The Unethical Side of Elephant Rides in Nepal (2026): What Has Changed and Better Alternatives

• Where rides still runBuffer-zone community forests around Sauraha
• Inside Chitwan National ParkNo tourist rides for about 15 years
• Safari elephants in SaurahaAbout 45 in 2026, down from about 90
• Supreme Court order17 December 2025: find alternatives, end chaining
• Park entry, foreignersNPR 2,000 per day (SAARC NPR 1,000)
• Wildlife in Chitwan145 tigers (2026), 694 rhinos (2021)
• Better choicesJeep safari, canoe, walking safari, elephant walks

Elephant Riding in Nepal

Elephant riding has long been one of the most famous activities on a visit to Chitwan National Park. Elephant-back safaris, elephant bathing, visits to the elephant breeding centre and many more are among the major taglines among hundreds of tour organizers in Nepal responsible for planning a trip to Chitwan National park.

With issues regarding animal cruelty surrounding elephant rides hitting the news, primarily focused on the exploitation of wild animals in Thailand, travellers and campaigners have pushed hard for ethical tourism and, in many countries, an end to rides and shows that use wild animals. Nepal is no exception. Although the scenario of Elephant rides in Nepal drastically varies from the Elephant rides in Thailand, we can’t claim it's absolutely ethical and does not exploit the animals.

Elephant rides in Chitwan's buffer zone play a real part in paying for conservation. At its peak, the Baghmara Buffer Zone Community Forest earned about NPR 30 million a year, nearly a third of it from elephant safaris, according to the Kathmandu Post in July 2026. That money helps protect the forests used by endangered wildlife such as the one-horned rhino (694 of Nepal's 752 live in Chitwan, 2021 count) and the Royal Bengal tiger (145 of Nepal's 429 in the July 2026 census). But does this reason justify the exploitation of animals for recreational use? Is this reason enough to jump on the back of these animals and go for a ride?

Definitely not.

What’s more is, oftentimes, visitors book a trip via trip organizers who include these activities in your trip package without making you familiar with the present scenario. Elephant riding, bathing an elephant at a glance might look like a fun activity, an opportunity to get close to these intelligent mighty beasts, but it only takes a few minutes to change this into one of the most traumatic experiences of your life.

So, here we uncover the unethical side of elephant rides in Nepal, the present scenario, what has been done, and what can be done to promote ethical elephant rides in Nepal.

The Unethical Side of Elephant Rides in Nepal

“There was a time when elephants and their caretakers were treated with respect. When the elephant died the mahouts lost their jobs so they were highly motivated to take good care of the animals. Only two people were allowed to ride and no one ever thought of putting a heavy howdah on an elephant back. Elephants are now increasingly treated as a beast of burden.”

Hemanta Mishra, author and conservationist

Over the centuries, Elephants are regarded as holy animals and are treated with respect. Similarly, Elephants also mark high status in society making the owners feel proud. However, with time and commercialization of elephant rides the scenario changed. And now these mighty beasts are often exploited and used to generate money overlooking the safety measures for them. Below are the unethical sides of the elephant ride in Nepal.

Exploited Elephants

1. Unmanaged Workloads

Government elephants no longer carry tourists at all. They work on patrols, research and anti-poaching inside the park, and even when they did take visitors they ran at most two safaris a day. Tourist rides now use privately owned elephants, and for years the number of ‘trips’ for private elephants was not limited. There was little control over the number of safari trips, suitable timings (avoiding heavy rains and midday heat), minimum health standards of the participating elephants and mahouts’ professionalism. Welfare studies found the number of safaris varied from two to eight each day, and that mahouts and elephants could work twelve hours a day without holiday provisions. During festivals, the workload further increases. Besides, Elephants are also used for further activities compromising overall conditions.

2. Commercialization of Rides

Although the owners claim reduced income due to increased market prices and promotion of ethical tourism, elephants are known to be ‘good for business’. The welfare report An Elephant Is Not a Machine estimated the net income from elephant rides at NPR 120,000 per elephant per month on average, about USD 1,250 at the exchange rate of the time and closer to USD 800 today. Owners point out that costs have climbed too: feeding one elephant can now cost up to NPR 150,000 a month, according to the Kathmandu Post in August 2026. Steady income per animal leads to the overutilization of Elephants and mahouts in order to gain as much profit as possible.

Overlooked Safety Measures

1. Brutal Training

One of the most criticized aspects of elephant safari tourism is the training and disciplining of elephants. The elephants are broken mentally and physically through the infamous and ancient phajaan ritual. Phajaan is the Thai name for the practice, and traditional training of young elephants in Nepal has used the same approach of separation, restraint and punishment. The training methods used can physically, behaviourally psychologically and emotionally harm the elephants. Ongoing dominance is generally established through a delicate balance of fear and reward. If the elephant is compliant it receives treats. If it is non-compliant it may receive physical or verbal punishment.

