The largest land mammal in existence today
These awe inspiring animals softly walk the earth leaving broken trees and branches in their wake. The elephant is not as slow moving or clumsy as it appears, and will fiercly defend its young, old and weak. Being a herd animal with a matriarchal system the elephant is a highly social animal that even mourns its dead. Its intelligence and cunning ways makes it a ultimate survivor with poaching for its ivory being the only real threat to its survival.
Many years ago there were several species of elephant, that have unfortunately gone extinct.
At this point in time we have only three surviving species of which the African Elephant is one. Their closest living relatives on land are the Hyraxes of Africa.
The elephant’s most distinguishing feature is its trunk or proboscis (proboscidea – pro being derived from Greek and means before and boscis which is also Greek means mouth)
The elephant’s trunk is used to drink water (up to 8liters per load) and enables the animal to feed, bath, smell, touch, defend itself and communicate. The trunk is highly mobile and is very sensitive. The number of muscles in an elephant’s trunk is about 40 000.
The big ears on these animals serve a cooling function, and musing bull elephants use their ears to spread the odor from the temporal glands to inform both the females and other males of their presence.
The mere size of the African elephant is enough to make any brave heart tremble in the knees. These animals can reach a weight of 4.7 ton in males and 3.5ton in females depending on the area where they are found.
Elephant populations in Africa (especially South Africa) have sky-rocketed to such an extent that culling and cropping have been done for years to bring the herds down to more manageable sized groups. The outcome usually leads to distressed animals and orphan calves. Many rehabilitation centres have been opened around the country to help with this problem. This on a positive note enables people to go to these sanctuaries and actually interact with these gentle giants.
The well trained staff at our Askari venue will provide guests with a two hour educational session, where guests can ask questions, touch and walk with these animals. It is quite humbling to hear such a large animal breath and when they look at you, you can sense a connection to their souls.
Every elephant has its own personality, just like us humans. Many can be very mischievous while others are more content with themselves.
An experience which should be on your “To-do” list.
We at Sun Fun Africa Safari’s have a passion for these animals, and that is why we decided to add them to our packages.
NOW you can combine your BIG flight with one of nature’s BIG FIVE
~Eleanor~
August 31st, 2010
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Good morning Sunnies! 
A BIG thank you to all of our passengers who flew with us on Saturday 28 August 2010!
Sibongile, Nathan, Rita, Costas, Yolandie, Andries, Ashley and Eloise had the courage to defy the laws of gravity and explore the oldest form of flight known to man.
Our crew were all in a great mood on Saturday morning, making for good fun and a lot of laughs.
Koos took the advertising to a whole new level by running after the balloon with our Sun Fun banner LOL
While on their flight our guests had the opportunity to see the sun rise while enjoying the beautiful surroundings of the Magaliesberg.
As our passengers were lazily drifting with the winds the Sun Fun crew were following behind them. Our job: Follow and retrieve. So we were in our trusted vehicles ready and waiting for Mervin to give us instructions.
The flight of an hour took the balloon on a far journey landing almost in the middle of a herd of Camels. Yes…. camels.
You never know what you might see on our flights…. the possibilities are endless…
August 30th, 2010
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The majesty of a balloon flight, combined with an exciting new elephant safari experience – this is the Ivory Package, a brand new weekend package from SunFun Africa Safaris. This fantastic ballooning experience includes an animal from the ‘Big Five’, namely the great and majestic elephant. If you have ever wanted to fly high into the morning African sky and then interact with the largest land mammal on earth, then the Ivory Package should be your first choice. Simply drop us an email and enquire about this unforgettable package – we will then go to work in creating your special moment, a timeless experience.
Some more inclusions of the package follow below:
- The flight certificate for the balloon trip.
- A warming cup of coffee or tea upon your arrival.
- A full hour of hot air ballooning. Take to the skies and see Africa as you have never seen it before.
- When you land, you will be greeted with a tall glass of either sparkling wine or freshly-squeezed orange juice. From there, you will be transferred back to the lodge.
- At the lodge, an incredible buffet breakfast will be waiting for you. Dig in and fill yourself for the next leg of the journey, namely…
- The interaction with the elephants. Feed, touch and enjoy communing with nature’s giants.
Book now and enjoy our elephant safari!
August 25th, 2010
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A corporate package like nothing on earth – you will fly high above the skies as you view the plains of Africa like never before. This hot air balloon trip is ideal for those who are looking to experience the ultimate business getaway adventure. The Executive Ivory Weekend Breakaway is one of SunFun’s most exclusive premier packages. A balloon flight, two nights’ accommodation, an unforgettable elephant experience as well as an early morning game drive – this is without a doubt an experience that you will remember for the rest of your life.
Details of the trip follow below:
- A one hour hot air balloon flight (with the included flight certificate). This will then be followed by a delicious glass of sparkling wine or orange juice. After your ‘champagne breakfast’, you will be transferred back to the lodge for a delicious morning meal.
- Two nights’ accommodation at the ultra-luxurious Askari Lodge.
- The two hour Elephant Experience. This is a fun, and educational session that lets you interact with the elephants, feed them and touch them. The gentle nature of this massive animal will surely move you to tears.
- A three hour game drive. Either early in the morning or the afternoon is the best time for game viewing. Saddle up and view the other ‘Big 5’ of Africa.
This is choice corporate package, so call or email today to enquire about the Executive Ivory Weekend Breakaway.
August 25th, 2010
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The 2010 Astra Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is set to have a particularly festive atmosphere, as this year marks the 50th anniversary of modern hot air balloon operation in Western Europe.
While the United States boasts the claim to the inception and manufacture of the world’s very first hot air balloon, it was in Bristol that Don Cameron fought the good fight to bring propane-fuelled balloon flight to the other side of the great Atlantic Ocean. Mr. Cameron constructed the Bristol Belle in 1960 and then proceeded to open Cameron Balloons, a business which today boasts the title of the world’s biggest balloon manufacturer.
