msafiri 10 MSAFIRI WORLD

msafiri 11 Check- in for a jumbo ride A four- hour drive northwest of Johannesburg, Sun City ( www. suninternational. com) might be renowned for its casino, Gary Player golf course and Valley of the Waves waterpark, but it also promises a memorable wildlife experience, courtesy of its elephant- back safaris in nearby Letsatsing Game Reserve. First you get to meet your mounts in a heart- fluttering encounter when half a dozen adult jumbos loom over you, gently ruffling your hair with the very trunks that you later witness dismembering trees as if they were toothpicks. Then it's off on a one- hour ride, two passengers per pachyderm, swaying in a padded saddle 3m above ground, pausing occasionally to outstare giraffe, zebra and rhino. KQ flies to Johannesburg 15 times a week. Photography: William Gray