The Thoughtful Travel Podcast · Wednesday, July 1, 2026
James Ward details his experience in Zambian bush camps where tents are made of mesh netting, allowing for very close wildlife encounters. He describes a bull elephant sniffing around his tent and bathroom area, highlighting the 'experiential luxury' of being so close to untamed nature.
“And so I'm sitting in this tent and it's a full moon. So now I can see 360 views of the area. And then a big bull elephant comes right up.”
“And then the bathrooms were, they were fence, but it's outdoor bathrooms, but fence. So it's private, but no ceiling. So I'm all I'm thinking there is, I see the elephant come in and just put his trunk in sniffing and you know, the water in the bucket shower, there's water in the sink, like it's like a bucket sink. But I'm like, oh my god, he might take my toothpaste, he could take my toothbrush. Like anything.”
“But you were, it was basically like the only thing is there's this really thin screen between you and the wildlife.”