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Matabeleland North Province
Victoria Falls
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Wild Horizons Elephant Sanctuary
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Wild Horizons Elephant Sanctuary

See all things to do
See all things to do
Wild Horizons Elephant Sanctuary
5
About
The Wild Horizons Elephant Encounter - Walk With Giants affords guests the opportunity to unobtrusively interact with some of the biggest personalities in Africa, in a pristine wilderness environment overflowing with raw natural beauty. Guests spend time and connect with elephants in the most positive and natural way possible. The Wild Horizons Elephant Art Safari offers an eco conscious and unique elephant experience, brought to life by the artistic strokes of your fingertips, while surrounded by the African bush.
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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See what travelers are saying
  • Lucy B
    7 contributions
    Epic elephant experience
    Incredible chance to get up close to elephants. We started with a welcome drink and an information talk. Then after a short drive to the Bush we were so close to the elephants. We were able to greet them and they all seemed very happy in their surroundings. We then walked with them and fed them. It was such an amazing experience and was a natural way to experience such majestic creatures.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written August 13, 2023
  • kwashe
    10 contributions
    Spending time with the gentle giants.
    One of my great and favorite moments of the year 2023 so far was spending time with the big guys and girls. It was a wonderful experience. The drive to where there elephants were was lovely. The guides were top notch and feeding the elephants their favorite treats was the best. Definitely recommending this to my friends and will surely come back again. Five star experience.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written September 13, 2023
  • ging466
    Sydney, Australia552 contributions
    Absolutely wonderful
    I don't know about the previous review but you DO NOT ride elephants at this sanctuary. The elephant family here have been either abused or for whatever reason cannot live in the wild and the sanctuary looks after them for the rest of their lives. The guides take you out into the bush and you walk with the elephants, you can touch them and then feed them. It was a lovely experience to see them up close and know that they are totally looked after.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written October 22, 2023
  • Bill B
    Pueblo, Colorado1,207 contributions
    Engaged staff...incredible elephants!
    Incredible experience interacting with two different elephants at the sanctuary. We were picked up exactly on time from out lodge and taken to the sanctuary. We were given a short safety brief and then directly to where the elephants were coming in. We learned a significant amount about the African elephants from the keepers while we touched them, and photos were taken. We were next to the elephants for 30-45 minutes and have some incredible photos. We would definitely do this experience again and applaud the work of the sanctuary.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written November 12, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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Bill B
Pueblo, CO1,207 contributions
Engaged staff...incredible elephants!
Oct 2023 • Couples
Incredible experience interacting with two different elephants at the sanctuary. We were picked up exactly on time from out lodge and taken to the sanctuary. We were given a short safety brief and then directly to where the elephants were coming in. We learned a significant amount about the African elephants from the keepers while we touched them, and photos were taken. We were next to the elephants for 30-45 minutes and have some incredible photos. We would definitely do this experience again and applaud the work of the sanctuary.
Written 12 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ging466
Sydney, Australia552 contributions
Absolutely wonderful
Sep 2023 • Friends
I don't know about the previous review but you DO NOT ride elephants at this sanctuary.

The elephant family here have been either abused or for whatever reason cannot live in the wild and the sanctuary looks after them for the rest of their lives. The guides take you out into the bush and you walk with the elephants, you can touch them and then feed them. It was a lovely experience to see them up close and know that they are totally looked after.

