20+ Ethical Elephant Encounters you can have in the World

An elephant encounter is one of the most special moments you can have while traveling abroad. But unfortunately these days we have to choose carefully where to do this, as many elephants are brutally exploited for the tourism industry.

Simply put, If you love elephants, don’t ever ride them. This is not a natural thing for elephants, and they have to go through a horrifying process in order to be ‘tame’ enough to do this, which I’ve gone into more detail below.

Fortunately, there are still places in the world where you can see wild elephants ethically. African forest elephants inhabit the dense rainforests of west and central Africa, while the Asian elephant can be found in India, Sri Lanka, China and much of Southeast Asia.

There are many sanctuaries in these countries helping with conservation efforts and providing a safe place for elephants who have been abused throughout their lives.

But as a tourist, it can be difficult to know if a place is ethically treating elephants, or if they are actually harming them. That’s why I’ve asked these awesome travel bloggers to help me put together a comprehensive list of places you can see elephants ethically in both Africa and Asia.

Why you shouldn’t ride an elephant

In order to tame a wild elephant, it has to be tied down and beaten until their spirits are broken and they’re willing to obey their “trainers” to avoid pain. The process is called Phajaan, or “the crush”. The baby elephants are beaten into submission with clubs, pierced with sharp bull-hooks, while being starved and deprived of sleep for many days.

As if that’s not brutal enough, research has found that elephants who go through this process often sufferpost-traumatic stress disorder. These captive elephants often die decades before their life-span because of health issues associated with carrying excess weight and being confined to a small space on a daily basis.

Elephant riding is not natural, and if you see any parks or ‘sanctuaries’ promoting this, I would stay far away. But don’t worry, there are still plenty of opportunities for ethical elephant encounters on your travels. Keep reading for 20+ places where you can ethically encounter elephants across Africa and Asia.

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