Wild Elephant Valley

Wild Elephant Valley is located in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and is a central gathering place for wild Asian elephants. Of the more than 300 wild elephants in China, about 250, belonging to over 40 elephant families, are active in the area around Wild Elephant Valley. Wild Elephant Valley Guide Map (Image 2) Our tour route: South Gate - Elevated Elephant Viewing Walkway Phase I - Elevated Elephant Viewing Walkway Phase II (round trip) - Asian Elephant Museum - North Gate, the whole journey is on foot After entering from the South Gate, you will pass through the Snake and Lizard Garden, Butterfly Garden, and Hundred Birds Garden, etc. Our focus is on wild elephants, so we did not stay too long and went straight to the Elephant Viewing Walkway. Phase I of the Elevated Elephant Viewing Walkway, from the Hundred Birds Garden to the Asian Elephant Museum, is about 920 meters long and was constructed starting in 2010. On the walkway, I saw the backside of a wild elephant (Image 3), and then it disappeared (I heard from people ahead that a group of elephants had just passed by, feeling very regretful and worried that I wouldn't see them today). Wild monkeys on the mountain (Image 4) Lazy monkey (Image 5), indeed lazy, didn't move at all for a long time, finally managed to capture a frontal shot Suddenly discovered a solitary wild elephant, and felt that the trip was worthwhile (Image 6) The first time observing wild elephants from such a close distance (Images 7～8) Later, I arrived at the Asian Elephant Museum and carefully compared the exhibited photos of wild elephants, preliminarily identifying this solitary elephant as 'Bamboo Shoot Tooth'. Phase II of the Elevated Elephant Viewing Walkway, from the Asian Elephant Museum to the Elephant Viewing Platform, is 1360m long and was put into use in 2017. Not long after walking on Phase II of the Elevated Elephant Viewing Walkway, excitedly discovered a group of wild elephants (Image 9) Counted them, it was a family of seven (Image 10) Started the 'chase' for elephants on the walkway (Image 11) The first batch of two leading elephants preparing to cross the river (Image 12) Surprisingly, they didn't wade directly through the water but walked along a small path in the middle of the river (Image 13). Such a large size, walking so steadily, unbelievable. The second batch, two adults and one juvenile, began to cross the river (Image 14) The last batch, one adult and one juvenile, the little one seemed very playful, being chased by the adult (Image 15) The little one fell into the water and was pushed up by the big one's trunk (Image 16) The white-cheeked gibbon rescued and sheltered by Wild Elephant Valley (Image 17), has seen many tourists and is no longer afraid of people. Asian Elephant Museum (Image 18), the museum covers an area of 800 square meters, with the theme of popularizing knowledge about Asian elephants, and has four exhibition halls. Wild Asian elephants active in Wild Elephant Valley (Image 19) Mangjing Ancient Village (Image 20), a Dai ethnic village, the temporary parking lot for Wild Elephant Valley is set up nearby. Due to time constraints, I didn't have time to visit this village. PS: 1. Seeing wild elephants really depends on luck; many people come several times and don't see them. Generally speaking, January to March each year is the time when wild Asian elephants are most likely to appear, especially in the morning. 2. It is essential to walk the entire Elevated Elephant Viewing Walkway, especially Phase II, where the chances of seeing wild elephants are even greater. 3. During the Spring Festival peak period, the temporary parking lot for Wild Elephant Valley is arranged at Mangjing Ancient Village (exit of Mengyang Highway), about 10 kilometers from Wild Elephant Valley, with free shuttle buses provided for round trips. 4. Personally, I think there is no need to take the sightseeing cable car in Wild Elephant Valley; if you do spot wild elephants, you can't stop anyway, so it's better to enjoy the freedom on the Elevated Elephant Viewing Walkway. 5. There are many other things to see and do in Wild Elephant Valley, depending on personal preferences. But it is recommended to visit the Asian Elephant Museum to learn a lot about Asian elephants.