Adventures with Elephants, Bela-Bela

Visitors can enjoy a variety of moving and educational encounters with elephants on our game farm near Bela Bela in Limpopo Province.

Our mission is to increase awareness of the conservation issues facing wildlife in Africa; to inspire awe, joy and interest in the African elephant; and to promote understanding that wildlife needs to have value in order for it to survive.

Visitor experiences

Self-drive, self-cycle, and self-walk tours around the Adventures with Elephants game farm - including 15-minute personal interactions. More information
Educational Interactions - experience the intellect and warmth of our gentle giants, feel the skin, the tongue, or the surprisingly soft sole of the foot. Smell the animal. Listen to the sound of its unique elephant rumble. Our qualified, experienced and friendly elephant handlers will introduce you to each of our seven elephants, and show you remarkable aspects of each individual and of the species as a whole. You will enjoy a close, personal and safe encounter with our gentle giants. Our elephants stand under shade on soft mats for comfort. More information
Elephant Baths - accompany the herd to our top dam to watch them swim while you relax with a soft drink and some light snacks on our observation deck. This experience is offered as an add-on after our educational interactions or safaris. More information
Romance in the bush: Elephant Proposal - enjoy an Interaction, or an Interaction and Safari, and afterwards we’ll walk with you and your fiancé to the dam to wait for the elephants to join you. One will be carrying a basket with your proposal ring safely hidden inside. Unfortunately, though, you’ll have to take it from there… More information
Tailor-made activities - we love working with our clients to create tailor-made activities like special events, as well as team-building, bush walks, etc. More information
Photography - Capture the beauty of our majestic residents and your special memories with a professional photo shoot just before sunset - featuring our tamed herd of elephants who are used to interacting with their human companions. More information
Film - we provide elephants, handlers, and locations for photographic assignments and film productions.More information

Virtual experiences: Zoom with elephants in South Africa

Fun and educational experiences - up close with our gentle giants. Learn about elephants from tail tip to trunk tip, experience their intelligence and their gentle nature, and witness the stimulating levels of trust and companionship that can develop between elephant and man. This is the perfect educational experience for learners across the world. More information

Contact

D1000 Road, Mabula District, Bela Bela, Limpopo Province
GPS Coordinates: 24°46'53.8"S+27°57'03.3"E
Email : adventures@zebula.co.za
Telephone: +27 (0)14 734 7730
Mobile: +27 (0)79 431 7655
YouTube: Adventures with Elephants

www.adventureswithelephants.com

Research: The Rory Hensman Conservation & Research Unit

The late Rory Hensman learnt so much from observing wild elephants and living with tamed and trained elephants. His wish was that through education and knowledge of the wonders of this animal, we humans would be motivated to look after them. The Rory Hensman Conservation & Research Unit (RHCRU) aims to establish an elephant research centre of excellence, which is unbiased and unswayed by “who funds the project” and by emotional thinking. The intention is to promote the potential benefits to human society, wildlife and conservation efforts.

Follow the RHCRU on Facebook: Rory Hensman Conservation & Research Unit - and Instagram: @r_h_c_r_u

Adventures with Elephants is proudly associated with these research papers and articles:

Information content and acoustic structure of male African elephant social rumbles by Angela S. Stoeger & Anton Baotic (nature.com, June 2016). Read abstract and access this paper here
Establishing the fundamentals for an elephant early warning and monitoring system by Matthias Zeppelzauer & Angela S. Stoeger (BMC Research Notes, September, 2015).Read abstract and access this paper here
Animal-visitor interactions: Ethical Reasoning and Participatory Approach Towards Achieving Regulatory Processes For Animal- Visitor Interactions (AVI) In South Africa: ECASA’s response to the call by the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy, for submissions to a High-Level Panel constituted to review policies, legislation, breeding, hunting, trading, and management of elephants, lions, leopards, and rhinoceroses in captivity. Published: June, 2020. Download this report here (pdf, 850 kb)

“It’s easier to protect wildlife if you care about it. It’s easier to care about it if you understand it. It’s easier to understand it, if you can experience it closely and safely. ” ~ Sean Hensman, Adventures with Elephants