Do you want to see Elephants? Fascinated by the beauty, yet the power of the largest land mammal in the world? Ever wondered what it could be like to be up close and personal with an elephant so large, yet so thoughtful? A true adventure surely awaits you.
They say an elephant never forgets. What they don’t tell you is, you never forget an elephant.
Bill Murray
We have done the research for you. Which are the best places to see elephants in the wild to help you discover elephants on a more personal level.
In this article, you will learn all about elephants and where to see them.
We decided to include elephants in the wild, rather than elephants in sanctuaries as it is a more captivating experience seeing them in their natural habitat, able to exist and live in their own way.
You can read the whole article from the beginning or jump straight to the most relevant chapter for you:
Where Can You Find and See Elephants
Best places to see elephants in the wild
Get to know elephants
Elephants have long been admired by human beings, the largest land mammals with long trunks and floppy ears, we have always been fascinated by these impressive creatures. They have an ability to march with thundering dominance across the savannas of Africa as well as the grasslands of national parks in Asia.
Nothing can quite beat the feeling of seeing an elephant in close proximity. Such intelligent and loyal creatures are known to live in large groups, separated by male and female. They also never abandon each one another. These are just a couple of reasons as to why we have compiled a list of the best places to see elephants.
Endangerment of elephants
Native to Africa and Asia, the numbers of elephants have decreased significantly over the last half a century.
In fact, Elephant numbers have declined by 62% over the last decade and there are fears that they could be mostly extinct by the end of the next decade.
With frightening numbers including an estimated 100 African elephants being killed a day by poachers, there are only 400,000 elephants in the wild in Africa, with just 40,000-50,000 elephants living on the Asian continent.
Why is it such a dangerous time to be an elephant?
Here researched for you are the main reasons why elephants might go extinct and what you can do to help.
The illegal ivory trade
An extremely profitable industry, elephants are killed for their ivory. Despite there being an international ban on the ivory trade, between 2010-2014, ivory pricing within China tripled, which led to an increased rate of the killing of elephants.
Elephants with larger tusks are more at danger of being killed, leading to many female elephants being slaughtered for their ivory. This in turn leads to orphaned baby elephants.
Currently, there are more elephants being killed than being born which is a huge warning sign to humanity that we cannot afford to lose this precious specie.
Severe habitat loss
The Asian elephant lives in over 13 countries in Asia. However, as the numbers decline, Asian elephants are suffering severe habitat loss due to deforestation, development and changes in land use due to agriculture.
For example: the traditional routes that elephants would take to find food and habitat has been steadily devastated by human activity like building infrastructure as well as increasing palm oil and rubber tree plantations.
This has led to the destruction of millions of acres of forests and land for elephants to roam and use as their own.
Other reasons why the numbers of elephants are declining include the selling of their meat and body parts as well as baby elephants being captured from the wild and then sold into circuses as an example. These elephants are mistreated, abused and then kept in illegal conditions. Raising awareness is imperative in order for us to understand the scale at which elephants are being slaughtered on a global level. And with this knowledge, we can help preserve this majestic creature.
Where Can You Find and See Elephants
Let’s subdivide elephants into two groups. The Asian Elephant and the African Elephant and their geographical distribution.
Geographic distribution of the African Elephant
The African Elephant is the world’s largest land mammal, with the largest African Elephant at 7.5m long and weighing 6 tonnes. There are two subspecies – the larger Savannah elephant which thunders across the plains of Africa and the smaller Forest elephant.
You can find Savannah elephants roaming around Eastern and Southern Africa, specifically in countries ranging from Botswana, Zimbabwe and Kenya.
Likewise, you can find the forest elephant around the equatorial zone of West and Central Africa. Also you can meet Giraffes if you are lucky.
Elephants usually are organised in herds composed of females and their calves. Males usually live alone, but sometimes they too will go in a herd with other males. In fact, in the Savannah subspecies, each herd usually comprises of around 10 elephants, but there can be anywhere up to 70 elephants within a unit, while Forest elephants live in smaller units.
African elephants are browsers and mostly eat various types of grasses, as well as other plants including bark and twigs.
Physical Traits of the African Elephant
African elephants, both male and female, generally grow tusks. Tusks are actually modified incisors and almost no different from any other teeth as they continuously grow throughout the life of an elephant.
The average length of tusks have decreased over time due to the side effects of hunting larger elephants with large tusks for ivory. As a result, genetically, larger tusks are being considerably rare.
Tusks are used for different tasks in African elephants. For example: moving objects, digging in the dirt as well as defence mechanisms for protection.
