Behind the Binoculars: A Conversation with James Ward

Behind the Binoculars — Ethical Safaris with James Ward

In this episode, Russ talks with James Ward, Chief Explorations Officer at Rewild Safaris, about what makes a safari truly meaningful. From red flags in booking to supporting conservation and finding hidden gems like Zambia and Botswana, this conversation is a must-listen for anyone planning (or dreaming of) a safari.

Highlights:
– What to look for—and what to avoid—when booking
– The Big Five, greenwashing, and ethical travel
– Planning with kids, choosing the right time of year
– The emotional power of seeing wildlife in the wild

About James:
James Ward is the Chief Explorations Officer at Rewild Safaris and a seasoned conservation photographer. With decades of experience guiding travelers through some of the world’s most remote landscapes, James is a passionate advocate for ethical tourism, community investment, and meaningful wildlife encounters. Learn more at rewildsafaris.com or follow Rewild on Instagram and Facebook at @rewildsafaris.

💬 “You may leave Africa, but Africa never leaves you.” — James Ward

Chapters

• 0:00 Episode Introduction
• 2:34 Introduction to Safari Adventures
• 5:26 Planning Your Safari: Key Considerations
• 8:22 Common Mistakes and Cautions in Safari Booking
• 11:17 The Unique Experience of Safari
• 14:17 Family Safaris: Tips for Traveling with Kids
• 17:02 Ethical Travel and Community Impact
• 20:15 Hidden Gems: Lesser-Known Safari Destinations
• 23:12 Understand the Big Five and Wildlife Viewing
• 25:53 Timing Your Safari: Best Seasons to Visit
• 29:00 The Meaning Behind Safari Experiences
• 32:00 Accommodations: From Tents to Luxury Lodges
• 33:49 James' Final Thoughts

Transcript

Russell Gibson (00:03.401)
Today I am joined by a special guest, James Ward, and James is the Chief Explorations Officer at Rewild Safaris. And so James, welcome.

James Ward (00:15.167)
Thank you. Glad to be here.

Russell Gibson (00:17.289)
It's great having you here. So as I mentioned to you a moment ago, I just published a first episode of the Far-Flying Adventure series talking about our trip to Sanctuary Swala in Tanzania. And so it was really very timely that you and I got put in touch with each other and that you're here. So it's great to have you.

James Ward (00:57.219)
It's great to be here and love talking about safaris and love talking to people who've been on safaris.

Russell Gibson (01:02.249)
Great. So let's just jump right into it. So a lot of people out there, you hear the word safari, very exotic, very unknown and so forth. Where does someone start? You know, you're dreaming about a safari. Where do you tell them? Where should they begin?

James Ward (01:22.542)
Well, so when we start talking with the prospective travelers, we start, we get the, have a lot of questions for them, right? To understand truly what they want to see. You know, Africa has many different destinations, a lot of different experiences. So the key is, is what do they want out of a safari? there specific wildlife they want to see? Do they want to do any hiking or specific activities?

Do they want a more active Safari? So those are the questions that we're asking. What type of price point they're looking at? What type of accommodations? Bush camps versus lodges. So those are all questions that we discuss. One of the key questions we ask, what are the type of vacations you've done in the past? To try to get an idea of what they like to do. then we

then get into the details of the differences of East Africa versus Southern Africa and then the details of each country within those areas.

Russell Gibson (02:23.058)
Okay. And do you find that most people have a pretty good understanding of what's involved on a safari or is it something that they have in their head and you kind of have to bring some reality to?

James Ward (02:36.482)
We get both. We get people who've traveled before us, they do have an understanding. And then we get people who, you know, they've maybe seen some of a National Geographic or seen some movies about it or had friends that went on safari. And then we, you know, you're starting from ground zero on that again. So they truly understand what a safari means.

Russell Gibson (02:58.056)
Okay. And what are some of the mistakes people make when looking at booking a safari or putting together an itinerary for going over, let's say, to Africa? What kind of mistakes do people make and what things should they avoid?

