The tour starts with learning about where the Elephants sleep and what they eat, then you walk on a trail through the woods, step in to a clearing, and BAM, there are two huge elephants just feet from you! In the clearing we learned about how the handlers train them and then each person gets a chance to come up to the elephant, touch them, and get a photo with them. When I first walked into the clearing I was a little intimidating, I've seen too many "When Animals Attack" to be weary of being so close to any animal even one that has been trained like these. When you touch the elephants you start to feel their strength immediately a small tap with their trunk can knock you right off your feet. So of course I was a little anxious about the kids being so close, but the handlers give you specific instructions on where to stand when near the elephant and what exactly you can touch. They are trained to read the elephants movements and can tell if they are getting agitated. After getting a very sticky, muddy kiss from one of the elephants we moved on. After another hike across the grounds we came to another elephant that we got a chance to feed. The guy was much bigger than the two we had met in the clearing. Again we had specific instructions to walk up to the elephant place the food pellets in his trunk and then turn around immediately and walk away. Apparently if you linger he gets anxious for more food and may hit you with his trunk. After feeding the elephant we walked over to an area where we learned about the bone structure of elephants and then we were able to walk with the elephants "Trunk in Hand". When you walk with the elephants we once again had precise instructions to stand in front of the elephant and reach your hand behind you. The elephant then rests his trunk in your hand. You then gently guide the elephant in a circle around the arena. You are not supposed to grab the trunk and we were told to keep walking even if the elephant lets go. After walking with the elephant we had the option to ride the elephants for an extra fee, but we decided to skip this part because the children couldn't do it and they were getting hungry after the two hour program.
Over all the program was nice and it was an amazing experience to be that close to an elephant. I appreciated that the kids could do most of the things on the tour, Mitchell could even walk with an adult and the elephant. However, the sanctuary is one of the pricier animal interactions in the area and though very informative it's not something I think we would more than once.
After we left The Elephant Sanctuary we grabbed a quick bite to eat then headed over to a place called Bush Babies Monkey Sanctuary. This is a facility is a refuge for Monkeys that have either been saved in the wild or have been previous pets of people who no longer wanted them. Its a large enclosed area with trails through a forest environment and the monkeys roam free through out. As you walk along the path some of the monkeys are very friendly and will come right up to you. One in particular will get overly friendly and may even jump on your shoulder or try to pick your pocket, looking for car keys and cell phones! The sanctuary is a beautiful walk and it's really neat to be up close and personal with the monkeys. As you walk along there are two cable suspension bridges that sway as you walk across them and give you great views of the area.
Over all it was another fun day in Africa and we were happy to discover two new places with Grandma and Grandpa. If you decide to do both of these attractions in one day just be prepared because it was A LOT of walking! :)
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