet paper and cans of sardines,” she waved towards her shelves. “Now I stock toothpaste, razor blades and even sparkling water.”

Our wine-fuelled toasting of the elusive elephants was drowned out eloquently by the geese, who had obviously hit the rum. Sleep beckoned.

Despite seasickness from the blow-up mattresses, we rose to greet a tangerine sun and headed off to find the beach for a touch of whale watching. We bounced around like a pinball on the tracks for a good three hours before eventually plunging into the wide blue ocean.

The beaches of Millibangalala and Ponta da Bella offer snowy white sand and kilometres of crashing turquoise waters. From September to November, whales bob off the reef and pods of dolphins play around inside the little coves. The surfing and diving on this part of the coastline is exceptional, and nightfall brings thousands of turtles in to kiss the jungle.

By the end of our tour, the elephants had almost become mythical creatures. We did eventually spot a heard at a distance, but more importantly we realised that the landscape in which they play out their lives is breathtaking.

Getting there

From Maputo, cross the bay to Katembe on the car ferry, which runs every half hour (on good days). Once across, take the main road to Salamanga for about 80 kilometres. Look right at the police post in Salamanga to see an impressive Hindu temple that recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. Turn left into the reserve at the park signs.

You can camp at the entrance for R35 a person per night, but the best overnight destination is Millibangalala nestled on a beautiful beach cove. Check out the huge sand dune that offers views of saline lakes from the top.

Bring everything with you. The reserve doesn’t offer any amenities.

Discover Maputo

Well-known South African journalist and author Bridget Hilton-Barber decided to put together a guide to Maputo and surrounds after she realised visitors struggled to find information.

The Guide to Maputo and Southern Mozambique focuses on what any traveller from South Africa needs to know in terms of attractions, activities, how to get there, cuisine and where to stay.

Written in her trademark light-hearted style, it is the perfect guide for first timers eager to discover the city for themselves as well as regular visitors looking for something different or insider secrets.