James Ward (03:18.19)
So think some of the common mistakes is they haven't done some research in advance and having expectations of what the differences are. So as you experience on your experience, I'm sure you have bush camps where you have elephants, lions right outside your tent, or you're in a big lodge where you don't have that.

Russell Gibson (03:40.75)
Hahaha.

James Ward (03:45.166)
East Africa, you know, I you went to Tanzania and that is much different than than southern Africa. And so if you don't have an understanding, do you want to go see the migration? Do you want to see that the Serengeti or do you want more of a Bush feeling and more of a private less crowd? So understanding that that side of it. And then a lot of people come in with expectations that they are going to see a National Geographic video and they don't realize that those people who
videotape that spent two to three years trying to get those shots.

Russell Gibson (04:19.453)
What if someone's looking to book a safari or is there something such as a red flag, like things that you would steer someone away from? What cautionary advice would you have?

James Ward (04:36.717)
So the big thing for me is know who you're going with. Make sure that they've traveled to those destinations. They've done the research on it. And the reason for that is there's a lot of things that happen on safari that, know, for me as a, I'm also a conservation photographer. I work with conservation groups that aren't ethical when it comes to wildlife viewing. 

Russell Gibson (05:01.449)
Can you give me an example?

James Ward (05:05.665)
Madagascar last year and I go on what I call educational trips. So I will go and check out lodges and camps. So I spent three plus weeks in Madagascar going from camp to camp. and one place we went, you know, I got there, I looked up and I saw lemurs right around where the dining area and some of the lemurs were definitely not supposed to be in that area.

So I started to raise flags in my head and I asked the guys like, are they feeding lemurs here? And he's like, I think they are. And then came out that they were. And so the next morning I went for a walk and the guide is pretending to have food below my lens. And I ended up, I knew at that point I'd never booked that lodge. And I literally said, can you hold on a second, put my camera away, put it in my room and came back and just went for the walk. What we do because it's so conservation focused, baiting of animals and the way they treat animals. 

I mean, was on a safari once where I saw a guide was in East Africa. The lions weren't in the right spot for them. literally went and used the vehicle to move them, bump them out of way. their people in their vehicle could get better photographs. And so, you you want a reputable safari company that you're working with and you want to ask those questions.

Russell Gibson (06:29.928)
You mentioned about people having expectations for safari. I mean, I, have to be honest, uh, when we went over to Africa the first time, I had no idea what to expect. Uh, and that's why I think it had such a big impact on me because it going on safari is like nothing else, any other kind of travel experience really in the world.  I think that having an expectation of a lion sitting outside of your tent. Some people might find that scary. Some people find it exhilarating. But the experience that we had in Tanzania, for example, was that a lot of the guides were very good with each other to communicate, "We just found a family of lions.

over here," and then your guide will drive over. There was one in particular that I do remember. The one guide said to another, you're getting too close. You've got to back up. And they did. And we were in Zimbabwe and there was a cheetah that had taken prey up a tree. It was a night drive. And one of the guides was, one of the jeeps was getting way too close. And the other guy basically called out to him, back up, back up, back up. So I know exactly what you're talking about.

James Ward (08:06.689)
Yeah, it's amazing what you see with that. I think in the expectations with Lions, man, what I've seen is almost on everybody's first, right? When they go and they're in those bush camps, first night, they're nervous and they get more comfortable and more comfortable. And then they really love it. then, you know, some of these trips I go on, I've had friends join me and I say to them, everyone, I'm like, don't close the flaps of your tents. Just keep them open at night. You're going to enjoy it.

And inevitably the first night they close it and then they get hot and then you're like, okay, keep them open and they keep them open. And then they're like, "oh my God", that's the conversation over breakfast or when you're in the morning drives, "Oh, this was right outside of my tent". At that point, you're like, they're hooked. They're hooked on Africa now.

Russell Gibson (08:52.572)
So can you tell that? Can you tell when someone's hooked?

James Ward (08:58.168)
You can, it takes a day, if not a day, it's two days, right? You see it in their eyes and I tell everybody that goes on safaris, when you come back, you're gonna talk with people at a party, whatever, you see your friends and people who haven't been, you'll see their eyes, it just goes right over their head, right? They don't understand it. But then you have a conversation with someone that's done it and it's just a total different kind of, it's a different connection. You know, and I tell everybody, you may leave Africa, but Africa never leaves you.

