To see elephants - Goa, Sri Lanka or Thailand?

joaniemerc

Where would you recommend to see elephants at their best please?

First thoughts are Goa, Sri Lanka or Thailand. Travel will be next December so would like to think about getting flights booked fairly soon as they'll start becoming on sale shortly.

Will probably holiday for ten days and would like to stay in a beach resort with travel to see elephants not too far away. OH would like to have an elephant ride too if possible.

TIA

blindman

joaniemerc wrote: »

Where would you recommend to see elephants at their best please?

First thoughts are Goa, Sri Lanka or Thailand. Travel will be next December so would like to think about getting flights booked fairly soon as they'll start becoming on sale shortly.

Will probably holiday for ten days and would like to stay in a beach resort with travel to see elephants not too far away. OH would like to have an elephant ride too if possible.

TIA

In London Zoo TBHO

Delhi they are part of the traffic and you can ride one up to the Amber fort

Personnally I'd say Africa

Bob_the_Saver

Jaipur, Kerala, Sri Lanka (Forget Goa) Depends what you want to see them doing.

Mr_Wang

Ive seen elephants all over Asia (including all the places you mentioned and India)

BUT the cheapest, most saturated place by far, infact infinitely far, was Chitwan in Nepal.

For instance a half day safari on elephant looking for Tigers etc was about £7 for three of us, an elephant shower (where you chill on their backs as they bathe in a river) was free.
I took this photo one morning mooching through the village...

littlereddevil

Thailand is good and cheap. In Sri Lanka we only got to watch them bathe, didn't get a chance to ride them.

Caz3121

there is also Pinnawala elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka

malifax_2

The island of Koh Chang in Thailand has a few elephnat sanctuary places that do day trips etc, plus it's a nice part of the world to have a relaxing holiday in.

bylromarha

We rode elephants at kok Chang in Phuket - different to the above poster as kok Chang is the name of the company who operate in Kata, Phuket.

Elephants are very well looked after, well run company with a good reputation and cost about £20 for 4 people for an hour's ride. You get to feed them and watch them have a scrub down post trek.

Can't comment on goa or SL as never been.

photome

Elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka.

had a ride on one on the beach in Sri Lanka but not in one of those cradle things as in Mr Wangs pics but sitting astride its neck and it went in to the sea to do the squirt, was great.

Also seen them in Thailand but Sri Lanka was my fav

Katiehound

For the real experience! go to Africa.
It's an amazing sight to see a herd of elephants with teeny weeny babies in the middle. Mothers protect them so much that often all you see are the little legs between the adults. As the safari vehicles try to get a better view the herd moves too- challenging a good photo!!

And yes I have ridden an elephant in Thailand, but Africa wins hands down

_Andy_

Or you could go somewhere ethical that is actually there for the sake of elephants, not for 'rides' etc.

http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/