Lots of Elephant Love at Mason Elephant Lodge
Feed, Bath, Ride, and Swim
We spent more on one night at the Mason Elephant Lodge than a whole week anywhere else. But it was so worth it. North of Ubud, the elephant lodge rescued Sumatran elephants and brought them to Bali. Sumatran elephants are actually the smallest of the Asian elephant species, which means that their giant heads are easier to pet!
Our room was beautifully setup with towels arranged in the shape of an elephant and special slippers with their logo on it.
In the afternoon, we took a ride through the park on elephants (in a chair) and pet some elephants. Their trunks are so soft. For dinner, we walked over to the bar, where you can have an elephant pick you up and bring you to the dinner venue. Some of the rooms are set up so that you can get picked up from your front door via elephant (but those rooms are REALLY expensive).
The next day we got to really enjoy our elephant experiences. First, we washed them. It’s like washing a car, but the car is a standing elephant, and instead of really scrubbing, you spend half the time just petting the elephant all over the place. You can rub its ears, its trunk… it likes everything.
After breakfast, we went for an elephant swim. This is riding bareback on the elephant through the pond. The pond is the center point of the park with a beautiful carved stone backdrop in the likeness of the Goa Gajah, the famous elephant cave temple. In this case, you ride on the neck of the elephant, and then the elephant drops into the pond, soaking the rider with a surprising, but fun dip.
The staff is all very helpful at taking pictures for you and never ask for tips. But some of the elephants will take bills from your hand and pass it to their mahouts (trainers)!
The elephants are super well cared for here. They only use positive reinforcement training, get fed lots of treats from tourists, and each have their own space and mahout (trainer) which stay with them for years. We got a lot of elephant hugging done in less than 24 hours and learned that smaller elephants are actually the most huggable!
