A herd of elephants and a nearby mud wallow is always a good combination! Kafunta‘s safari guides know that too well and always exploit the opportunity to park their vehicle in the best viewing post and wait for the elephants to reach the murky waters.

Waiting quietly is often well rewarded with the observation of the elephants spraying themselves with muddy waters, or even going down for a roll, and this makes for great photos as well.

Elephants, along with other wild animals like Cape buffalo, rhino and warthogs, love rolling around in the mud, for a variety of reasons. Elephants tend to wallow, or throw water over themselves, then blow dirt to create a thick coating, which they can rub off on a convenient rubbing post afterwards.

It helps with thermoregulation, as well as providing sunscreen and removing parasites, or even soothing insects bites. It also makes for some enjoyable play time for young elephants!

When out on safari, it’s always great to slow down, and wait and observe the behaviours of these gigantic creatures.