The Elephant Sanctuary

The Elephant Sanctuary

The Elephant Sanctuary
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
Elephant Sanctuary close to the Kruger National Park. Home to two orphaned African elephant bulls, Kasper and Kitso. Host four fully guided elephant interaction programs per day and some programs that can be added to them. Focus on a more personal and private elephant experience with smaller groups of guests. Perfect stop over when visiting the Kruger National Park or Lowveld.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles467 reviews
Excellent
291
Very good
109
Average
30
Poor
18
Terrible
19

Love2travelhere
San Diego, CA106 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Family
Don't miss this up-close encounter with elephants. They are so intelligent. We visited twice. The head keeper said Tambo showed that he recognized us by our scent on the second visit. They know the names of their keepers and can execute 90+ commands! They are rescued elephants living in a huge sanctuary and cared for by skilled keepers.
Written 18 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.

cracklinob
Alexandria, VA245 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
Participated in the brush-down and elephant walk with my family. Everyone enjoyed it, including grandma and our two kids, ages 4 and 8.

With the early morning event you get to brush the elephants, inspect their bodies, learn about their anatomy, feed them, and walk hand-in-trunk with them for a short while.

Would recommend purchasing the video.
Written 24 February 2020
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.
Good day cracklinob Thank you for your wonderful review and great rating. We are glad you had such a wonderful time with us. Looking forward to your next visit. Kind regards.
Written 27 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Kassy K
Killarney, Australia25 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
OH, do not miss out on this in Hazyview.. I have been twice in 3 years coming from Australia, and made it mandatory to see big Tembo the huge Elephant again...Had an amazing Elephant experience.. The Guide that gives the talk is very knowledgable about all facets, you can touch the elephant and have photos taken , just an amazing experience to get up close and personal with these amazing animals. The Elephant handlers love these Elephants who are treated extremely well. Excellent visit, loved every minute.. Kids would just love this experience as well..
Written 30 August 2022
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.

Experience260152
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2020
In March 2020 we booked and paid in full for our family of 5 to go to the Elephant Sanctuary in December 2020 as part of a South African holiday. Due to Covid restrictions we were unable to travel and cancelled our booking in November. We were told that we qualified for a full refund, and to please send our bank details, which we did. Despite chasing this up via email in December and April, we have received no refund. I have since emailed twice, filled in the form on their website and tried phoning them, but they have gone completely silent and not answering anything. In good faith we paid in full at the time of our booking. Big mistake!!
Written 25 June 2021
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.

Ghislain R
Johannesburg, South Africa4 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 • Couples
We went to the sanctuary looking forward for a great interaction with elephants. We booked the trunk-in-hand option. The website clearly indicated it involved walking with elephant. Instead we ended up sitting for an hour on a plastic chair, standing for 2 minutes next to an elephant just the time to take a picture and walk away because the next pair was waiting in line. No walking at all, very limited interaction and a turbulent crowd of 40 people in the same group as us, too many for the guide from the sanctuary to manage. We paid 500 ZARs each for what happened to be a disorganized disappointing and clearly downgraded experience compared to what we paid for.
Written 26 September 2020
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.
Good day GhislainR308 Thank you for your review. Pleas can you contact me on hazymanager@elephantsanctuary.co.za Kind regrads
Written 11 December 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Diane
South Africa34 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
There are no words to express my experience. It was magical, extraordinary, wonderful, unforgettable. The guides were professional, they made you feel at ease, they were helpful in taking photos for you and informing you and reassuring you. The Elephants are Breathtakingly Huge and yet so gentle. You can feel him breathing on you when you walk Trunk-in-Hand. There was definitely a Magical connection. I highly recommend this experience!!!
Written 18 March 2020
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.
Thank you for your feedback. Be sure to visit us again.
Written 19 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Nix N
Boksburg, South Africa29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021 • Family
The Elephant Sanctuary reminds you that elephants are magnificent animals and should not be taken for granted. The guide was well versed and knew alot of elephant facts that was shared with the group. Elephants remain tranquil giants and it was an amazing experience for young and old.
Written 26 December 2021
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.

hudsoncrider
240 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
It was incredible getting to stand next to the largest land animal on earth! We went to The Elephant Sanctuary in Hazyview where they have rescued 11 elephants from around South Africa. Our guide started by teaching us about elephants, their habits, and their anatomy. Next, it was time to start feeding them! We got to feed two bull elephants. I knew elephants were big, but standing next to them made me realize just how gigantic they are! Although they are big, the two elephants that we fed were gentle giants. They loved having their trunks filled with food and even let us feel their thick skin and trunk. Our guides were incredible. They were very patient and also really took care of the elephants. It was an amazing experience that gave us so much more appreciation for these gentle giants!
Written 22 August 2021
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.

Thoriso
8 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2020 • Couples
The Trunk in hand programme is a rip off. The website description includes a walk to the night shelters, a talk on the anatomy of elephants, a walk with the elephants and thereafter touching and feeding the elephants. We were not taken to the night shelters and did not get to walk with the elephants.
Written 16 December 2020
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.
Good day osiroht Thank you for your review. I do sincerely apologies as there is no excuse that the website has not yet been updated and we are working on this. With the Covid regulations we decided it will be best that the guests dont all place their hands by the elephants trunks. We did compensate for this by bringing the price down from R720 to R500 per adult and R345 to R250 per child. Thank you.
Written 13 January 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Kyle F
22 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Family
Visited the location with 3 kiddos, and the staff were so helpful and insightful. It was a real interesting day, as the staff explained everything about the sanctuary and how they help the habitat etc. Kids loved it, and they got to interact with the elephants in a safe manner. Would return!
Written 19 March 2020
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.
Thank you for your feedback. Be sure to bring the kids again.
Written 20 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY (2025) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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