Elephant Sanctuary The Crags

Elephant Sanctuary The Crags

Elephant Sanctuary The Crags
4.5
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Guests are guided on foot through The Elephant Sanctuary. Guides will provide in-depth information and insight into African elephants. You will be introduced to our elephants in the forest area, and here you will be able to touch and interact with the elephants. You will see the special relationship that the elephant handlers share with their elephants and become a part of it. Walk trunk-in-hand with the elephants. See the Elephant Night Shelter where the elephants sleep. Guests learn about elephant anatomy and are able to feed them. On some hot or rainy days, you may see the elephants swimming. Enjoy a drink and visit our curio shop. Remember to wear flat walking shoes, sun hats and bring your camera. Brushing the elephants down is offered on the Elephant Brush down Experience Tour which starts at 07h30 and 15h30. We offer various tours depending on the duration and intensity of experience you desire.
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  • campsbayrich
    Cape Town Central, South Africa258 contributions
    Rushed and not very educational
    Elephants are extraordinary animals, and it's great to be able to get up close to them. That said, the entire experience feels very very rushed, and there isn't much education about elephants on general, or these elephants specifically. We were left with the impression that they're moving people through as quickly as possible, and it felt closer to a circus experience than a sanctuary experience to us. That said, it was in early January which I'd guess is about the busiest time of year, so that might have impacted them riding everyone through everything.
    Visited January 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 5 January 2023
  • Rosemarie
    Seeon, Germany10 contributions
    Don’t buy the video because you never receive it.
    In general my husband and I were very impressed how the guides work and take care of the elephants. Of course at the end of the visit we were shown a video of our tour with the animals which we could purchase. Among other things like footprints of the elephants we purchased the video, filled out a form with email address, contacts etc. Supposedly we were to receive a link of the video shortly after that day. Unfortunately this never happened! In the meantime we have sent 5 emails asking what the problem is and why we never received the link for the down load. Not once did we get a reply or an apology. Our booking number was 475D-39C4 So be warned and don’t fall into this trap!
    Visited January 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 29 January 2023
  • BOFA BOY
    Bridge of Allan, United Kingdom1,312 contributions
    Very informative.
    My wife and I visited this sanctuary recently and enjoyed it, but felt that the entry cost was quite high to get into the place. In addition to that, you are “given the opportunity” to tip anyone and everyone in the establishment, which we thought put too much pressure on visitors. That said, we enjoyed the experience.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 10 February 2023
  • Janet B
    Windsor, United Kingdom132 contributions
    Nice to see elephants up close but not an experience I would particularly recommend- too rushed and commercial
    This was a nice experience and we did enjoy it (but I would enjoy any interaction with these beautiful creatures) but it was not what I was expecting and I didn’t feel that it was relaxing or that educational. The whole experience felt rushed and that we were on a treadmill. The walk trunk in hand was only a few steps in a field so didn’t feel it was a walk with an Elephant to be honest. The brush down again we were lined up in a field so didn’t feel we were being part of a proper experience. The guides were nice and were knowledgeable but it felt like the whole experience was simply about taking photos and rushing as many as possible people though.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 9 March 2023
  • Cara C
    2 contributions
    Working Elephants
    The elephants here are very much working animals. I shouldn’t have been surprised and I know these places need to make money BUT if the elephants are doing walks every hour then how can they possibly consume the volume of food they need and their dung is liquid rather than more solid from the elephants we saw on safari, meaning their diet isn’t right. But the main cause for concern was one of the handlers was really intimidating one of the elephants. He would lunge towards it and the elephant physically backed away, he didn’t do it it a good way (if there is such a thing), he was showing off and it made me and my husband uncomfortable. Poor elephants. Such a shame.
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 23 September 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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Helen R
9 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
This place was promoted as a santuary for elephants but we were very disappointed. They have only 5 elephants who are required to interact with visitos every hour and performs tricks and pose for photos. Elephants are required to do this up to 8 times a day and never get a day off. Feel like these elephants are being exploited gor money and owners do not have their best interests at heart.
Written 4 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Neale1810
Kingston-upon-Hull, UK2 706 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
We were starting the Garden Route from Storms River and heading West so this was an obvious place to drop off to see some elephants. We didn’t have a booking but that was OK as there were spaces for the next experience (it looks like they are every hour).

