"We were inside Chobe National Park for just a few minutes before encountering a small herd of elephants. Our open-air safari vehicle rolled to a stop on the soft dirt road, bringing us face to face with a mother and her calf, just a few months old, and our guide Bella explained that after about six months the calf can no longer pass under its mother's belly. Elephant encounters felt like the norm in this northern Botswana park — aptly nicknamed the “Land of Giants” for its robust pachyderm population — and having a female guide was also presented as commonplace." - Regan Stephens