Elephants are among the most admired animals in Africa. Tourists travel thousands of kilometers hoping to see them in the wild, to watch them move as a herd, or simply to stand in awe of their presence. For many, the idea of sitting on an elephant’s back for a ride may sound like a unique way to connect with these giants. But beneath the surface, this practice is far from harmless, and I’m glad I never booked an ‘elephant safari’.
An Elephant’s Spine Isn’t Built for Riders
At first glance, an elephant seems strong enough to carry anything. But their bodies are not designed for saddles or passengers. Unlike horses, elephants have sharp, upward-pointing bones along their spines. These structures support their massive bodies and natural movements, not the extra weight of people and heavy seats.
When saddles and tourists are placed on top, the pressure pushes down on those protruding bones. Over time, this can lead to painful injuries:
- Permanent spinal deformities, sometimes visible as a collapsed or sunken back.
- Open wounds and scars caused by friction from saddles.
- Damage to muscle and tissue surrounding the spine leaves elephants in pain for life.
Veterinarians working with rescued elephants often describe them as living proof of this damage: animals who spent years giving rides now suffer from misshapen spines and chronic pain that cannot be reversed.
Where Has Elephant Riding Been Practiced in Africa?
The practice of using elephants for rides in tourism started in Zimbabwe in the 1990s, particularly around Victoria Falls. From there, it spread into South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia, where private reserves and camps promoted elephant-back safaris as a luxury attraction.
Over the past decade, things have changed. Botswana banned elephant rides in 2016 on ethical grounds, and facilities like Abu Camp shifted to walking-with-elephants experiences instead.
In South Africa, elephant rides were offered at around a dozen venues, but welfare scandals led to increased criticism and stricter national regulations. Some parks have phased them out, though a handful of venues still offer them today. In Zimbabwe, certain operators around Victoria Falls also stopped rides, moving toward sanctuary-style encounters, but others continue, as no nationwide ban has been introduced.
So while the practice has declined across Southern Africa, it has not disappeared entirely. Tourists may still come across offers for elephant rides, especially in Zimbabwe and parts of South Africa.
Personally, I find it hard to accept that these practices still exist, knowing the pain and lifelong damage they cause to the elephants. This is why I am NOT linking to any travel agencies that still do this! Seeing the video below, it is so shameful to witness!
The Hidden Stress Behind the Smile
It isn’t only the body that suffers. Elephants are highly intelligent and social. In the wild, they live in close-knit family groups, but in tourism venues, they are often kept in isolation or in small groups that don’t allow natural behavior.
Training elephants for rides is rarely gentle. Young elephants may be separated from their mothers and forced into submission using fear and physical punishment. Even once trained, they often live under strict control, sometimes with bullhooks in sight to ensure obedience. What tourists see is a calm animal carrying them; what they don’t see is the stress and hardship behind that obedience.
Why Tourists Rarely Hear About This
Many tourists who choose elephant rides do so out of admiration for the animals. Operators often promote the activity as safe, educational, or even beneficial for conservation.
The painful realities: the spine damage, the harsh training, the solitary conditions, are kept out of sight. Without background knowledge, it’s easy to assume a large animal can handle a small rider. Unfortunately, this misunderstanding fuels an industry that shortens elephants’ lives and erodes their well-being.
My Own Reflection
I remember once coming across a travel website offering elephant rides somewhere in Africa. At the time, it looked tempting, an extraordinary way to get close to my favorite animals. I never booked it. And today, after learning what those rides mean for the elephants, I’m glad I didn’t. Admiring elephants from the ground, on their terms, feels far more respectful. And it was a wonderful experience to just see them in large herds, such as in Addo Elephant National Park (what’s in a name haha)
Better Ways to Experience Elephants
Thankfully, there are alternatives for those who want to see elephants in Africa:
- Visit national parks like Kruger, Hwange, or Chobe to watch elephants roam free in their natural herds.
- Choose sanctuaries that focus on welfare rather than entertainment. In Kenya, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust does incredible work rescuing orphaned elephants and returning them to the wild. Visitors can watch the young elephants being cared for, without any riding or performances.
These choices support conservation and give elephants the freedom they deserve!
References:
- Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (2023). How Elephants’ Bodies Are Damaged by Tourist Rides.
- Dharmic Times (2025). Stop Elephant Rides.
- Manning, A. et al. (2023). African Elephant Research Unit: Behavioral Responses to Tourism.
- World Animal Protection (2015). Breaking Africa’s Elephants.
Final Conclusion
Elephants are not built to carry people. Their spines, their bodies, and their spirits pay the price when they are used for rides. What may seem like a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a tourist often leaves elephants with lifelong damage. If we want to respect these giants, we should choose experiences that protect their health and dignity.
Let me know what you think about this in the comment section below!
Happy safari!
Kind regards,
Lizzy
I now have a YouTube channel as well!
YouTube
Hello Africa travellers!
Who am I? Well, the least you can say is that I am quite crazy about Africa, its nature, its climate, its culture, and more.
As a young woman in my twenties, I had already traveled to several African countries by traveling along in an overlander on my own and mostly camping ( or glamping ) and just fell in love with the diversity of it all.
So much, so that at the age of 26, I went back to university to study biology, which, unfortunately, I couldn’t finish because of health reasons (yes, I got sick from a tropical disease, oh cynicism). But this did not stop my dream of traveling back to Africa several times, and I still do.
My dream was back then to leave Europe and go study animal behavior, especially the elephants (sure, that’s every girl’s dream haha), but I am also very much intrigued by hyenas and other “ugly African animals“.
So, I “kind of” have a little bit of a scientific approach to my articles, when I write about African birds, for example. And most of all: the passion.
But life goes on, you move from one side of the country to the other, you get sick again and top it off with lower back problems, and before you know it, you are over 50 hahaha!
Now, I still travel to Africa, but take it a bit “easier” than the good old camping days, and stay in comfortable, yet affordable accommodations, together with my husband Wouter.
These are some of the countries I have traveled to: Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Tunisia, and a little bit of Lesotho LOL .
While clearly not being African territory, but Spanish, I also visited Gran Canaria and Tenerife, and location-wise, I consider them “African”, because of their climate and nature, sue me :-p
The last trip I took was to South Africa in the year 2023, and it sure got the fevers for Africa back! From the Barberton mountains to the Drakensberg and the Southcoast, one month wasn’t enough at all to see the whole country, so we’ll be back! At ease and with a little bit more luxury than in my younger days haha!
I wish you happy travels!
Kind regards
Lizzy
