Although not yet offered in the three East African safari destinations of kenya, Tanzania or Uganda, elephant back safaris are becoming a popular way to view and experience an African Safari.

While in India elephants have long been used to carry people on their backs, riding the African elephant a much larger and wilder animal has always been viewed as too dangerous. With tame elephants raised by humans, elephant-back safaris are quite safe.

In southern Africa, three game lodges offer this unique experience: Camp Jabulani in Limpopo province, Addo Elephant Back Safaris in the Eastern Cape and the Elephant Sanctuary in Gauteng.

Camp Jabulani’s love of this animal came when in In 1997 a three-month-old elephant was found stuck in a silt dam near Hoedspruit in Limpopo. Discovered by Lente Roode, founder of the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre and now owner of Camp Jabulani, the exhausted and malnourished elephant calf was immediately taken to the centre.

The word Jabulani means “happiness” or “rejoice”. Although this baby elephant wasn’t expected to survive without its mother’s milk, efforts of its caretakers to develop an elephant baby formula ensured that the baby elephant pulled through.

At two years old an attempted reintroduction into the wild herd of elephants on Kapama Game Reserve failed.

Elephants growing up often need their parents or their elders there to keep them in line or teach them how to behave as they should.

At five years old the young bull really needed an elephant family when the perfect opportunity presented itself.

In 2002, Roode learned of a herd of 12 trained elephants in Zimbabwe whose lives were in jeopardy after the game farm where they lived was invaded by war veterans. Roode bought the elephants, which were moved to the Kapama Private Game Reserve in South Africa. When Jabulani was introduced to the herd, the matriarch Tokwe immediately adopted him as her own.

This was to mark the start of elephant back safaris in South Africa and the luxury six-suite tented camp named after the feisty little bull jabulani.

Today, the 13 adult elephants – Sebekwe, Mnuyati, Nfuli, Joe, Jim, Setombe, Semopane, Tokwe, Lundi, Fishan, Bubu, Dande and Jabulani – take guests out on daily excursions to the bush. they are kept in stables.

Guests are seated on a comfortable canvas-covered saddle mounted behind an experienced elephant handler. From this vantage point they are able to view game – antelope, giraffe and zebra – up close as the elephants move silently in single file through the bush. It is also possible to see the Big Five as the reserve contains plenty of lions, wild elephant herds, leopard, rhino and the African buffalo.

An elephant back safari lasts for about an hour and 20 minutes and includes a talk by the elephant master on elephant behaviour before the ride, and refreshments afterwards. Guests mount and dismount from a specially built platform level with the elephant’s back.

These are available to day visitors to the camp too, but for guests staying over at Camp Jabulani safaris are included in the tariff and can be enjoyed both as a daytime excursion and a night safari with spotlights. Guests may have as many rides as they want, but the activity is not available to children younger than 12 years as it is considered to much of a risk to have a little child up there. The 13 elephants can carry a maximum of 18 passengers between them at any one time.

In the Zuurberg mountains of Greater Addo is Addo Elephant Back Safaris a lodge at the Eastern Cape. Guests here have the option of walking with or riding the three resident elephants through some of Africa’s most diverse landscapes.

Walks with these gentle beasts allow guests to observe their behaviour in natural surroundings, while riding the gentle pachyderms gives an excellent perspective of the area – at a peaceful and gentle pace when compared to horse riding. Bush, ravines and forest are encountered on each outing, before relaxing at a waterhole while the elephants frolic and swim.

There are numerous daily options, from a two-hour morning walk and ride with snacks provided, to a three-hour walk and ride with lunch, an afternoon walk and ride with drinks and snacks for two hours, to a late-afternoon sundowner encounter with elephants, with drinks and snacks provided and lasting an hour.

Author Bio: Jerry Wanga is the editor of http://www.naadytravel.com an online website on Kenya Safaris which also covers Serengeti Safaris as well as Kenya Safari Holidays . You can view more info on the website.

Category: Travel
Keywords: african safaris, elephant safaris, southern africa safaris