Russell Gibson (09:32.84)
Exactly, that's 100 % correct, 100 % true. So a couple of other questions. Do you think that Safari is appropriate for children? if so, or if not, is there a minimum age that you would recommend?

James Ward (09:48.065)
Well, I think most camps do a pretty good job of if you do have children, they're going to make you get a private vehicle. So you're just not disturbing other people in the camps. I think there's some places where, you know, if you're bringing a baby in that obviously they're not going to enjoy it. And then you probably won't enjoy it. I think there's an age and if you go to the right camps, they're going to design your activities around that age.

If you want your child to remember and have the full experience, I'd say it's 11, 12 is when is the right time they're going to remember it. They're going to be able to sit quietly in the vehicle. Those, you know, those game drives, depending where you are, are between four or they could be four hours or full day game drives. if, know, now you have the attention span, have to worry about. And then the other thing is, is, know, when you're in an open, uh, safari vehicle, the animal see you as a vehicle, right?

But it is amazing when you put a kid in a vehicle. Once they start moving, lions pick nose right away. And they literally look at the children. And so in a lot of cases, when you're younger, they're going to put you in the, you have to sit in between two people because of that. But I don't think there's, I'm not one to tell people how, you know, what you want to do with your kids, but there's, you want to make sure you go to the right camps for that. And they're not going to be allowed on a walking safari. They're not going to be allowed on Makoros.  But there are great places to go where there's maybe less predators, where they can do some cultural walks or nature walks. So it's designing it properly for that.

Russell Gibson (11:24.808)
And is there an ideal length of time that you think for a safari? Minimum, maximum?

James Ward (11:34.509)
Well, yeah, obviously from the US to go to to Africa, it's a long flight. So you want to balance that. Typically we're 10 to 12 days in country, but I've done some where it's eight days and they love it, right? Because it's, you know, for me who loves wildlife, I could sit in a game field with three weeks. I could be in the bush where a lot of people, they'll lose their attention. So it's also how do you design it to incorporate cultural, incorporate relax time, maybe do an extension to go to the beach, or you go to Cape Town, Victoria Falls, so you get some of that away from in the wildlife side. It is tiring because you're up early, right, every day, and it's a lot of activity. So it's balancing on that side as well.

Russell Gibson (12:23.704)
I was just going to bring that up because that was one of the things that surprised me the most was that your game drives, you you had to have breakfast at, you know, 5:30 in the morning, just as before, even before the sun's come up, you know, and it's cold in the morning and you're surprised at how it was surprising how cold it was. And, you know, I don't want to get out of this nice warm bed.

But when you do it and you get used to it, it's amazing. And people forget that in the heat of the day, the animals are smart. They look for shelter and shade in the morning and the late afternoons, really, when you see the most. So more and more people, travelers, no matter where they go, safari or anything else, want to do good. They want to...maybe not feel like they're giving back to the local community, but they want to feel like they are, as you said, ethical in their trip, in their travel. How do you try to foster that?

James Ward (13:26.636)
So the first is what we do and the founder of company, Tom LaRock and I do a lot, extensive travel, not just Africa, but we do as far as all over the world. So we travel all over to the lodges and we are talking with the staff, talking with the management team and doing site visits to make sure are they supporting the local community and how, right? it's not, you know, everyone supports the local community by hiring local.

But what are they doing past that? know, some, some camp comers are great at it. They give more money towards building health clinics, schools, and those things. Or they're doing drilling boreholes for the communities. I was just last year, we worked with a company in Zimbabwe that they've reintroduced or translocated rhinos in southern Wangi area. And instead of bringing them into the park, they worked with the local community and they took prime grazing land or the community gave them prime grazing land for the rhinos. And every visitor who visits the rhinos, percentage of the costs that go into the community. And then the community has a board and they decide how to spend the money. And part of the safari is you go and visit the rhinos and you visit the conservationists there and the community liaisons are there to talk about what to do. Then you visit the community and you actually visit with the head of the community who takes you into his home and tells you the benefits and you see it. And last year they brought two more rhinos and I was there documenting it. So we saw it and you would drive along the road into the new communities that were getting rhinos and you just saw the joy and they were so welcoming of these because they know what it means.

