Top 10 Places to See Elephants
August 12th is World Elephant Day! Team member and African wildlife advocate, Bret Charman, shares his passion for the world’s largest land mammal – the elephant, and to help you choose where to go, has put together a top 10 (in no particular order) for where to watch wild elephants.
1. Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary - Borneo
This protected area lies along the banks of the Kinabatangan River in Malaysian Borneo and is one of the last strongholds of the ‘pygmy’ Asian elephant. While enjoying boat trips along the river, herds of elephant often appear on the water’s edge, providing one of the most magical elephant watching experiences.
Recommended holiday: Borneo's Orangutans
2. Kaziranga National Park - India
This remarkable national park, situated on the banks of the Brahmaputra River, is better known for its thriving population of Asian one-horned rhino, but it is also one of the best places to see wild Asian elephants in the large grasslands and rich forest habitat.
Recommended holiday: India's Big Five
3. Udawalawe National Park - Sri Lanka
Most visitors in Sri Lanka visit Yala National Park, but we recommend the beautiful surrounds of Udawalawe to escape the crowds and enjoy large family herds of Asian elephants. It is common to see groups of up to 50 elephants at a time when enjoying a jeep safari in the park.
Recommended holiday: Blue Whales, Dolphins & Leopards
4. Chobe National Park - Botswana
Botswana is home to more elephants than any other African country, and the Chobe River is a wonderful place to see large family herds as they come to the river to drink and cool off. You will find Chobe at the point where the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers meet, a vast ecosystem home to possibly the largest population of wild elephants in the world. You can explore the park on a traditional safari, or along the Chobe River on boat safaris - surely one of the best ways to enjoy this remarkable species.
Recommended holiday: Best of Botswana
5. Amboseli National Park - Kenya
Situated at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, on the Tanzanian border, Amboseli National Park is surely one of the most picturesque in all of Africa. Around the base of the mountain you find stunning woodlands before it turns in to a grassy plain, all the while the mountain towers over the park and provides the perfect backdrop for elephant photography. It is home to some of the last great tuskers and large family herds and one of the most iconic scenes in Africa. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Recommended holiday: Kenya Adventure Camping
6. Nagarhole National Park - India
A beautiful forested park, Nagarhole is home to around 1,000 Asian elephants and one of our favourite destinations to visit in India. Whether you go on a traditional jeep safari, or venture out on a boat safari, you can expect to see small family groups of elephant, with further chances to see tiger, leopard and Asiatic wild dog.
Recommended holiday: Nagarhole’s Tigers, Wild Dogs & Leopards
7. Chitwan National Park - Nepal
The star park in the Nepalese crown, Chitwan lies in the lowlands of the country and home to a staggering diversity of wildlife, including Asian elephant. The landscape here varies from forested hills, beautiful lakes, open grassland and numerous river channels and can be explored by foot, on game drives and on river safaris.
Recommended holiday: Untamed Terai
8. Mana Pools National Park - Zimbabwe
The riverine forests and plains of the Zambezi floodplain make up the wondrous realm of Mana Pools National Park. Explore the park on foot, and by vehicle, for remarkable wildlife encounters with elephants standing on their hind legs to feed from the ancient trees.
Recommended holiday: Mana Pools - Wild Dogs & Elephants Photography
9. Damaraland - Namibia
This dramatic and rugged landscape is home to a unique population of desert elephant. These specially-adapted elephants live with almost no surface water, learning to dig for water in art river beds. Stay at dedicated camps and lodges to witness these rare mammals for yourself on desert game drives.
Recommended holiday: Namibia: A Wilderness Adventure
10. Odzalo-Kokoua National Park - Congo
Explore the biodiverse rainforests of Odzalo-Kokoua for the remarkable wildlife in this safe pocket of the Congo basin. It is in these ancient forests that you can find the African forest elephant, noticeably different in appearance to their plains cousins. This area is also home to the western lowland gorilla.
Recommended holiday: Africa's Rainforest Wildlife
Use our holiday search to find your perfect trip, or to find out more, contact us.
