Tag: Places to see Elephants in Asia

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Best Places to See Elephants in Vietnam

Coffee on top of mountain in Nui Chua, Vietnam
Having a coffee up top in Nui Chua after visiting Elephants in the national park. Photo by Chang Duong.

Vietnam is home to one of the most precarious elephant populations in Asia. Once numbering in the thousands, the country’s wild Asian elephants have declined to fewer than 130 individuals — scattered across nine provinces in small, fragmented herds struggling to survive amid rapid agricultural expansion. Seeing elephants in Vietnam is not a guarantee; it is a privilege, and increasingly a responsibility.

The good news is that Vietnam’s approach to elephant tourism has undergone a quiet revolution. The days of elephant riding — once central to tourism in the Central Highlands — are coming to an end. Yok Don National Park made history in 2018 as the site of Vietnam’s first ethical elephant tourism experience, run in partnership with Animals Asia, and the wider province of Dak Lak has been systematically shifting its model away from contact-based tourism since 2021. Visiting elephants in Vietnam today means supporting that transformation.

Here are the four best places to see elephants in Vietnam — ranging from the country’s only dedicated ethical elephant tour to remote national parks where wild herds still move through ancient highland forests.

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Borneo Pygmy Elephants: Where to See Them

Borneo Elephant

The Borneo pygmy elephant is the smallest – and most genetically distinct – subspecies of Asian elephant on earth. Found only on the island of Borneo, and almost entirely within the Malaysian state of Sabah, it’s one of the rarest elephants in the world. Roughly 1,000 to 1,500 of them are left in the wild.

Borneo pygmy elephants (Elephas maximus borneensis) are a subspecies of the Asian elephant found only on the island of Borneo, mostly in the Malaysian state of Sabah. They stand around 2.5 metres (8 feet) tall at the shoulder – roughly 30 to 60 cm shorter than mainland Asian elephants – with rounder faces, larger ears, longer tails, and straighter tusks. Only 1,000 to 1,500 remain in the wild, mostly along the Kinabatangan River and in Tabin, Deramakot, and Danum Valley forest reserves. They’re classified as Endangered by the IUCN and are threatened primarily by palm-oil-driven deforestation.

This guide covers what makes Borneo pygmy elephants a distinct subspecies, how big they actually are, where to see them in Borneo, the palm-oil conflict threatening their habitat, and what responsible tourism for this species looks like.

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Best Places to See Elephants in India

India is home to more wild Asian elephants than any other country on earth. Roughly 60 percent of the world’s Asian elephant population walks its forests – from the grasslands of Kaziranga in the northeast to the tea country of Kerala in the south. For anyone who wants to see wild Asian elephants in their native range, India is the best country to do it.

There are around 27,000 wild elephants in India, spread across 32 designated Elephant Reserves. The best places to see them are Kaziranga National Park (Assam), Periyar (Kerala), Nagarhole and Bandipur (Karnataka), Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu), Jim Corbett (Uttarakhand), and Wayanad (Kerala). Sightings are most reliable between October and June, outside the monsoon, and elephants should always be observed on jeep or boat safaris – not at rides or temple performances.

This guide covers the best national parks and wildlife reserves for seeing elephants in India, when to visit each one, what to expect, and how to avoid the unethical tourist traps that still exist around elephant rides, temple elephants, and overcrowded camps.

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Best places to see Elephants in Thailand

Best places to see Elephants in Thailand
Asian Elephant taking a bath. Photo by Jakob Owens.

We’re not only referring to the lovely people that call Thailand home when we say it’s home to some gorgeous citizens. The “Land of Smiles” is also known as the “Land of Spectacular Wildlife,” owing to its lush rainforests, tropical beaches, and lovely flora.

According to legend, seeing an Asian Elephant in Thailand will guarantee you good luck. On the other hand, these legends have failed to stop hunting wild elephants or exploiting elephants for profit.

The practice of logging was banned in the 1980s. However, most captive elephants were sold to the tourism industry, resulting in a more than 75% decline. Today, far less than 2,000 elephants live in their natural environments.

Currently, Thailand has no legislation that forbids the mistreatment or exploitation of elephants for tourism purposes. Thailand offers excellent elephant viewing, but timing matters.

However, the elephants rehabilitated in these ethical sanctuaries are helping to heal other elephants who have been abused, and you may do the same thing.

Discover the best time to see elephants in Asia and other global destinations.

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