Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre.

For those animal lovers, or those married to an animal lover, this is a place for you. Its not that far, its clean, its free, it’s a no time limit place to actually see elephants up close. You are a family man trying to get your children to love animals, this is the place.

Basic Where?
Kuala Gandah is in Lanchang, Pahang. Some 2 hours drive from KL. After the Lanchang toll take right. No signage will be visible until a few kilometers away. Typical of Malaysia. Why? Because the government encourages you to stop and communicate, face to face.., with humans. Aku approach makcik tu sorang, dia terus pusing masuk rumah. Takut kot..

Nearing the place, you’ll come across a sign that says DEERLAND. Equally intresting, but later on that.

Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre is not too big. Just nice. Not too much walking needed. Very family oriented and stroller friendly. We arrived at 10am plus. You have got to register to get in and you are in for free. I really think Perhilitan should have a tabung outside for donations. A few metres nearing the show place, we heard elephants and my wife (instead of the children) was trilled.

Official Entrance Sticker

Basic What Is This Place?

We got to see the baby elephant and personally ask a lot of questions (or was it just 2?) to the care taker. This is a place where Perhilitan would place elephants saved from the wild and put it here. Some, like the baby elephant here was separated from the heard and was reported by the locals. So Perhilitan took it here.

Another one was trapped in the forest. Perhilitan save it. Some were taken away from Felda sebab kacau ladang orang. Others were injured or hurt. These elephants will then be given name according to the place they were found. Maybe most of them.

9 months old baby elephant. Aku tengok dia makan rumput.

Having 2 children plus a baby, this was fun for all of us. Nak bagi makan kena beli tebu. RM3 je satu ikat. Kami habis around 7 ikat including 2 bungkus kacang. Kacang tu share gajah dengan anak-anak. The advantage of having not too many people around and no time limit, you can really observe and take time bagi makan gajah ni.

After nearly 2 hours we decided to have lunch. The best part of the show is the 2 pm gajah mandi. So everyone left for lunch and will be back by then. Within walking distance there was not much choice to eat here. Perhilitan’s own cafeteria with 1 or 2 lauk and 2 other stalls outside. But that was enough for us. If you are a non rice eater foreigner, pack some lunch. 3 groups of foreigners were hanging around eating ice cream and junk food while waiting. Kesian..

There’s a surau some kilometers away for zohor.

At 2pm suddenly 2 bus load of students arrived. One from Shah Alam and the other one a group of chinese students I think Malaysian la. So we walked quickly to get infront. In front of what I wasn’t sure.

Not many people in the morning. Tourist came for the 2 pm Elephant Bathing time.

Bought a handfull of sugar cane for them.

Elephant Show
At 2pm a group of elephants with their trainers entered the ring. They were being introduced and some acts were performed. I was not looking because I was again feeding the elephants. Looking them straight into the eyes. Mana tau boleh communicate ke ape..

2 pm Elephant Show

They have lots of cut papaya for tourist to feed the elephants.
Papaya free. Tebu bayar.

Right is the main stage and left is a place for you to sit.

My Nat Geo shot.

Elephant Bath
Then the elephants marched down into the river for their afternoon bath. You should take your children earlier to the river side so they could have a better view. But the bathing process was like for half an hour, people do give up their spot for you after a while. The adults elephants will then march back to their hotel room and then the baby elephants come.

Talking on the phone eh..?

The river was deep enough for the elephants to be fully underwater.

Bathing With The Elephant
To have a chance to bathe with the elephants, you need to pay. Earlier in the main building where you registered, is a table. Ten for adults and 5 for children. Plus an additional RM30 for err.. service fee? So, my family paid RM60 to give the elephants a bath.

Make sure you have your orange sticker as proof. Stick the sticker for your children on you. Better that way. After 30 minutes wait, we had our chance to bath with the elephants.. to bath the elephants. 2 baby elephants and 10 to a group.

 

Waiting by the river.
I got my children to stand in the water at waist level while waiting so they would not be so cold later.

Our time. While the previous group was doing like 15 minutes, we had only around 3 minutes of bathing time.

Tapi bila tengok ada 2 anak gadis baju melekat tengah tunggu, aku boleh agak
kenapa keluarga aku diorang kasik 3 minit je. Cis..!

The experience was lovely, the place was nice and clean and beautiful. The toilet had shower. The guys here were friendly. I love Kuala Gandah so much that I posted pictures in my facebook.

And guys, please also visit Deerland http://farizghazali.blogspot.com/2014/06/deerland-lanchang-pahang.html