As a child, I remember watching the towering, lumbering elephants in the circus. How can you not be fascinated by the shear size of these animals and those kind eyes? Fast forward to 2021. My nephew’s favorite animal is an elephant. What better birthday gift than an elephant encounter? The Myakka Elephant Ranch located just outside of Bradenton, Florida was a dream come true offering an elephant experience like none other. Keep reading to find out about our epic visit.

Where is the Myakka Elephant Ranch?

Myakka Elephant Ranch is located in Myakka City, Florida. Within about 30 minutes of Bradenton, this ranch houses three elephants: Lou, a 38 year old, African Elephant, Carol and Patty, both 48 year old Asian Elephants.

Visit all three elephants in a barn like enclosure with stadium or bleacher seating. The ranch is in the process of building a medical facility as well as a swimming pool for the elephants. With aspirations of growing in size and housing more elephants in the future, the Myakka Elephant Ranch is looking to possibly purchase more property.

Elephant Encounters

There are three elephant encounters you may choose to experience:

• Rise and Shine All Access: Feed the elephants breakfast, spend one on one time with the elephants, and help wash the elephants. There is a one hour VIP experience that is limited to 8-10 guests
• Spa Encounter: During this 2 hour experience, you will take turns with other guests and scrub, spray, and bathe the elephants. You will learn about the animals as well as get an opportunity to pet and take photos.
• Educational Experience: Learn about the elephants and elephant conservation. Ask questions, pet, hug, and take unforgettable photos.

Once In A Lifetime Experience

So what did we think?

We chose the Spa Encounter. There were about 20 people who also choose this elephant experience. The group took turns wetting, scrubbing, and washing two of the three elephants that reside at the Myakka Elephant Ranch. We all got an up close look at the massive beasts. Though the experience was shared with quite a few other guests, each member of the audience was asked to participate.

My party, made up of 4 kids and 4 adults, certainly would have liked a bit more time with the animals. The timeframe when other people were called to do their part in the spa encounter left the kids wondering if and when they would be called upon again. It took quite a bit of time to wash these two huge animals so if you have small children they will likely be fidgeting. Each of us got to go up twice.

After bathing the elephants, another probably 30 or more guests joined us for the educational portion of the elephant encounter. If you wished to social distance, this made it very difficult. Masks were not required, however with this many people in the bleachers, we certainly felt as if we should wear one. Many guests did not.

After learning about the elephants, the Ranch’s conservation efforts, and the plight of the elephant population, we were able to take photos and meet two of the three elephants; Lou and Carol.

“I found the experience humbling. To safely interact with the elephants and wash them was awesome. I think it’s also cool that even though Myakka Elephant Ranch is a non-profit, they still donate to charity.”

Mason, age 14

When is the best time to visit?

We booked our encounter for the last weekend in February. The weather was in the high 80’s. It was definitely hot. I would imagine visiting in the summer and wearing masks would prove to be quite miserable. You are under a barn like roof and there is cross ventilation and fans. No matter if it was raining, you would still be able to enjoy this elephant encounter.

The Myakka Elephant Ranch closes periodically to the public because of renovations to the property. Check their website for availability.

Check out our experience in this video:

Elephant Experience, Conservation, and Education

“Myakka Elephant Ranch is a non-profit conservation center. From tusk to tail they strive to educate guests on elephant conservation while providing a memorable once in a lifetime experience.”

The elephant encounter coupled with education and conservation is a three prong approach. I know there will be critics that will comment on this article stating that having animals such as elephants in captivity is cruel. I will counter with my argument. You will never feel a connection to the world and its inhabitants unless you have a personal experience that affects you. Because of this elephant encounter, I then wanted to learn more about this incredible animal and in turn how I can save it from extinction.

The Mission of Myakka Elephant Ranch

“Community involvement and education is a major focus for the Myakka Elephant Ranch’s team. They believe that education combined with personal experience is the key to finding and creating a lasting effort to preserve these threatened species. “

What are they doing?

• The Myakka Elephant Ranch provides “complementary encounters to qualifying non-profit and education groups setting aside 10% of their encounters specifically for community outreach. ​​”
• Currently, they are working with “educators in the community to create curriculums and lesson plans appropriate for grades K-12 to educate future generations on elephants.”
• They are donating part of every encounter to conservation efforts worldwide.
• The ranch is closed undergoing major renovations to provide a swimming pool and medical facility for the elephants. They hope to expand the Ranch to other elephants.

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RECOMMENDED ARTICLE: Visit Hunsader Farms, Bradenton FL

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In Summary

If you are looking for an up close elephant encounter, the Myakka Elephant Ranch is a once in a lifetime experience. Can you say you helped to give an elephant a bath? I can!

Have you visited Myakka Elephant Ranch? What was your experience? Drop me a comment, I’d love to hear from you.

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DISCLOSURE: We received a discount of 25% for the spa encounter detailed in this article.

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About the Author:

Hi! I’m Chris. I’m a mother, wife, college professor by trade and micro-influencer by hobby. I am a bargain hunter, jack of all trades, and master of chaos.

Thank you for reading my random thoughts on travel, my stories of life as an under appreciated mother of a teenager, and my easy recipes that have won no awards but instead my family’s love and adoration (which is WAY better, right?).