Elephant riding in Bali: where it stands and what replaced it

Indonesia's Forestry Ministry, through its Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, issued Circular Letter No. 6 of 2025 ordering the termination of elephant riding performances at conservation institutions.¹ The directive came out late in the year and applies with immediate effect, according to Wild Welfare.⁴

It did not come from nowhere. Two Indonesian zoos, TSI Bogor and TSI Prigen, had already stopped riding in 2024, and a regional zoo association had publicly opposed the practice.⁷ In December 2025 the Bali conservation agency asked attractions to show greater respect for elephants and to move away from riding.⁵

The head of the Bali agency put the position plainly in January: all conservation institutions are required to stop elephant riding and to begin moving toward more educational, innovative and ethical wildlife tourism.⁸ That sentence is the clearest statement of what the authorities expect to replace the old program.

At Bali Zoo the elephant sessions are Elephant Mud Fun, a half-day package priced at IDR 1,500,000 for an adult with the zoo's own booking, and Elephant Explorer, a guided ranger-car visit with feeding sessions run by mahouts.^12,13 Our care day is a third format, with an English-speaking mahout and elephant-led activities.

On the care day, close viewing happens only when the mahout approves, guests may not force, chase or control the elephants, and direct physical contact is limited and guided. The zoo adds that the mud activity pauses when heavy rain makes the river crossing unsafe for the elephants.¹⁹

Mason's list is built around general admission with hand-feeding, plus Wash and Bathe, Jumbo Wash, Picnic, Wellness Walk and Sunset tours.^9,20 Compare the full comparison on our page about Mason and the zoo before you choose.

A review from last year may describe a ride as the highlight of the day, and a photograph of a smiling visitor on an elephant may look current. Neither tells you what the venue offers now. When you read anything about elephants in Bali, find its date first, then read the content.

The simplest test is the calendar. Anything about riding that predates the first days of January 2026 describes a program the venues have since closed.² Anything that appeared later and still describes a ride is either an error or a sign that the seller has not updated the page, and neither is a good reason to trust it.

The same caution applies to our own pages and to every guide on the topic. We have dated each claim to the source we read, and we expect the details to keep changing as the transition continues, because the conservation agency was monitoring Mason on the day the park announced its change.¹⁶ Return to the venues' own pages for the latest word.