YOU CAN CONTACT US ON
044 534 8145 or 066 427 5724
Elephant Sanctuary, The Crags, Plettenberg Bay, has African elephants and offers an interactive Africa elephant experience. We offer hands-on educational elephant interactions. This provides our guests with a far more intimate experience with the elephants. Our dedicated staff is committed to the use of positive reinforcement elephant training methods and as a result, we have relaxed elephants who enjoy interacting with our guests.
We offer Accommodation at our luxury Elephant Country Guesthouse
Elephant Tour Overview
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. The different tours are listed below with summaries as to what to expect and the rates. Browse our Elephant Photo Gallery
_____________________________________________________________________
Rates:
Walk trunk in hand with Elephants Tour
(08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30)
Duration: 1 hour (approx)
Guided Tour (trained Elephant Guide). Full Elephant Introduction in Forest and tour of the Sanctuary and Elephant Night Shelter. Touching and interacting with Elephants. Walking hand-in-trunk with Elephants. Feeding (Elephant Food of R30.00 included).
The opportunity to purchase a DVD in full HD of your experience with the Elephant
Adults: R695.00
Children: R350.00 (4-14yrs)
Children under 4: free
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elephant Brush down Experience Tour
BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL
(08:00, 15:30). 7 days a week
Duration: 90 minutes
Guided Tour (trained elephant Guide). Full Elephant Introduction in Forest and tour of the Sanctuary and Elephant Night Shelters. Brushing the Elephants. Touching and interacting with Elephants. Walking hand-in-trunk with Elephants. Feeding (Elephant Food of R30.00 included). The opportunity to purchase a DVD of your experience with the Elephants.
Excludes the Cost of DVD; This tour can only be offered first at the end the last tour of the day (07:30, 15:30).
Adults: R850.00
Children: R395.00 (4-14yrs)
Children under 4: free
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two Informative Wildlife Programs
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL
Enjoy two informative wildlife programs with this discounted self-drive combination program in The Crags. Learn about the indigenous wild cats of South Africa and walk trunk in hand with African Elephants at The Elephant Sanctuary.
Other discount vouchers and promotions cannot be used in conjunction with this promotion.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elephant keeper for a day
The Elephant Sanctuary team is proud to offer a new and highly innovative Full Day Guided elephant experiential program where you, our guest, are immersed into A Day in the Life of an African Elephant. The full-day program is presented at the Elephant Sanctuary, The Crags, Plettenberg Bay and offers guests the opportunity to get close-up and personal with an African Elephant in an experiential learning environment.
The full-day program focuses on the Care, Management, Behaviour and Husbandry of the resident herd of African Elephants at the Elephant Sanctuary. The program commences at 07h30 in the morning with a day filled with intrigue and wonder, walking in the footsteps of these giants. The program concludes at +- 17h00 in the afternoon. This is a full day of learning about the African Elephant.
During this “Big Foot” experience you will be treated to tea, coffee and a morning snack on arrival. During this time, you will be given an Orientation as to how your day will unfold. The morning is dedicated to the principles of care, management and husbandry of an African Elephant. You will observe the early morning activity of elephant exercises and be involved in the various activities of cleaning and preparatory feeding of the elephants, the identification features of the various members of the herd and participation in the Classic Trunk-In-Hand experience. A finger lunch will be served at midday.
After lunch, we will look at typical behavioural aspects associated with the resident elephant herd and how they associate with one another, each with their own characters. We observe the elephant’s interactions and note the associated behaviours and how these behaviours relate to human behaviour. Tea, coffee and scones or muffins are served mid-afternoon. The program “wraps up” with a final contact with the Elephants at approximately 15h00, a Q & A session, and presentation of a Certificate of Participation
Be prepared for an experience of a lifetime. Be prepared to gain knowledge and a greater appreciation of an elephant’s “world” and the beauty of the largest land mammal in the world. We would advise you bring comfortable walking boots or shoes that can become dirty, a hat, a windbreaker/jacket and a desire to be enthralled by all the “Big-Foot” members of the Elephant Sanctuary’s resident Elephant herd.
FULL DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN AFRICAN ELEPHANT
Enquire for available time slots. All departures are subject to availability. Minimum age of 8 years old permitted with parents present. A maximum of 10 participants daily is permitted on the program.
