The secret diary of a visit to Mole

As we accelerate along the sun-baked dirt road from Tamale, northwest Ghana, a dense pall of orange dust envelops our Toyota Highlander like a swarm of cicada round a cypress. We slow down and, as the dust scatters, I see the outskirts of the oasis that is Mole National Park. Burkea africana trees loom like giant goblets over the roadside and clumps of perfumed terminalia bubble up over rolling emerald grassland.
I'm dropped off at the Mole Motel, a cluster of chalets perched on a steep hillside affording extravagant views of some of the park's 5000 square metres of lush savannah. However, you don't need to go far to find Mole's best-known pull: 500 free-roaming African elephants, many of whom are so tame they have no problem getting near to humans. Indeed, I spot one right away standing just behind my chalet, its colossal head bowed nonchalantly to the ground, its tail swinging rhythmically from side to side like a pendulum.