1. Nairobi, Kenya
We always recommend a visit to the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage for travelers spending a full day in Nairobi. The center is a nursery and rehabilitation center for infant elephants who have lost their families. Visitors are welcome to the 11 a.m. feeding for just a few dollars, but if you “adopt” an elephant then you are entitled to a more exclusive visit at 5 p.m. daily where you can actually interact with the baby elephants. A totally private visit is also possible for a price!
2. Samburu N.P., Kenya
Samburu National Park is home to the Save the Elephants research station. Save the Elephants was founded by Iain Douglas-Hamilton, one of the world’s leading elephant researchers. You will not see any elephants while at the research station, but you will see lots while on safari in Samburu! Instead, this is a chance to visit an active research station, talk to the staff and learn about the project. The research station is closely affiliated with Elephant Watch Camp, which is owned and managed by the Douglas-Hamiltons, but anyone staying in Samburu can pay $50 per person to visit the station.
3. The Elephant Camp – Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Elephant Camp is a gorgeous camp located about 15 minutes from downtown Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. It is home to 12 beautiful tented suites, a cheetah named Sylvester and the Wild Horizons elephants. Enjoy sunrise bush walks traversing through the Zambezi gorges and the grasslands of Victoria Falls National Park followed by a full English breakfast.
4. Stanley’s Camp – Okavango Delta, Botswana
Stanley’s Camp offers probably one of the most wild and unique elephant interactions in Africa. Guests accompany three orphaned elephants-Marula, Thembe and Jabu-on a walk through the bush. The three elephants were brought up in the area by their guardians Doug and Sandi Groves and every morning a few lucky guests join on them a walk as the forage for food, followed by a picnic lunch.
5. Abu Camp – Okavango Delta, Botswana
The Abu Camp herd offers an incomparable opportunity to intimately engage and interact with elephants through a variety of activities. Guests have the opportunity to do everything from observing, to walking with, to learning about elephant conservation and care from expert guides and local researchers. Abu’s Camp also offers traditional game drives and the property itself is one of our favorites!
7. Jabulani – Kruger, South Africa
Jabulani is a luxury safari lodge in the private Kapama Game Reserve near Kruger National Park. The members of the camp’s elephant herd are a close-knit family rescued overtime by the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Center. Visitors to Jabulani have the opportunity to observe and interact with the elephants. Guests of other properties in the Kapama Reserve have access to Jabulani and the elephants at 11:30 a.m. daily, but for the rest of the day access is limited to Jabulani’s guests.