Inspired by a dream - A night with the elephants
by Karen Lawson from Yahoo!7

"Do Elephants snore"?...this had never been a question I had previously been bothered by, however now that I found myself practically sleeping next to one, the answer suddenly seemed very relevant. "No they are very quiet animals but...they do fart...a lot".

The Elephant Safari Park Lodge in Taro, a few miles north of Ubud, Bali is the dream of Nigel Mason whose life changed upon meeting these amazing creatures. Nigel and his wife Yanie, are dedicated to the conservation & breeding of the Asian Sumatran Elephant, who have become endangered as their habitats are destroyed for farm land. The late Steve Irwin described their dream as "best Elephant Park [he'd] ever seen". Their truly wonderful has been shown on the BBC and the Discovery Channel www.baliadventuretours.com

A night to remember
3.5 hectares of beautiful Taro forest are made up of botanic gardens, towering trees, meandering paths, ponds and even elephant bathing pools merely provide the backdrop to what is an unforgettable experience - a night with the elephants!

The 27 stars of the park and their "Eli-pads" (circular elephant beds) form the centrepiece of the parks 25 lodge rooms which are nestled on the edge of Taro forest, but rest assured, they are tethered each night to prevent them rifling through your mini-bar. The elephant theme is everywhere: from bed legs modelled on the feet of an elephant to the Elephant art that adorns the walls (available for purchase, complete with profile of each "Eli-artist" which have taken auction houses the world over by storm). It's impossible to forget that you are a guest of these majestic creatures. The rooms are nothing short of luxurious; each has its own LCD flat-screen, aircon and wireless internet connectivity.

Whilst the Elephant Safari Park may sound like a Disney inspired theme park, nothing could be further from the truth. It is rare to encounter an experience as profound as the realization that tourism is not only something that is highly enjoyable but also saves lives; it is something special to feel part of that.

Magic and Romance
The most magical experience is yet to come. As the sun sets, the elephants are guided to their pads for the night. I know if I was an elephant, this is where I would want to spend my vacation or honeymoon! Speaking of romantic moments, they have just been voted the 'Sixth Most Unique Destination in the World for Weddings' by the Travel and Adventure Channel. A private wedding pavilion enjoys the ultimate backdrop to the most uncliched exchange of vows in the world.

All aboard!
Its 7.30pm..."Miss Lawson your chauffer will be with you in 10 minutes. The entry to the lodge transforms into a docking bay as my private elephant chauffer has arrives to take me to dinner. It's truly unforgettable, as friendly arms and trunks are outstretched to assist me onto my stead. Each elephant is ridden by a mahout whose sole job is to care for their elephant. The bond between them is clear, our mahout had been with his elephant, Ardila for 14years...many relationships don't last that long!

All too quickly we arrive for dinner. We disembark as elegantly as we can and pat our elephant goodnight, its all too tempting to ask if we can 'ride round the block' one more time! The open-air restaurant is romantically lit above the park. The four-course dinner is served with practiced ease and accomplishment. You can't quite help pinching yourself at the thought of what a privileged experience it is to dine amongst these animals. We are rather thankful of the stroll back to our lodge to walk off the excesses of the evening and finish with night caps our verandas watching the elephants dozing in the moonlight.

The next morning brings sunshine and after a hearty breakfast at the Lodges Mammoth Head bar & Lounge (complete with a 15,000 year old specimen on display - if you need to see more head to the museum). We are raring to go for our next adventure - an Elephant Trek round Taro Forrest. Now, don't get me wrong, I love to learn that there are coffee beans, papayas, orchids around us, and our mahout does and excellent job of pointing them out to me, but I would rather have not known about the giant spider gracing our path with a 1meter wide web! Atop one of these creatures you cant but awe at their huge power and strength. Within moments our Elephant sensed something wrong as we head down a narrow path, past farmers and village dwellers. She stops dead in her tracks. What fearsome creature could cause such a reaction? a little white dog. All of a sudden our elephant turns 180 degrees in the bat of an eyelid and chargesWe bobbed around for dear life and laughing hysterically. Lesson learned. Elephants are not keen on dogs, or mice, or cats or...actually they are a little prickly about a lot of things! Our mahout quickly took control and all was well! The trek finished by the Elephant pool with the chance to interact and feed them. It was here, before the park opened that each elephant they got scrubbed and buffed and washed within in an inch of their lives, I am sure you can see them smile

Time to relax
Given our slight sore derrieres, we thought we would indulge in a spot of spa treatment. The Wellness spa boasts a wide range of treatments, its atrium roof provides the indoor-outdoor experience and the private spa bath has the most marvellous views onto the park so you can watch the action as you bathe.

You leave this sanctuary with a deep feeling of education, engagement and gratitude that there is someone out their fighting for the protection of these great animals and that by being there you have assisted with the message gaining a wider audience. So don't let a bit of snoring put you off, they are very well mannered outside of the bedroom!