And so those are the things we look at is we don't want to book and I think people when they go, they want more and we're finding more and more people want more out of a safari than just going to see wildlife. They want to see that and they want to make sure that it is benefiting the community and benefiting conservation because at end of the day, if it's not benefiting conservation, why keep the wildlife and why keep those natural areas?

Russell Gibson (15:48.691)
Right, and I think there's a big misconception that when you go to a place like East Africa, it's all tribal and they're all wearing, you know, bones through their nose and they don't realize that these are maybe not modern to our standards, but they are communities that have health clinics and they have, they wear T-shirts and jeans and, you know, they look more like somebody that you would see in a major city anywhere around the world, then some depictions have had, you know, local African, not that there aren't the tribes people, but more often than not, those communities that you're talking about are semi-modern by anybody else's standards.

James Ward (16:40.587)
Yeah, it's sort of like if you went to Scotland and you expected everyone to be in kilts, right? So it's and that's a great part about travel. And again, we're all the world. I'm talking to you from Sri Lanka right now. I have a group here and learning about that culture. just opens eyes. And I do believe people who do that type of travel, they just have a much wider appreciation and view on the world.

Russell Gibson (17:06.812)
Can you give me an example of how Rewild partners with a local community? Or is it done directly or do you do it through the camps?

James Ward (17:23.013)
Rewild Safaris doesn't partner directly with communities. We partner with either the camps or we also partner with conservation groups. And so we do have partnerships in most of the destinations that we travel and those that we don't, we're building the relationships with for conservation groups and trying to include activities, learning activities, either in situ or visits out of the camps to learn about
what the conservation group is doing, the challenges that they face, and then we're supporting the communities through that as well. Because in all conservation, community development is one of the, if not the most important part of conservation.

Russell Gibson (18:04.904)
People have heard of the Serengeti. People know the Serengeti. A lot of people know the Masai Mara and more of the more quote unquote popular destinations. What are some of the hidden gems? What are some of the destinations, some of the areas that wouldn't come first to someone's mind, but is maybe on your list of must see?

James Ward (18:31.979)
Well, Botswana is still a popular destination, but Botswana is definitely a must see. I love South Alangwa and Zambia. It's one of the best wildlife destinations and it's just off the beaten path just because it's further from Joberg. It's a little tougher to get to, but it's...

Russell Gibson (18:53.064)
For those people that don't know Joberg, he means Johannesburg, which is in South Africa. So if you're hearing, what's Joberg? And they're going come up with someone googles Joberg, they're going to get lost. Anyway, go ahead.

James Ward (18:55.651)
So it's not the typical Southern Africans part. It is Southern Africa, but when you get there, the wildlife is as good as anywhere else. Except for rhinos, it has the big five. It's actually, South along this considered the Valley of the Leopard. So it's one of the best places in the world to see leopard, but there's just not the crowds. And they, even though it's inside the national park, they manage.

So there's a rule there are five vehicles at most and once the six vehicle comes in they respect each other that the first vehicle leaves and they can circle back around if you have a photographer or someone who's really interested and then you wait and then you can come back into the line and it's if you get south along or near the main gate is a little busier and then you get outside and it's almost like it's a private concession. Namibia is a it's probably a second or third time to Africa because the wildlife is more spread out because you're in the desert, but you see desert adapted lions, desert adapted rhino, you see elephants on sand dunes. So, and the landscape is phenomenal. And then the other one, Madagascar is, I think is one of the best destinations in the world. It's more rugged. You're doing more on foot, but you're seeing 70 % of the wildlife in Madagascar is endemic to Madagascar.

Russell Gibson (20:34.408)
Okay, so James, you just mentioned a few minutes ago about the Big Five. For listeners that aren't familiar with the Big Five, what are they?