The Day in the Life of an Elephant program price includes our full day experience, morning and afternoon tea and coffee sessions, a finger lunch, bottled water and the full attention of a personal guide. Prices exclude transport to and from the Elephant Sanctuary, curios and items of a personal nature.
ELEPHANT KEEPER FOR A DAY (Full day program)
Adults: R 2,000.00
Children: R 1,500.00(4 - 14 yrs)
Children under 4: free
Program
Morning (principles of care, management and husbandry)
• Observe elephant exercises,
• Partake in cleaning and preparatory feeding of the elephants,
• Learn the identification features of the various herd members, and
• Participate in the Classic Trunk-In-Hand experience.
Afternoon (Elephant typical behavioural aspects & association with one another)
• Observe elephant interaction
• Learn to note associated behaviours & those relatable to human interaction
• Interact with the various herd members, and
• Partake in the night brushing and putting our elephants to bed, a Q & A session, and video presentation of your experience
Includes (Elephant typical behavioural aspects & association with one another)
• Morning beverage & snack (tea /coffee with muffins)
• Lunch (finger lunch platter worth R350-00)
• Afternoon beverage & snack (tea /coffee with muffins)
• Stationary (work booklet and writing pad),
• Opportunity to buy a DVD of your experience
• Certificate of attendance
Excludes
• Cost of DVD
• Transport to and from the Sanctuary
Please Note:
Only available Monday to Friday – regret no weekends or Public holidays. Tours are subject to availability. Minimum age of 8 years old permitted with parents present. Minimum of 4 & a maximum of 10 participants permitted on the program.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/2 a day Elephant keeper
(Half-day program)
Adults: R1,500.00
Children: R950.00 (4 - 14 yrs.)
Children under 4: free
Programme - choose either of the
Morning Session (principles of care, management, and husbandry)
• Observe elephant exercises,
• Partake in cleaning and preparatory feeding of the elephants
• Learn the identification features of the various herd members, and
• Participate in the Classic Trunk-In-Hand experience.
• Enjoy a video presentation of your experience
OR
Afternoon (Elephant typical behavioural aspects & association with one another)
• Observe elephant interaction
• Learn to note associated behaviours & those relatable to human interaction
• Interact with the various herd members, and
• Partake in the night brushing and our elephants to bed, a Q & A session, and video presentation of your experience
Includes (Elephant typical behavioural aspects & association with one another)
• Beverage & snack (tea /coffee with muffins)
• Stationary (work booklet and writing pad)
• Certificate of attendance, and an
• Opportunity to buy a DVD of your experience
Excludes
• Cost of DVD
• Transport to and from the Sanctuary
Please Note:
Only available Monday to Friday – regret no weekends or Public holidays. Tours are subject to availability. Minimum age of 8 years old permitted with parents present. Minimum of 4 & a maximum of 10 participants permitted on the program.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elephant Country Guesthouse
Sleep at our Guesthouse next to the Elephant Sanctuary.
Please visit our website for more info – www.elephantcountryguesthouse.co.za
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cancellation Policy:
7 days or less – 25% of the deposit/total amount paid.
48 hours or less – 50% of the deposit/total amount paid.
24 hours or less – 100% of the deposit/total amount paid.
In the event of the client already started the program but decided to stop or not continue with the activity there will be NO REFUND
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What do we know about the Knysna Elephant?
The Knysna elephants were the relicts of once substantial herds of African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana), the Outeniqua/Tsitsikamma region of southernmost South Africa, which as of 2021, have been reduced to a lone adult female. The elephant herds roamed the southern tip of Africa into the 1800s and 1900s, when contact with European farmers and hunters led to their decimation. It is conjectured that about 1,000 elephants historically roamed the Outeniqua/Tsitsikamma area. A 2006 DNA analysis of dung samples revealed the presence of at least 5 cows and possibly some bulls and calves, moving within an area of 121,000 hectares of forest managed by SANParks – the only unfenced elephant group in South Africa. By 2019 however, researchers realised that a mature female at the Knysna Forest was the last to survive.
Read more about the Knysna elephant Source
-----------------------------------------------
Want to learn and or know about our African Elephants?
