An Up Close and Personal Experience with these Majestic Creatures

I am very mindful of any animal interactions I engage in while traveling, and I always make sure to do research beforehand. Although the ideal place for elephants to live is in the wild, this is not always possible. Many elephants have been orphaned or rescued, such at the 15 Sumatran elephants at Bali Zoo from Sumatran logging camps and cared for in rescue and rehabilitation centres. These centres supplement their income (elephants are unsurprisingly costly to house, feed and care for) by opening their gates to tourists. The elephant mud bath experience was introduced by the Bali Zoo as they phased out elephant riding.

I cannot overstate what an overwhelmingly exciting and privileged experience it was to be up so close and personal with these majestic creatures. The entire experience provided an opportunity to learn about elephant behaviour from mahout handlers, feeding them a selection of fruit and the highlight, joining them for a mud bath and swim. Interacting and witnessing these gentle giant’s playful side filled my soul with joy. The intelligence and grace of these animals was something I appreciated even more by having this opportunity to be part of their daily routine.

Scratching, massaging and washing these gentle giants is an extraordinary feeling and one they tolerated with contented patience – they clearly love a good bath. After quite some time getting down and dirty, everyone – elephants and visitors – troop off to oversized showers for a rinse, before heading back to a slightly deeper pool for more fun bathing and splashing around.

I don’t think the smile left my face the entire experience, and at times it felt surreal interacting and playing with these gentle giants. Ticking this off the bucket list was important given my love for all creatures great and small. Bali Zoo provided a full day of interaction and fun with a variety of animals, starting with breakfast with the orangutans. To read more about my 5-night stay in the hills of Ubud, see my travel inspiration story called Bali – Ubud, Elephants & Orangutangs.

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