2. Heavy Seats and Harnesses

Most safari elephants carry a howdah, a seat made from metal or wood that can weigh around 100 kg on its own before four riders and a mahout climb on. Many elephants suffer from wounds, caused by ill-fitting harness and ropes. Long term use of harness results in spinal injuries due to overloading amongst Elephants.

Why It Happens

The Welfare of Mahouts Is Linked to the Health of the Elephant

The connection between mahout and elephant welfare are directly related. Mahouts are amongst the most exploited people without family resources, formal training, inadequate payment and long work hours and are considered unskilled labor, and generally unappreciated.

As per reports from The Working Elephant Programme of Asia: “The well-being of elephants and mahouts are interconnected in several ways. One of the most significant of them is that a mahout’s self-esteem, stress level, general satisfaction in life, and other aspects affecting his mental state tend to have a profound effect on how he treats his elephant in everyday work. 

They also tend to have a significant impact on how well he can or cannot read and understand nuances in the elephant’s behaviour. This in turn affects his capability of preventing problem situations and capability of guiding the elephant without resorting to violence.”

Traditional Training Techniques

They have been broken mentally and physically through the infamous and ancient phajaan ritual. This means they are taken away from their herd and their habitat in order to be brutally trained, not just for days but for weeks or even months at a time until they become submissive and compliant enough to work for humans.

Owners Who Ignore the Mahouts

Elephant owners tend to undervalue mahouts and consider them uneducated, superstitious, and unable to act as a professional caretaker. Reportedly requests for better shelter and nutrition for elephants tend to be ignored. For instance, the majority of mahouts are aware of the importance of green fodder, molasses, and salt as part of the elephant’s diet, and claim to request the owners to provide these, but only a few elephants receive supplements on a regular basis. In turn, some mahouts disappoint the owners by beating the elephants despite their protests, demanding tips from tourists and using outdated elephant management methods.

How Elephant Tourism in Chitwan Has Changed

Tiger Tops Ends Elephant-Back Rides (2017)

In July 2017 Tiger Tops, which opened in Chitwan in 1964 and was one of the first companies to offer elephant-back safaris, decided to stop offering elephant rides and built large-scale enclosures for their elephants which allow unrestrained movement and social interaction between elephants. In December 2017 Tiger Tops also abandoned the annual elephant polo tournament it had hosted at Meghauli for 35 years, for animal welfare reasons. Several other luxury lodges in Chitwan dropped rides soon after.

Higher Park Entrance Fees (2018)

In October 2018 the government raised the park entrance fee, with VAT included, from Rs 113 to Rs 150 for each Nepali, from Rs 847.50 to Rs 1,000 for each national from SAARC countries, and from Rs 1,695 to Rs 2,000 for other tourists. The Gazette notice gave no link to elephant rides, so it was a general fee rise rather than a step against them. The same rates still applied in 2026. Reports at the time said the 50 percent concession for children had also been removed, so check the current child rate at the gate.

Changes Among Sauraha's Private Owners

In 2016, Deepak Bhattarai, then president of the private owners' elephant cooperative in Sauraha, announced major changes in terms of elephant well-being in Sauraha (Chitwan), Nepal.

Owners reported that private elephants were no longer kept in chains during the day. However, bull elephants were still kept in chains as they cannot be controlled if females are around. Chaining has not ended everywhere, and in December 2025 the Supreme Court told owners to move to a chain-free system.

Under the cooperative's rules, mahouts were no longer to use metal hooks on elephants, and wooden sticks replaced them.

The same rules limited elephant jungle safaris to twice a day for each elephant. Previously, they were used up to 5 times per day.

Furthermore, two baby elephants have already been successfully raised using non-traditional methods. In other words the traditional methods of beating a calf and keeping it from its mother to “break it in” is no longer the preferred method in Chitwan.

Travel Companies Stop Selling Rides

More than 220 travel companies worldwide, by World Animal Protection's latest count, have committed to not sell or promote venues that offer elephant rides and shows and are now choosing elephant-friendly alternatives. Many of these travel companies have also phased out all other offers of wildlife entertainment to their customers.

As much as visitors want to connect with animals while traveling abroad, tourists should think twice before booking an attraction that allows them within such proximity to otherwise wild animals. There are plenty of responsible alternatives if you look hard enough.

Elephant Happy Hour

Likewise, in November 2017 an innovative concept called Elephant Happy Hour was introduced in Chitwan, where interested people can pay to give a working elephant a free hour of fun and relaxation.

At first, the operators provide an extensive explanation about elephants in general and their condition in Nepal, which is very interesting and helpful. Then, you head to the national park, to “meet” the elephant, feed it, and just watch it while having fun and being free. All is done with absolute respect for the elephant, without forcing it to do anything, and without causing it any distress. Even so, you get plenty of time to watch it and interact with it (of course, by taking the necessary precautions and following the instructions).