The African elephant is the largest type of elephant – read about the absolute biggest elephant recorded here.
Geographic distribution of the Asian Elephant
Slightly smaller than their African cousins, the Asian Elephant can be found in India and South East Asia. They used to have their habitat across the whole continent, but now Asian elephants are restricted to just 15% of their original habitat.
Among Asian Elephants, there are three subspecies: Indian, Sri Lankan and Sumatran. Their physical differences are related to their geographical location. For example: the Sri Lankan subspecies is the largest and the darkness of the Asian elephants with areas of no skin colour on different parts of the body (for example the trunk and belly).
Also, amongst the three subspecies of Asian Elephants, they differ slightly when it comes to their characteristics and behaviour. For example: the Indian Elephant can spend up to 19 hours a day eating, and they feed on mainly grasses but also banana and rice. You may be lucky enough to see one of these Indian Elephants near a water source as they have to drink at least once a day.
Physical Traits of the Asian Elephant
Like their African cousins, Asian Elephants live in small herds of females, their calves as well as younger male elephants. Asian elephants are social and form relationships with others in the group. Male elephants will leave the herd once they reach a mature age, and once they are old enough, they will usually spend more time alone.
Best Places to See Elephants in the Wild
The following ranking is sorted after criteria which we believe are the most relevant for those seeking to see elephants. We have compiled a list for seeing elephants in the wild.
So, our ranking is based on this criteria:
- How Likely is it to see the Elephants
- The ranking of the ethical nature of the safari
- The overall setting
Chobe National Park, Botswana
Home to one of the largest populations of elephants, Chobe National Park should be at the top of the list of anyone who wants to see elephants in the wild.
Estimated to have around 50,000 elephants, these majestic animals are able to roam around freely across borders to Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Chobe National Park is located in the North-west part of Botswana and is the third largest national park within the country. It has 12,000 square kilometres and its location next to the Chobe River makes for a perfect safari setting.
Large numbers of elephants can be found roaming around the park. Within the herd of elephants, there is always a matriarch and related elephants with their calves.
Male elephants will either roam around alone or in small groups.
You may be lucky enough to see the elephants crossing or simply drinking out of the Chobe River!
Key Statistics to seeing Elephants in Chobe National Park
| Best Time | August – October |
| Average High Outside Temperature | 27-33 C / 48-91 F |
| Chance to see Elephants | Higher than 90% |
| Setting | Along the Chobe River |
Best tours in Chobe National Park to see the elephants
Multiple tours are offering wildlife experiences, including to see elephants. Here are the most reliable ones (Rated on Google Maps and Trip Advisor)
Etosha National Park, Namibia
Etosha National Park is a national park located in Northwestern Namibia. Covering an area of 13,000 square miles, the Etosha pan covers around 25% of the total area of the park. The Etosha pan is essentially a salt pan which is dry in the wintertime.
There are around 2500 elephants in Etosha National Park. Usually, the elephants will visit the waterholes when it gets dark, but can also be seen during the day.
As you drive around the park, there are very few roads meaning that you can spot the elephants from your vehicle. What is even better is, that lots of accommodations within Etosha have their own waterhole, which make elephant sightings more common.
Key Statistics to seeing Elephants in Etosha National Park
| Best Time | May-December |
| Average High Outside Temperature | 28-34 C / 82-91 F |
| Chance to see Elephants | Higher than 85% |
| Setting | Along the Etosha pan |
Periyar National Park, India
Spreading over 413 square kilometres, Periyar National Park is one of the most ecologically rich regions in the world as well as being a well protected reserve area to view all kinds of wildlife and learn more about important ecosystems. Not only is the setting calm, green and beautiful, but also, the chances of seeing an Indian Elephant is elevated.
It is actually known for being an important Elephant and tiger reserve within India.
Another area of natural beauty with a water source, being the Periyar Lake, means that it is a popular point for the Asian elephant to come and drink. Combine that with the grassy fauna means means that elephants can thrive in this environment. Also, makes for some great viewing!
Key Statistics to seeing Elephants in Periyar National Park
| Best Time | September-April |
| Average High Outside Temperature | 25-27 C / 77-80 F |
| Chance to see Elephants | Higher than 90% |
| Setting | Along the Periyar Lake |
Best tours in Periyar National Park to see the elephants
Multiple tours are offering wildlife experiences, including to see elephants. Here are the most reliable ones (Rated on Google Maps and Trip Advisor)
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa, covering an area of 13,000 square kilometres. With rich ecology, the park holds a range of biodiverse fauna and flora as well as various rivers like the Limpopo River, ensuring that the wildlife has reliable water sources.
