sheldrick elephant orphanage - ithumba unit -

You have to read the website and if you can visit. You'll understand what a vital job these guys do to rehab elephants back into the wild. This is only a small part in the big picture of what they actually do. Truely amazing !

5 of us stayed at the ithumba lodge for 3 nights. Firstly the accommodation is beautiful, staff are exceptional and really take care of you with delicious meals, friendly atmosphere and extremely knowledgeable. But the accommodation is not why you come here....The elephants experience is like no other, you meet at 6am to see the baby elephants be feed and let out for the day, if you're lucky they will come and say hi and ask for a trunk massage. 11am and its time for a mud bath, the highlight was the 18+ wild make elephants who decided to join in, you are not watching then from the car and there is no fence, only 10m between us and them. Then 5 o'clock you welcome the orphan elephants back to camp for feeding and dinner. Words can't really do this justice...the guys at the orphanage are truly fantastic, special thanks to Benjamin who really made us feel welcome and part of the group.

If you do nothing else worthwhile when in Kenya try to visit this wonderful , magical place ! Our second visit was filled with wee moments of pure bliss -- feeding the younger ones , being pushed away from one of " our " orphans by the trunk of her friend and minder , the bonds these elephants make are so , so special. The guys who work there are pretty special too !!!

Not as fancy as the main orphanage in Nairobi and these elephants are big enough to be close to weaning. The big difference is that I have been here twice and have been able to hold the bottle and feed them my self both times

Always a must visit when in Kenya. A longer stay than one night highly recommended to get to know the way it works.Disliked the Park Fees at $1560 total. Why not encourage longer stays by lower fees after 24 hours?

This is one of my favourite things to do: visiting the Sheldrick elephant orphanage in Nairobi and Ithumba. The elephants are so sweet and one learns everything about them. The trust is doing something wonderful and it is not easy and takes years until the orphans grow up and are rehabilitated into the wild. I adopt an elephant for every child in the family or belonging to friends and they usually renew them after the first year and we can go to see the elephants being put to bed. it is a fun, informative, heart wrenching and most remarkable place, full of love and dedication. At Ithmba camp one can watch and learn about the rehabilitation process in Tsavo East National Game Park. Bravo.

This is an orphanage that adopts abandoned baby elephants and then assigns them to a surrogate for about three years. That person largely stays with the baby for months at a time, and the orphans are never left alone. When you hear the stories of how the babies got separated from their mothers, it is are heart-wrenching. The orphans bond with each other and their surrogates, and by any external observation appear to thrive in this place. They are eventually returned to the wild and often join former "graduates" of the orphanage and form new families. You can see the babies being fed and interacting with each other, and to an extent, the crowds that form to watch them. You can also "adopt" one and make a financial contribution to its care -- we did, and for this you get extended visiting hours. This is an extraordinary place doing exceptional work for an amazing species -- it is a must if you are in the Nairobi area.

Second visit as magical as the first. I disagree that you must fly in as seeing the local country is a must for budget travelers. I had the opportunity to have a wonderful driver and guide Wilfred Kamau who well versed on all the plant and animal life. This is the place to get up close to elephants. Both times I was able to put my hands on the elephant I have sponsored for 6 years. He is wild now but came back to the waterhole. Info on renting the camp can be found on Sheldricks website. Finding a guide was much harder but I lucked out and found a wonderful one. I don't know if I can post his contact info but he can be reached as an independent driver thru http://www.safariplains.com/ or directly wangarikamau@yahoo.co.uk To me this is the most valuable infomation I can pass on.

The elephants are trotted out twice a day for feedings and visitors so plan your trip accordingly. The elephants are clearly well-taken care of and very entertaining to watch, particularly the babies! Try to stand at the front of the line into the park so you can get a good spot in the front when the elephants are brought out by their keepers.

I think if we had been there at a less crowded time we might have enjoyed it more. There were hundreds of people there and you couldn't see a thing. The kids did enjoy petting the pumbas on the way out. The cutest thing there were the school kids in their uniforms on a field trip. We did buy a cute tshirt. I felt like the whole thing was more about convincing people to adopt an elephant than anything else.http://familyafricansafari.blogspot.com/

An experience never to be forgotten. Part of David Sheldrick Trust/Orphanage, Ithumba Camp is rustic and fun with outdoor toilet and shower with each minimally appointed tent. Dik diks run between tents, as wart hogs head to waterhole. Lounge/eating area has two levels for maximum views. But the attraction is the visits to the elephant stockade and water hole three times daily. Orphaned elephants experience a wild life, under the attentive eyes of their keepers, as it takes years for assimilation. To view a small piece of that journey is magical. Watch out for Wendy - naughty girl - she'll be all friends, but what she really wants is your camera!

I was here as part of visiting Kenya in August-September 2005. Its been a long time, but the work done by the orphanage staff is so amazing that I constantly mention this place to my friends.It was touching to see young elephant babies playing, moving around, all in a systematic manner. The way the elephants are maintained, reflects on the amazing work the volunteers and the team at the Orphanage do on a daily basis. Keep up the good work!

We recently visited the David Sheldrick orphanage to visit our foster elephant Mudanda. We arrived just as the elephants were returning to the lodge and were able to give them their milk and spend time with all the elephants. It was just incredible, something I will remember for ever. The keepers were absolutely lovely, so informative and really made our visit special. The work these guys do is just fantastic . Thank you for such a brilliant opportunity. Ps we books our safari with Patrick at PD tours and safaris who I would strongly recommend.

Meet young men and women both of local origin and outside volunteers helping out the rescue and sustaining the lives of the elephant orphans among other rescued wildlife from the cuel acts of poachers....Its a life giving back project. Great work Sheldrick...

we adopted a baby elephant before we left home and visited the orphanage one evening. we were able to walk among the elephants and play about with them. the best day ever