Written 23 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Raffick B
1 contribution
Terrible
Aug 2023 • Family
Terrible encounter, didn't expect to ride the elephants. My wife couldn't get on and when asked for a partial refund, they refused and the manager drove away. Do not go there unless you want to ride the animals.
Written 4 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kwashe
10 contributions
Spending time with the gentle giants.
Aug 2023 • Friends
One of my great and favorite moments of the year 2023 so far was spending time with the big guys and girls. It was a wonderful experience. The drive to where there elephants were was lovely. The guides were top notch and feeding the elephants their favorite treats was the best. Definitely recommending this to my friends and will surely come back again. Five star experience.
Written 13 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ludovic D
8 contributions
An amazing experience!
Aug 2023 • Couples
This was an exceptional experience and a great chance to approach these majestic elephants in an environment that felt natural, safe and ethical. The guides clearly care about the elephants and understand their behaviors. The well-being of the elephants was always the priority and they were never harassed or pushed. Their cues were respected and we had the chance to approach them and feed them - it was a great experience!
Written 7 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lucy B
7 contributions
Epic elephant experience
Aug 2023 • Friends
Incredible chance to get up close to elephants. We started with a welcome drink and an information talk. Then after a short drive to the Bush we were so close to the elephants. We were able to greet them and they all seemed very happy in their surroundings. We then walked with them and fed them. It was such an amazing experience and was a natural way to experience such majestic creatures.
Written 13 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michele S
1 contribution
Outstanding activity - one of our favorites on this trip!!!
Jul 2022
The guides and staff were very professional and accommodating. They were also so kind to these beautiful creatures. It was so great to get up close to them and also watch them interact together. Our walk with the Elephants was definitely a highlight of our trip. If I had something to complain about it would be that it isn't long enough. I could have sat with these elephants all day. The photographers did a great job capturing this unique activity through photos and a video. Thank you so much for this wonderful experience. I would highly recommend it!!!
Written 26 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beverly S
2 contributions
The BEST
May 2022
Absolutely amazing experience. Short drive by guide where we were let off in the bush. Less than 100 ft and we were next to Coco, the Matriarch and her friends. We learned how to greet her via touching her knee and ears and then trunk. Her eyes were so soft and she was huge. Then we walked with them and eventually fed them their afternoon biscuits of vitamins/minerals. The staff was professional and informative. This was one of the top 3 animal adventures in my life time (seeing Mtn Gorillas in Rawanda, diving with a Dolphin in Cabo, and this). I could have stayed all day. OUTSTANDING
Written 1 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BardAdmirer
Fairfax Station, VA188 contributions
Amazing experience
Apr 2022
I love elephants so the chance to meet the elephants and spend time with them was one of the highlights of my trip. We were picked up at the restaurant where we had lunch and taken out to the Sanctuary. We were given a safety briefing before setting out to meet the elephants. Luckily the elephants were nearby so we didn't have to spend much time getting to them. We were introduced to each elephant and given a bit of their story. The staff with them was very knowledgeable and good at passing that knowledge along. We had the opportunity to take lots of pictures of the elephants and of us with the elephants - a truly amazing thing to be so close to these wonderful animals. After spending some time walking with them the elephants headed over to the feeding spot because they knew they would get treats. Each elephant had a different style of getting the treats which was quite fun. Jock, the big bull, used his trunk like a vacuum cleaner and sucked the pellets right off your hand. One of the ladies liked to have the pellets poured down her trunk. It was fun to see their personalities come out.
After our visit with the elephants we headed back to the main area for drinks and snacks. We got to spend a good amount of time with the ellies, but I would have gladly spent all day with them. The lodge has a gift shop if you want to buy anything with the proceeds supporting the Sanctuary. The only part of the visit I didn't enjoy was the somewhat hard sell to buy a very expensive copy of the pictures they took during our visit. I opted instead to buy a small piece of art that had been made by one of the elephants - Emily had ink put on the bottom of one foot and then stepped on a piece of paper to leave her footprint. That print is much more meaningful to me than the extra pictures would be.
We had a lovely time with the elephants and I highly recommend the experience. We will visit again when we come back to Vic Falls.
Written 12 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michelle47303
Indianapolis, IN19 contributions
Great times had by all
May 2022
We did the breakfast tour and loved it. These elephants are so gentle and tolerant of people touching them. Walking with these majestic beasts seemed surreal. The staff takes great care of them and makes sure you have a memorable experience.
Written 29 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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WILD HORIZONS ELEPHANT SANCTUARY: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Wild Horizons Elephant Sanctuary