We had a good introduction to the experience and the appropriate safety briefing. There were 6 of us in total,which worked well with the number of elephants they have.

It soon became obvious that this was not what I would describe as a sanctuary - the elephants are mainly there for photo opportunities. Having said that they did look healthy and well looked after but I’m not sure that having to perform several times a day would be their preferred activity.

We did of course enjoy being up close with the elephants and walking with them - they are such gentle giants.

At the end they show you the video they have produced of your visit and there is the opportunity to buy things from the shop. We decided not to buy anything so I just gave them a nice tip instead - I didn’t feel that this was appreciated.

So left with mixed feelings - glad to be with the elephants but wish it had been less about making money.
Written 25 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cara C
2 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
The elephants here are very much working animals. I shouldn’t have been surprised and I know these places need to make money BUT if the elephants are doing walks every hour then how can they possibly consume the volume of food they need and their dung is liquid rather than more solid from the elephants we saw on safari, meaning their diet isn’t right. But the main cause for concern was one of the handlers was really intimidating one of the elephants. He would lunge towards it and the elephant physically backed away, he didn’t do it it a good way (if there is such a thing), he was showing off and it made me and my husband uncomfortable. Poor elephants.
Such a shame.
Written 23 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MJ
Belfast, UK10 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
We had such a wonderful morning with Lloyd and the rest of the team at the sanctuary. We were so warmly welcomed (even though I’d accidentally booked the wrong day), Ludwe walked us out to the elephants and gave us a lot of information about the sanctuary and their different elephants.
Lloyd gave us a great introduction of the anatomy of an elephant, as well as why the elephants are in the sanctuary and how they care for them.
We got to meet the elephants and walk with them, we then got to stop and take pictures, ask any questions and learn more about each elephant. The guides are so attentive and gentle with the elephants. We also got the opportunity to feed them and ask our final questions. We were then able to watch back the footage they had taken of us meeting & walking with the elephants. It was a truly special experience with wonderfully trained and kind staff.
Written 12 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

אממ
Da Lat, Vietnam1 contribution
Sep 2023 • Couples
The visit gave a feeling of elephants in a circus, the elephants instead of walking around freely put on an unnecessary show for us, they were like trained pets. And we got the feeling that they were quite sad.
Written 9 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

andyjanec
Soham, UK83 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
What a wonderful place. I visited with my family, including two teen boys, whilst staying in Plett for a couple of days. We are big animal lovers and couldn't pass up the opportunity to get close to these magical creatures. It is clear there's a lot of love and respect for these animals and despite the fact they can't live in the wild because of their previous experiences, their lodgings are as close to nature as it's safe for them to be. Our experience was great, we got lots of time near them, looking at them closely, feeding them and of course walking trunk in hand. Our lead guide Lloyd clearly loves those animals and was so incredibly knowledgeable. He told us lots of interesting things about them. The handlers kept us safe, but I wish they hadn't been so keen to take the hundreds of posed pictures. Some natural ones would have been much more meaningful. All in all, it was a fabulous experience. We would visit again.
Written 1 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Elmarie H
2 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
What a great interaction with the Elephants. Our guide, Patrick, and his team were friendly, professional and very informative. It was an overall great experience, from my telephonic encounters, to arrival, interactions with the staff and the Elephants. Thank you for all you do! Highly recommend visits the Sanctuary 😊
Written 24 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

J W
16 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Took a half day with the elephants for the family. Weren't quite sure what to expect but we were with Lloyd who introduced us to the elephants and him and his team were great. We all loved the time we spent there. Lloyd was excellent, elephants just lovely, Jabu my sons favourite! We also were served breakfast, the most amazing muffins... almost the size of an elephants foot! A great morning and great family activity. Thank you Lloyd 😊
Written 18 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ladybug26
11 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
A worthwhile tour to get up close and personal to beautiful elephants in need of a safe home.
We did the brush down tour and Is was magical to be so close to these majestic animals.
Written 15 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

defreitas
Newlands, South Africa44 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
What an experience. I would recommend this place to every human in the world! Being so close to these magnificent beasts was breath taking. I did the elephant brush down, I found it to be a bit anticlimactic. Just doing the walk 'trunk in hand' is enough.
Written 28 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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ELEPHANT SANCTUARY THE CRAGS: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Elephant Sanctuary The Crags

Elephant Sanctuary The Crags is open:
  • Sun - Sat 07:30 - 17:00