Elephant watching travel guide

Your visit contributes directly to the costs of feeding, accommodating and keeping elephants healthy, but it’s important to research any elephant facility you might visit as part of an elephant watching vacation carefully. Our advice for visiting any animal sanctuary (with a few exceptions) is to always do so on a ‘no touch, observation-only’ basis. When it comes to elephants, that means always keeping a distance, so no bathing, no photo shoots, ideally not feeding them either. This is safer for you, and less awkward for the elephants.

“You should expect to see elephants interacting in a natural environment and in a natural way. Elephants are highly social creatures with strong family bonds and friendships. Elephants that are allowed sufficient freedom will likely move in herds and carers may be able to identify social groups for visitors. There will likely be a great deal of communication between the animals in the form of trumpeting, rumbles and various other sounds. The elephants may also engage in play. Most importantly, the animals should be allowed the freedom to do as their instincts tell them and express their natural behaviours – none of which is possible in ride- and show-based venues, where elephants spend most of their day in chains – and not be forced into any interaction with tourists. In order to enjoy this experience safely, visitors should be mindful of the wild nature of elephants, behave respectfully of the animals (most of the time this includes keeping an appropriate distance) and follow the instructions given by trained staff.”

Sanctuaries doing good work for Asian elephants exist in many parts of Asia, but it’s very difficult to see elephants in the wild, as they live deep in forests. We offer vacations on the Thailand and Myanmar border where expert mahouts lead you in search of them, to watch as they forage for food – an amazing experience.