Riding an Elephant Up to the Amber Palace in India
Important 2021 Update: DON'T Ride Elephants
When I wrote this article, I was ignorant of terrible truths.
It has become amply clear over the years since I wrote this article that it is NOT okay to ride elephants. I am leaving this article up, below, to demonstrate why people (myself included) have gotten lulled into thinking it's "fun," but doing the research, elephant riding is not a practice that should ever be supported.
For further reading, here are articles about the cruelty of elephant riding from PETA, Conde Nast Traveler, and the BBC.
Original 2013 Article is Below:
2021 Reminder: This activity is NOT an ethical choice.
"Decide now," said our India Teacher Tour guide last December, "will you ride an elephant up the mountain to the Amber Palace, or walk?"
We looked at each other, paused... then sighed: "RIDE!"
The long line of elephant-craving tourists moved forward smoothly. At the front, we saw why: an authoritative gentleman barked elephant assignments to each visitor clump and bid them rapidly jump off the staircase to the elephant-back-box. We hopped on, and off the elephant kalumped!
Our beast trod heavily up the mountain, the hot Jaipur sun beating down. Colin and I swayed back and forth, high off the ground. I marveled at the misty lake below, and at the toenails of the elephant behind us: stately half-moons.
Now, talk about well-oiled machines... we hadn't gone ten feet when merchants began trying to sell us knick-nacks to us as we sat on the elephant! A woman in front of us made the mistake of buying a parasol from one (leaning down precariously to hand her rupees) and suddenly swarms of vendors appeared.
I suppose it would have made a good story. "Hey, where did you buy that blanket?" a friend back home would ask. "Oh, this old thing?" you could nonchalantly reply. "I picked it up atop an elephant in India climbing a mountain."
We swayed closer to the Amber Palace itself. What a beauty! Built in 1592, this gem of India is also known as the Amer Fort. We will see more photos from its interior soon, but for now, let us focus on this elephant situation, as it has a darker side.
What are the ethics of riding an elephant like this? I have heard several people say that this scheme is cruel to the animals and poorly thought out. Personally, I have no idea what the reality is, knowing very little about pachyderms, but I do know that the pressure to hop atop one is immense when you are with a tour group and hundreds of people ahead and behind you are doing it.
If this ethical question is a big one for you, I urge you to do your research before you hit that throng of tourists, and to get firm on your choice before entering the line. Me, I actually had a very nice time atop the elephant, but did have nagging pangs of guilt and confusion about whether we were doing something bad.
We reached the top safe and sound and dismounted from our elephant transport, giving it a sound pat on the rump. Looking down, the mountain sloped far below. Looking out, the Amber Palace beckoned alluringly. What adventures would be in store for us next? Is this a journey that YOU would have liked? Do share.
The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!
Thanks for the article! India is a beautiful place!
I am proud to be an Indian. Its an amazing place with so many historical monuments and various tourist attractions. I would plan a visit to amber palace on my next vacation. This article makes me anxious to explore these places. Thanks for this article
Lilli, you covered Indian beauty in very good way. I love Jaipur I visited there 1 year back.
Perhap's it's a fun experience but please do not ride the elephants. I spent one month in Jaipur researching elephants who work at Amber Fort and most suffer horrible health conditions. Additionally, the mahouts (elephant caretakers) are paid a meager salary, so it not only supports inhumane animal treatment but also human oppression. Elephants are not native to Rajasthan but are brought in due to tourist demand.
These elephants suffer. On our National Geographic Expedition, we were told about their captivity and conditions and we all ripped up in a motor vehicle. So should everyone.
Thank you for this important and true message. I'm editing the article to add that warning and urge people NOT to do it.
I have found out hear Jaipur your elephant rides.
1 How much is it to ride
2 how long do I need to book or can I turn up on day
Thank you
David
Hi David,
Thanks for taking the time to read and leave a comment. Unfortunately, I don't know exact answers for you, as we were with a tour guide and he arranged everything for us, but I'm pretty sure you can just arrive and wait in line to ride rather than booking in advance. Enjoy!
Nice photos. I love to visit these places.
Absolutely stunning shots. Beautiful.
Thanks for sharing these beautiful pics of Amer Fort.. We visited Amer Fort last year. Its amazing
To see the view from that high place is one thing. To see it from the back of an elephant as you travel to that wonderful scene is another. WOW. I'd do anything to try that experience! :)
The panoramic views of the mountain ranges and the valleys are stunning. Reaching the Amer Fort on an elephant is quite an adventure. Hopefully, the elephants are well-fed and not overworked.
For those of you who really want to know how elephants are trained to calmly stride up a mountain with a box full of tourists on their back, then turn around and bring them down again, I urge you to watch "An Apology To Elephants."
Wow! Look at the sky! I haven't seen any pictures from India with such blue sky for a long time. Lately there are so many pictures from the country with that depressing smog hovering below the sky. Speaking of the elephant, I think it would always be a controversial issue anywhere in the world when it comes to employing animals to work. I can only hope that they're treated well.
You make a good point about the air! This was sadly one of the few days we had in India where we could see the blue beyond the smog.
I love your adventure here! The experience of climbing the mountain, to a fort, atop an elephant is way too cool :D
Lillie,thank you for sharing this. it makes me just want to go see more and more of the world and find more and more adventures like this. gabi
You take really spectacular shots. It's like almost as good as being there :). Hopefully they're treating the hardworking elephants very well, with the kind of work that they do they should be treated like kings at the end of the day.
This reminds me of when I rode a donkey through the Atlas mountains versus walking - no contest! Gorgeous photos!
What a way to go! Now that is what I call a grand entrance. I think all animals that do work like this with humans have mistreatment issues. It's important to work with companies that truly love and appreciate their animals.
Oh, that looks like a fun ride! Beautiful photos...
Love the foot shot. You were really high up!
Elephants are towering beasts!
"... and off the elephant kaflupted!" OK, I pretty much love that. And your photos... Wow. Amazing!
Loved this article, thanks!
what always amazes me about india? the colors! WOW!
seriously India is a colorful country, have been to india (jaipur, udaipur, jaisalmer and agra) last year. They got huge list of festivals and cultures. Nice post on Amber Palace!
"Holi" is festival of colors. you must come to india in Holi..
Beautifully documented article! Jaipur and the Amber Palace are absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for including details as to the potential mistreatment of elephants working in these circumstances. As you pointed out, this is a known issue and I appreciate that you took the time to offer awareness so that others travelling abroad can make the choice to educate themselves.