Last Updated on February 15, 2023
We had always dreamed about getting up close to an elephant, instead of just seeing an elephant from a distance in a zoo. The thought of getting to touch an elephant and see an elephant from up close, admiring their every “wrinkle” and other incredible features would excite us to no end.
While we were in Johannesburg, South Africa, we had the opportunity to get up close to these magnificent creatures , African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana), at Hartbeespoort Dam, which is nestled in the Magaliesberg Mountains, about an hour outside of Johannesburg.
We were unsure of what to expect, but found that The Elephant Sanctuary provided a ‘safe haven’ for the elephants as well as giving visitors the unique opportunity to become better educated and have some real one-on one interaction.
Our guide started by having us gather around elephant skulls and posters and took us through the anatomy and special characteristics of an elephant.
After our introduction to elephants was finished, we began our walk to the first part of our interactions. Throughout our session, we were able to touch, feel, feed, and walk trunk-in-hand with magnificent animals.
It was interesting to see how each elephant really did have its own personality and temperament. It was obvious these graceful, gentle giants are truly highly intelligent and amazing creatures.
The Elephant Sanctuary also provides a unique “halfway house” for young African elephants in need of a temporary home. It is the only operation in South Africa that provides for elephants in this way. It is their hope that once the elephants are older that they are able to be released into an environment where the elephants can be more independent.
The majority of people will never have the opportunity to come close or even touch these animals, so if you have the opportunity, do not pass up this exhilarating experience!
Interesting facts:
- Elephants are considered “hairless”, but do have hair appearing sparsely over their body that is not noticeable from a distance. It is supposed to help heat escape their body.
- Elephants deal with heat in a variety of ways, such as by flapping their ears like fans.
- Elephant hair is extremely thick and each strand is almost plastic-like.
We’ll let the photos do the rest of the “talking”:










Have you ever had a up-close experience with an elephant? What was it like?
Elephants really are such magnificent creatures! I had the pleasure of seeing them up close and personal in Thailand. Love your photos.
Fabulous article, guys! I especially loved seeing you in your Canucks jersey in Africa with elephants! That rocks! We also feel the same way about seeing elephants up close and personal and are trying to find a way to do this on our upcoming trip to Bali – I just don’t want to be a part of any organization that is actively exploiting them or hurting them in any way, so I’m really stressing about how to do this in the proper way. There are so many organizations out there who call themselves “sanctuaries” but who are really still exploiting the animals they profess to care for…. Sounds like you found a great place though. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Thanks!
We were very happy with how well the elephants seemed cared for,how much their ‘handlers’ really seemed to love them and how knowledgeable they were. We too were very concerned about not supporting an organization we felt would exploit or hurt them — same with any of the other animals we interacted with. Did a lot of research and asking around and were very happy with the places we visited for animal interactions. Hope you find a good place in Bali — haven’t yet been, but it is on our list 🙂
Great photos! Love that this is a sanctuary with a goal to rehabilitate and release some of the elephants back into the wild. What a great way to gain more insight and appreciation for these majestic creatures. What was it like riding the elephant?
It surprisingly didn’t feel like you would fall off, but you do feel really small when you’re walking around with or on the elephant. And, you do really feel every movement well. We were surprised how tough the hair was – it felt like plastic. It’s good to wear pants when riding them as their hair, though you can’t really tell they have it from a distance, and rough skin, would make for a really uncomfortable rubbing by the end of the ride.