Modern hot air balloons are differentiated from those that went before by the onboard heat source, propane gas, which allows for air inside the balloon to be continuously reheated during flight. Previously, air had to be heated on the ground before takeoff, which was incredibly dangerous and accounts for the less than rousing enthusiasm with regard to balloon rides prior to the new design modification.
The fiesta is set to kick off on the 9th of August at the city centre, with the ballooning teams dressed to the nines in period dress from the 1960s.The main events are to be held between the 12th and 15th of August, with reams of balloons ascending each morning and evening for the duration of the festival. The customary ‘night glows’ will also be on display – this delightful spectacle involves balloons, tethered to the main arena, lighting up in sequence to music. Afterward, spectators can look forward to a fantastic fireworks display.
Balloon flight truly is a miracle of modern technology. This carefree mode of transport provides a great way to experience the romance of yesteryear, as you soar through the clouds without a care in the world. Why not take the plunge and book a flight? You will never regret having enjoyed a hot air balloon ride – it is simply magical.
August 17th, 2010
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Good morning Sunfunners!!
Our flight on Sunday morning had an excited atmosphere with guests walking up and down discussing the cool weather, the “estimated direction” that the flight will be taking and all turned into profesional photographers capturing the balloon’s profile out of every possible position.
Thank you Desiree J, Mark, Desiree D, Barry, Debbie, Jenny and JT for joining us on our flight.
Once again a brilliant flight done by Mr. Mervin De Souza.
His luck this weekend was on a high! Again our flight went in the direction of the Plumari Game Reserve, giving our passengers a flight safari experience. They viewed several species of game and enjoyed the beautiful blue mountains in the background.
Landing on a farm in the Hekpoort area, the experienced crew quickly swooped in and assisted our pilot in the positioning of the balloon for the most suitable place for the re-packing of the balloon.
Our guests enjoyed sparkling wine and orange juice, while relaxing in the early morning sunshine.
Life is what you make of it…. make it fun… make it exciting… make it an adventure!!!
August 16th, 2010
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Our flight on Saturday morning was a huge success!
Thank you to Melanie, Delene, Anton, Hester, Kyle, Justine, Ian and Angie for spending the morning with us.
Please add your comments to this blog about your blog.
Our passengers had a long flight, first landing on the Plumari game reserve, then lifting again to go land on neighbouring farmland.
They had the chance of viewing game out of the sky from a bird’s eyeview.
Our flight took place over the majestic Magaliesberg mountain range and for your convenience I am adding a link where you can do some reading up on the Magaliesberg mountains.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magaliesberg
Thank you all for joining us
August 16th, 2010
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Good morning Sunfunners!
Hope you all had fun and enjoyed the longggg weekend! Ladies, I trust that you all got spoilt endlessly on “Woman’s day”
Thank you to all the passengers who flew with us on Sunday morning!
Louise treated her father, Danie, to a birthday flight on Sunday morning while Lee spoiled his wife Tracy to the romantic side of hot air ballooning. There is really a romantic feeling to ballooning. You get to relax, and there are no alarms, traffic or people up there that can interrupt the tranquility of the flight so you get to fall in love all over again.
Our other two lovely couples on our flight were Ian & Robyn and Maretha & Mervin.
And by the hugs and smiles you can tell that they were very excited about sharing this adventure with each other. This is what it is all about. This is why we love taking people flying.
We had Felicity Clegg as our Pilot in command on Sunday morning. After our flight she had breakfast with our guests and shared some of her previous flight experiences and knowledge which made for very interessting breakfast conversation.
She gave our guests a rundown on landing procedures before flight which lead to a lot of nervous giggles.
Do not worry… we know what we are doing… we are the pro’s in this industry 
The flight lasted for about 1hr and 20mins.
The balloon floated on the quiet winds and landed about 4km’s away from our flight venue. On landing the surrounding area came alive with the excited laughter of children. We had children running from the nearby farms and all over. I frankly do not know where all of them came from haha.
It is always a humbling feeling when the children from the rural areas show so much enthusiasm and excitement. I think we can all learn a thing or two from them. Does not matter how bad things are, stay positive because you never know when a hot air balloon might just drop in and lighten up your day .
Here’s to good company, good times and adventure
CHEERS!
August 10th, 2010
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Sunfunners….I think summer is coming!!!
Well we hope so…
Anyway let us get back to business
Firstly I would like to thank Sheries and Christo, who were our first Facebook booking, who joined us on this morning’s flight. I hope that you enjoyed yourselves and that we will see you again soon.
We also want to thank Elsie who brought (all the way from Singapore) two of her English students to join us on our flight.
私達との飛行をFutoおよびTakumaありがとう
Uncle Manie (who is turning 89 later in 2010), Aunty Martie and Mari thank you for all the fun this morning!
This morning was a little cool making for good flying conditions, but…come to think of it I don’t think our “in love” passengers really felt any cold shivers running up and down their spines .
The rest of us did one of two things to keep warm…we either walked up and down like army ants or cuddled a hot cup of coffee. Oh yes, and let us not forget good old Old Brown Sherry which is always a life saver!
Futo and Takuma were just splendid to watch. Their enthusiasm and excitement made us proud to have them aboard this morning. Boys you are welcome to come back and visit us anytime.
We had calm winds and the balloon was not taken very far from the flight venue, landing on a farm where we could just relax and soak up the warming rays of sunshine that were welcoming this beautiful Tuesday morning.
We here at Sun Fun really enjoy meeting new people and making new friends. All of you are worth your weights in gold.
Take care and tell your friends
August 3rd, 2010
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