Elephant Whispers | About Elephants

Elephant Whispers is a popular tourist attraction in Hazyview. Visitors to this Elephant Sanctuary get up close and personal with the world’s largest land mammal on a level of intimacy which very few people get to experience.

Text & photographs by Dale Hes.

Introducing the Elephant Experience

Registered field guide and elephant handler Keith Howie and his team of grooms, all of whom are qualified members of Elephants For Africa Forever (EFAF), have trained the elephants to obey up to 85 commands. This is an incredible feat when one considers that trained dogs generally learn a maximum of 14 commands which is testament to the human-like intelligence of these majestic animals.

Upon arrival, visitors walk down to a shaded seating area with the elephants standing on an open patch in front of them, with grooms sitting on their backs. The sight immediately sends a shiver of excitement down one’s spine. Keith shares his knowledge of elephant conservation, their training techniques and a brief history of Elephant Whispers. His upbeat style and humorous anecdotes keep guests smiling throughout the discussion.

Keith explains how these elephants are not treated with the brutality exhibited by many Asian outfits who offer similar experiences. A command and reward system is the is used at Elephant Whispers. It is clear to see that the elephants are extremely well cared for.

Following the initial briefing, with just a few clearly uttered commands from Keith, the elephants walk forward in synchronised manner, giving the first glimpse into the remarkable bag of tricks that have been taught to them in their time at Elephant Whispers.

The Elephants lift their legs, walk backwards, raise their trunks and pose for the crowd’s cameras, after which they are rewarded with an encouraging pat on the back and a handful of pellets. Each elephant then introduces themselves to the visitors with a lovable trunk salute as Keith calls their names.

Interacting with Elephants

Guests are given the opportunity to get up-close and personal with these gentle giants.

Medwa, a three ton elephant bull, and the most intelligent in the gifted class at Elephant Whispers, lumbers into the shade and stands about three metres from the gathered crowd, swishing some palm fronds given to him as a tasty treat. He showcases some more of what he has learnt at Elephant Whispers, even ‘talking’ to Keith in a low rumble at the handler’s command.

Did you know that there are 70,000 muscles in an elephant’s trunk…

When Medwa lies down, visitors are allowed to approach him, touch his trunk, ears and skin and gaze into his soft hazel eyes with its long eyelashes. Medwa will also take pellets out of your hand and glug down a bottle of water poured down his trunk.

Next, the biggest elephant at Elephant Whispers makes his grand entrance.  Tembo is a true showstopper weighing in at an enormous 6.2 tonnes and measuring 3.4m from foot to shoulder, he makes you feel extremely insignificant.

Visitors are allowed to approach Tembo and stand beneath his massive head for a chance to capture this once in a lifetime moment. Looking at these photographs, participants will be stunned to see the tops of their heads not even extending beyond Tembo’s stomach.

After the extraordinary one-on-one interaction with Medwa and Tembo, visitors who have opted for just the interaction package leave, but those who remain partake in the most exciting part of their visit, the Elephant-back safari.

Elephant Back Safari

The smaller elephants, Andile, Ziziphus, Shamwari, Lindiwe and Medwa, still weighing between a hefty 1.4 and 3 tonnes, go down on their knees for you, and the experienced grooms help you climb onto their backs. Getting onto Thembo, however, is a different matter as he still measures almost two metres tall even when on his knees, and the lucky souls who get to ride him have to climb onto his back from a raised wooden platform.

Once everyone is comfortably seated, riders, accompanied by their grooms, depart on a memorable fifteen minute elephant walk through the veld, absorbing all the sights and sounds. The safari takes you past a dam (which the elephants drink from and occasionally splash around in on hot days) and the Hippo Hollow Hotel on the banks of the Sabie River before you head in a circular route back to your starting point.

As you can imagine, horse-riding cannot quite compare to this incredible experience. You slowly rock back and forth as the elephant takes its giant steps. One can feel the cool breeze created by the huge, flapping, Africa-shaped ears, and the joyful thought that you are actually riding an elephant will put a goofy grin on your face.

…the joyful thought that you are actually riding an elephant will put a goofy grin on your face from start to finish.

After the safari, the elephants are escorted down to the dam for a drink while visitors can quench their thirst at Ellies Bistro and Bar, which is situated under shady indigenous trees and offers a variety of refreshments, light meals and tasty desserts, as well as a large swimming pool.

A variety of elephant encounters are on offer at Elephant Whispers. The added bonuses of the more comprehensive packages include lunch, sumptuous picnics and a chance to see the elephants swimming in the dam. Visitors can also see the elephants settling down for the night in their stables. A morning trip starting at 6.30 AM can also be arranged, where visitors can watch the elephants being woken up, leaving their stables and being groomed.

For prospective husbands looking to propose to their partners, Elephant Whispers offers one of the most unforgettable ways to pop the question. With an elephant presenting the ring to bride-to-be, how could she possibly say no?

For a truly spectacular Lowveld adventure, you should look no further than Elephant Whispers, an extraordinary place where interacting with the compassionate and exceptionally intelligent African Elephant will leave you breathless.

For bookings and packages on offer call: +27 (0) 82 498 4683