Is Knysna Elephant Park Still Worth Visiting? Our Honest Experience

The first time we did the Garden Route in South Africa, I fell in love with the Knysna Elephant Park. I definitely wasn’t expecting it, and I wanted to go back every time we visited Knysna. This time, though, we were a bit disappointed.

Located between Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, the Knysna Elephant Park is a sanctuary that helps orphaned elephants and nurses them back to health. It was the first in South Africa, and over the past 30 years, they’ve cared for over 40 elephants.

Our experience was especially memorable initially because we had a wonderful guide. For context, you can pay for a couple of experiences at the Elephant Park. The most popular is an encounter with the 5 elephants that are used to humans, and for an extra fee, you can feed them too. Recently, they’ve added accommodation too, and when you’re exiting, there’s a restaurant you can have a meal at.

Knysna Elephant Park Experience

So, the first time we visited, our guide was exceptional. We got to know so much about the elephants, touched them, and fed them too. He was very engaging, and that really made the experience more personal. You’ll also get to see some zebra grazing around.

We visited again recently after years, and were slightly underwhelmed. Of course, we didn’t expect the experience to be the same, but I was quite excited nevertheless. Unfortunately, the Elephant Park has raised their entrance fees significantly, and it seems that they have fully geared the experience towards a tourist experience. The South African rate is R420, and the international one R510, which feels a bit exorbitant. You can have your picture taken by a professional photographer, who is stationed by the elephants at all times, and buy the pictures from R85 for an A6 to R350.

This touristy experience was even more the case because for an hour, we barely did anything. It almost felt like we were paying to take pictures with the elephants, rather than actually learn about them. After the feeding (which finishes very quickly), and taking pictures, we were kind of just standing around, waiting for the hour to finish. The feeding bucket is also an extra cost, and to top it all off, the receptionist was sooo unfriendly. She definitely didn’t want to be there 😭

It’s still worth doing if you haven’t done it before, and if you have the budget to spare. It’s wonderful to see the elephants up close and be able to feed them. You can also do what we did, and just ask the tour guide a ton of extra questions to actually learn something. Tours start every hour, and you can check their website for individualised packages and their prices.

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