Our love affair with elephants all started a few years ago at Selinda Camp in Botswana. Selinda means ‘many pools of water’ in the local dialect and peering out of the window of the tiny Cessna above the Okavango Delta at the hippo trails carved through the flooded plains told us this was something very special, confirmed by the final part of our journey to the camp by boat past curious wildlife. Our first game drive brought us upon a herd of elephants. We patiently sat and waited for them to approach us and then our magical close encounter began. It was a spellbinding, unforgettable 20 minutes as the matriarch nuzzled us with her trunk, trying to suss out who we were. Looking into the eyes of an elephant, up close in its natural setting, feels like a window into the soul of these magnificent creatures and if you haven’t experienced it, we’d recommend it. To hear the deep rumble so close was a deeply emotional experience. Botswana was the perfect setting and started a long-term T London ele-obsession.