Elephant Back Safaris

Elephant-back safaris are now available at many exciting destinations throughout the world and, particularly, in Africa. These safaris give visitors to the parks or sanctuaries the unique opportunity of interacting with these magnificent beasts on an intimate level and within their natural habitat, rather than in a petting zoo or circus. This once-in-a-lifetime experience allows guests to gain an understanding of the eating habits, movements, playfulness and gentility of elephants; the intelligence that is displayed by their insightful rapport with human beings.

A typical elephant-back safari will include feeding, walking with and riding the elephants. For this purpose, guests are likely to feed the elephants dry grains, nuts and wheat. However, some vegetables may also be included. Feeling the food gently being removed from the palm of your hand by the “finger” of the powerful trunk is a humbling encounter. Walking with and riding the elephant is reminiscent of the relationship man once shared with the powerful animals, granting a new perspective on their habits and ways of life. Passengers are transported in adapted saddles, baskets or chairs on the backs of the largest living land mammal in the world. Guides ensure that the passengers and elephants are made to feel safe and comfortable at all times, so that both may gain as much as possible from the experience.

The Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa, is a renowned game park that offers one of the most diverse spectra of fauna and flora in the world. Within the Kruger National Game Park are several smaller parks and lodges (including the well-known Sabi Sabi Private Reserve), all offering their own combination of safari packages, most of which include the unforgettable elephant-back riding.

For the travellers heading out of South Africa, the Abu Camp on the western side of Botswana’s Okavango Delta is guaranteed to provide the ultimate in elephant-back safaris. This area is characterised by wide open plains that are intersected by the cool river waters, dotted with islands. This magnificent panorama is ideally viewed from the backs of one of the local elephants as it ambles gently through the long grasses.

Other well-known African destination offering elephant-back safaris include:

Okavango Delta
Moremi Game Reserve
Chobe National Park
Kalahari Desert
Namibia
Zambia
South Luangwa National Park
Botswana

Because of the significantly advanced nature of the elephants’ ability to read emotions and understand their given situation, an elephant-back safari provides a far more special encounter than most human-animal interactions. For a short time, man and beast meet on a platform of mutual love and respect.