Kruger has experienced significant elephant poaching since the 1980s. Multiple measures have been implemented including a summit to vote down one-off ivory sales. Despite these ongoing, sad problems, Kruger is a beautiful and peaceful area of the wild where elephant viewing is a must!
Do you like Animal Encounter? Have a look at our recent article about Great White Shark Diving.
Take a tour in a vehicle or hire your own 4×4 and drive carelessly around the park, taking in the natural beauty, the range of vegetation as well as keeping an eager eye for any elephants that you may encounter!
Key Statistics to seeing Elephants in Kruger National Park
| Best Time | April – September |
| Average High Outside Temperature | 23-31 C / 73-87 F |
| Chance to see Elephants | Higher than 90% |
| Setting | scenic and diverse |
Best tours in Kruger National Park to see the elephants
Multiple tours are offering wildlife experiences, including to see elephants. Here are the most reliable ones (Rated on Google Maps and Trip Advisor)
Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
The largest natural game reserve in Zimbabwe, Hwange National Park lies on the western side of the country. The park is based on the edge of the Kalahari desert, an area with little water and sparse vegetation. There are an estimated 44,000 elephants roaming around the park, making it almost half the population of elephants in Zimbabwe.
Take the time to observe the water sources within the park, as here, super herds of elephants will take their time to rest and rehydrate before moving on with their journey. You can spend hours at a time watching and observing the elephants interacting with one another. The young calves playfully splashing in the water, and the matriarch who is always on alert to ensure her troops are well protected.
And despite the fact that there are issues with the lack of natural surface water in the dry season, solar powered pumps have been set up to make sure that water is present at all times of the year.
Key Statistics to seeing Elephants in Hwange National Park
| Best Time | April – October |
| Average High Outside Temperature | 29-32 C / 84 – 89 F |
| Chance to see Elephants | Higher than 90% |
| Setting | Wild and dry |
Best tours in Hwange National Park to see the elephants
Multiple tours are offering wildlife experiences, including to see elephants. Here are the most reliable ones (Rated on Google Maps and Trip Advisor)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Amboseli National Park covers 151 square kilometres and is an ecosystem that spreads across Kenya and Tanzania. The local people are mainly Maasai.
The system of swamps as well as the low rainfall means that it is one of the best wildlife viewing locations globally. Added to this, the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro make it an ideal setting to view animals, including elephants.
1200 elephants are estimated to roam around this park, and it is not hard to spot herds and super herds of elephants in this fascinating bastion of biodiversity. In fact, the national park is known for being one of the best places in the world to get up close to elephants.
Key Statistics to seeing Elephants in Amboseli National Park
| Best Time | June – October |
| Average High Outside Temperature | 25-28 C / 77 – 82F |
| Chance to see Elephants | 99% |
| Setting | Amboseli swamps in front of Kilimanjaro |
Best tours in Amboseli National Park to see the elephants
Multiple tours are offering wildlife experiences, including to see elephants. Here are the most reliable ones (Rated on Google Maps and Trip Advisor)
- Mufasa Tours and Travels
- Amazing Memories Safari
- Tazama Africa Holidays
- Soul of Tanzania
- Tekko Tours
Seeing Elephants: Fun Facts
Here are some funky facts which you can notice when you observe elephants.
How long do elephants live for?
African elephants have a lifespan of anywhere up to 70 years in the wild. Asian elephants have a shorter lifespan of around 48 years.
Elephants ears
There is a difference in ear size between Asian and African elephants and it is related to their geographic location. African elephants usually live in hotter climates than the Asian elephant and so needs larger ears. Also, by flapping their ears, the elephants are cooled down.
Elephants skin
The skin of an elephant can weigh up to 900kg. More specifically, the skin of the African elephant is more wrinkled than their Asian cousins. This helps them the elephant to retain moisture.
Elephants diet
The average daily water consumption per elephant is around 100 – 200 litres.
In the wild, an elephant can feed up to 270kg of food for a single day.
Summary See Elephants in the Wild
In conclusion, going to see elephants in the wild is a captivating and unforgettable adventure.
Being amongst such majestic yet powerful creatures is a unique experience. Go and explore elephants, you will not regret it.
I'm an animal and wildlife enthusiast and love diving and skiing. My favorite locations to see animals are: The Azores, Yosemite National Park, and California.
I'm a certified Advanced Open Water Diver with a Master of Science in Economics and Electrical Engineering.
For any feedback please message [email protected]
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