Where to see elephants in the wild

Kui Buri National Park, Thailand

This 969 kilometre national park has all of the stunning landscape you’d expect to see in Thailand, including waterfalls and dense forest. You may spot bison and monkeys during your visit, but there’s only one king of the jungle here. It’s said that there’s a 99% certainty visitors to Thailand’s Kui Buri National Park will see elephants during their trip. The animals are supported by the Kui Buri Wildlife Ecotourism Club, an organisation made up of local farmers who take tourists out on in jeeps – so the local community benefits from every visit, and the elephants are free to roam the land.

Bandipur Tiger Reserve, India

This reserve, inside Bandipur National Park in India, is the perfect place to head if you want to see more than just one type of animal on your trip. Tigers and elephants are described as the ‘flagship’ species for this park – and Bandipur and the surrounding areas have the single largest Asian Elephant population in the world. Conservation efforts have inspired the creation of the Special Tiger Protection Force, patrols by anti-poaching staff, and extra patrols around elephant camps during monsoons to provide protection from hunting groups. Safaris take place in designated tourist areas, and visitors have a chance to learn about educational programmes taking place with local communities.

Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, Kenya

Just outside Nairobi National Park, the Orphans’ Project is run by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and is dedicated to protecting elephants and rhinos from the loss of their habitat and threat of poaching. Over 150 baby elephants have been hand-raised by the trust, before being released back into the wild in Tsavo National Park. You can watch as the elephants are fed, bathed, and taken for walks, and if you fall in love with any in particular, you can even foster them.

Ready for a gigantic adventure?

Check out our long-haul holidays, read about elephant projects in Sri Lanka , and find out more about our work with WAP to protect 1,500 Asian elephants in captivity by 2020.

Author: Lizzie Butler