James Ward (20:44.2)
Rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, and Cape buffalo. And they're basically based on the big hunting from one big game hunting. But now it's also the top things people want to see on safari. And then you add two more with the cheetah and painted wolves, wild dogs are key.

Russell Gibson (21:04.744)
We hadn't seen them on the first trip over to Africa. The second trip was the first time we saw them, because I don't know, they're around, but you just don't see them very often.

James Ward (21:19.86)
So very difficult to in East Africa. Their range is just so huge and it's tougher to see when you have high concentration of hyenas and lions, which obviously the Serengeti does. Southern Africa, Zambia is a great spot. Manapul is in Zimbabwe. Wanga in Zimbabwe are great destinations. Botswana is great destination for wild dogs. They're my favorite to see on safari. So I'm very partial to that.

Russell Gibson (21:50.954)
So you just talked about kids, but how do you not get bored? Like, okay, there's another lion, there's another lion, there's another lion.

James Ward (22:07.22)
What I tell people is really appreciate what you're seeing. And so you have two different types of philosophies on safaris. One is checking list, right? So they're gonna see line and they wanna go see something else. And you see them all the time. I mean, I was in a vehicle, we had two cheetahs sitting under a tree. They were just sitting there sleeping. And another vehicle pulled up, like I've seen enough big cats in the shade, sleeping in the shade and it drove off.

Russell Gibson (22:36.499)
Ha ha ha ha!

James Ward (22:37.192)
And so then there's people like me and what I advise people is sit and wait and appreciate and see the behavior because those cheetahs got up and started grooming each other and it was an unbelievable sighting, but it was cause you're patient. so every time you see a lion, it's going to do something differently. You might catch it when it's about to go on a hunt and then you see the dynamics of how they work together on a hunt. Even just when they greet and they, you know, they put their heads together when they greet. So I don't get bored and I've seen thousands of lions. I learn something new every time that I'm out of sight.

Russell Gibson (23:19.177)
I think it's absolutely fascinating because it's like with elephants, you see a herd of elephants and just looking at a mother with the baby is, you just could sit and watch it all day and it's crazy. How does time of year, is there a better time to go than another?

James Ward (23:42.985)
It depends what you want, right? So the rainy season is probably the toughest time of year to go. So depending where you are. So it's typically starts in November for Southern Africa starts in November and goes into March. East Africa has a short rains and a long rains. So it's early, then it opens back up in that January, February time. And then then there's another rain. So, but it's.

Russell Gibson (23:47.901)
Which is when?

James Ward (24:12.682)
Sometimes when you go in the rains, it's not raining constantly the whole time. You might get a shower in the afternoon, but A, it's less crowded. B, you're getting a lot more green, so it's not as dusty. And you're just seeing different walls. One of my favorite times to go to Tanzania is between the rains if you go to the calving season in southern Serengeti. there's always a time you can go somewhere in Africa. It depends what you want to see and what your goals are. Listen, maybe anytime they're even though they have range, it's one of the driest deserts in the world. So you're going to have a good time when you go.

Russell Gibson (24:53.641)
So, on a more personal note, what makes what you do meaningful for you? What do you get out of the work you do.

James Ward (25:06.698)
One the things there's two things I get out of it. So in my previous career, I did a lot of work with conservation groups. helped them build businesses for alternate sources of income for either the conservation group or the community. And the whole time that you just realize how important eco travel was, and that's around the world. It's not just Africa. Like Madagascar, it's super important that people go because again, it creates a value for the natural resource intact as opposed to being extracted. So that's one, because it's very important for conservation. Two, I think people who go and experience at an intimate level. So it's not a standard safari. As a wildlife photographer, I try to design a safari that you get a similar experience as I do as a wildlife photographer, but nicer accommodations. And I think when you experience it at that level, you just get a totally different appreciation for it. And so then you're gonna wanna save it and you're gonna support conservation and then you're gonna talk to your friends about it. And then they're gonna go, that's my favorite part of my job is sharing what I experienced and I'm lucky to have experienced it many, many, many, many times. I love sharing that with people. It's my favorite.