This approach is better than an elephant back safari as it actually helps you get to know a lot about elephants as you can interact in a way that is better for both you and the elephant.

Elephant Happy Hour is NOT a location, please don’t go looking for them. It is an activity run by the NGO Stand Up 4 Elephants (SU4E). It depends on an owner lending an elephant, and it has paused in the past when a partner owner withdrew, so check with SU4E before you plan around it.

The Supreme Court Order (December 2025)

In September 2021, advocate Sanjay Adhikari and others filed a writ petition asking the Supreme Court to stop the chaining of elephants and the rides themselves. The court ruled on 17 December 2025 in a 62-point order. Point 48 says letting tourists ride elephants must be reconsidered from an animal welfare point of view, and point 51 suggests alternatives such as elephant walks and bushwalks, watching elephants from a safe distance. The order also says private elephants must be registered, their sale and movement need legal approval, cruel tethering should end, mahouts should be trained, and sick and old elephants need care, including retirement centres.

The court also recognised that elephant safaris bring income and jobs to places like Sauraha, and it did not set a date for rides to stop. Owners, through the United Elephant Management Cooperative, say they are ready to move towards sanctuaries and bushwalks but want a gradual phase-out, with fit working elephants carrying on for a few more years.

Where Things Stand in 2026

The trade was already shrinking before the ruling. Many owners sold elephants, often to buyers in India, after the Covid-19 slump, and some now sell walk-with-elephant packages instead of rides.

Source: Kathmandu Post, July and August 2026. An earlier survey of 42 private safari elephants in Sauraha by the charity Animal Nepal, reported in January 2020, found 82 percent living in unsuitable conditions for movement, shelter, food or health care.

What Makes an Elephant-Friendly Venue

It is important for everyone to share a common understanding of what good practices in elephant management are. World Animal Protection has created guidelines that outline criteria for elephant-friendly venues in order to improve the welfare of existing captive elephants and contribute towards a phase-out of elephant exploitation.

The guideline includes visiting venues that allow you to observe rather than touch animals, which provides ample space for movement and socialization to the animals and discourages the use of metal hooks or any sort of sharp objects to tame Elephants.

According to Dr Jan Schmidt-Burbach, global wildlife and veterinary adviser at World Animal Protection:

“Venues that offer tourists a chance to watch elephants in genuine sanctuaries are beacons of hope that can encourage the urgently-needed shift in the captive elephant tourism industry.”

Recommendations

• Channel tourist demand away from the worst activities, such as elephant shows and rides, to more humane alternatives. Increasing demand by tourists for humane alternatives such as elephant walks will encourage conventional venues to change their practices.
• Within the wildlife tourism industry mislabelling of poor welfare venues as ‘sanctuary’, ‘rescue center’ or ‘retirement home’ is a common practice that further creates confusion. Setting specific standards will help tourists and travel companies recognize truly elephant-friendly venues.
• Initiate to improve conditions for captive elephants not kept in elephant-friendly shelters. Better regulations paired with adequate animal welfare laws, and actual enforcement of these laws through well-resourced authorities, will protect elephant wellbeing.
• Better resourcing of enforcement authorities will enable the policing of border markets and the monitoring of captive elephant populations for irregularities.
• Registration systems without loopholes are essential for captive elephants. Combined with effective enforcement and legislation, the introduced systems must monitor the trade of individual elephants between owners.
• Limit captive breeding to shelters with genuine conservation value. Facilities with the highest standards established to provide genuine sanctuary without commercial purpose should be considered for captive breeding.
• Elephant-friendly projects should always consider elephant-dependent people. Address the needs of the mahouts and other elephant-dependent people by providing alternative livelihood opportunities for them.

Campaigning pathways which retain cultural identity without inflicting cruelty on animals, while encouraging socio-economic development of communities will ensure better health, safety, and protection of captive Elephants.

Together we can end the suffering of captive elephants in tourism. Elephants belong in the wild, not in entertainment.

The good news is that ethical wildlife tourism in Nepal is easy to choose: jeep, canoe and walking safaris cover more ground than an elephant ride and need no elephant at all, and operators increasingly offer “elephant walks”, observing elephants forage and bathe without anyone on their backs. Our guides to Nepal's jungle safari destinations and responsible travel cover how to book the better version.

Ethical Ways to See Wildlife in Chitwan and Bardia

Walking safaris carry real risk around rhinos and wild elephants, so always go with a licensed guide and follow their instructions. Swotah's Chitwan Jungle Safari (7 days, from USD 800 per person, group departure) uses a jeep safari, a canoe ride and guided walks, with no elephant ride. For quieter forest and a better chance of tigers, the Bardiya National Park Safari (7 days, from USD 1,100 per person, group departure) works the same way. Swotah can arrange it as a private trip on your own dates.

Frequently Asked Questions