Elephant rides in Bali are one of the exceptional activities that you can try on a villa holiday in Bali.
There is no doubt that a ride on the back of an elephant is an amazing experience, a unique opportunity to get up close, touch and feel an elephant and to sway in harmony with its beautiful, deliberate motion.
Personally I found the experience a very rich one and on reflection it was very much down to where it was, in the open jungle and the look of the way the elephants were being treated, which was very good indeed.
I was amazed at how carefully an elephant can tackle a narrow jungle path, climb a steep slope and wade through a river. At the end it was awesome to be able to feed the elephant with bananas which he took directly from my hand with his trunk, so I could feel the dextrous trunk end. The elephant is the real king of the jungle and to be able to ride on one is a real privilege.
In Bali there is an elephant safari park in Taro which is geared up for rides for the family, it has been acclaimed as one of the best Elephant parks and there is also a museum.
I should avoid rides in towns as its clearly not a good environment for the animals and indeed anywhere that doesn’t “look right” for the elephants. If your elephant trek is through the jungle then maybe you better leave the children behind as you need to be careful not to trap hands or feet on passing trees.
Book a villa holiday in Bali on the coast and you can enjoy amazing experiences such a riding on an elephant.