When I'm with someone that's their first trip to Africa, seeing their face, seeing their enjoyment, those are the two main reasons.

Russell Gibson (26:40.732)
You talked a little bit ago about the number of people in your Jeep, in your vehicle. How many people, could people expect that it's gonna be private? It's just goiong to be themselves or should they expect that?

James Ward (26:58.313)
So no, unless you ask for private. So if you're a couple who travels, if you don't ask for private, they're gonna put you in a vehicle with other people. I believe private is the, it's a better experience to now you control it. But it comes down to how much you wanna spend. I think camps for the most part are pretty good at pairing people with similar interests but they can't control that all the time. And so sometimes you'll get burgers in with people who can't stand burgers. And now you, now you're balancing that once you go, six people is usually what they'll put in a vehicle. I don't like more than six people because after that, not everybody gets a window seat, right? Now people are sitting in the middle. Now, if you have a family of eight, you can take a vehicle cause it's all your family. But even four.

So depending on where you go, there are camps that will say, fine, you're just paying extra for the two other people. You're not paying a huge cost to have a private vehicle. So I prefer private vehicles, again, because you do control the experience you're going to have. So if you're a patient person and you want to sit with lions and cubs for an entire day, and you want to say in advance, please pack a box lunch, because if we see something, I just want to sit out all day. You'll have that opportunity. The other thing, as you mentioned before, what time you get up, right? Depending on where you go, they have their set. You're going to have breakfast at this time. Then you go out. I like to get out as early as possible. And so if you're in a private concession, you can leave at 5 a.m. 

I like to be at the wildlife when the sun's coming up, not leave camp when the sun's coming up. So if you're in your private vehicle, you have control of that. You have a lot more control. And if not, you have to convince the other people, by the way, can you get up at 430 in the morning so that you can go on this? So that's an extreme. My favorite time of a safari is the first half hour before anyone else gets up. I always set my alarm half hour early because I listen to Africa wake up. And just that transition of noises from the night sounds to the day sounds is just amazing. That's my favorite. Totally different.

Russell Gibson (29:14.377)
You mentioned luxury. Is there a range of accommodations? I in my first episode, I said if you think you're sleeping on a cot in a triangle tent with a campfire going and hot dogs roasting over it, it's not that at all. Can you talk about that for a little bit?

James Ward (29:41.673)
Yeah, so you can do that, but most people don't. So yeah, so it is glamping and there's levels of glamping, right? So we, at Rewall as far as we book three star and above, we don't do the pop up tents thing. The, but then you go to some five star camps, you have your own pool. I mean it's nicer than my house they're bigger than my house I mean and it's called a tent only because it's canvas walls I mean you have sliders in it you have different rooms so it's a it's a wide variety of what you're staying in but that is probably the biggest surprise of almost everyone because the number one question wait I'm gonna be staying in a tent and I have to show pictures like this is what tents look like in Africa

Russell Gibson (30:28.679)
Hahaha!  You know, and a lot of people probably ask, do they have wifi? Can I stay in touch with, you know, home? How does someone get in touch with me if I need to? Does that come up?

James Ward (30:43.035)
It does come up and it's actually important conversation to have. there are different varieties of Wi-Fi. Now with Starlink, you're getting a lot more high speed, but you have ones that have it. And then those ones can be separated. That's only in the rooms or it's only in the main area or the whole camp. And I prefer when it's only in the rooms because I'm there, I'm working most the time in there. So, and then I'm trying to call home. when I'm in, you know, as you know, when you're in a bush camp you have to be walked back to your room at night. You don't get to walk around because there's lions, hippos, Cape buffalo in camp. 

So you get back to your room at nine, that's the time you want to make your phone calls home based on time change. So it's difficult to do it if it's only in the main area because now you're keeping people awake. I also like it because when I'm in the main area, I want to be in the moment.

In a lot of these keep bush camps the main area they have a water hole around or so you can set up there just enjoy wildlife from the camp.

[Due to a glitch with the Riverside.fm website, the last 5-8 minutes was lost.  I have supplemented the podcast with a summary of what was discussed.]