Elephant Polo in Nepal

Elephant Polo in Nepal was an exciting sport on grassy fields in Meghauli Chitwan. Two teams of 2 people (player & Mahout) on elephant back with a small ball and longer mallets of bamboo (cane) play setting a goal. Each team fixed four players with four elephants. Players used the proper bamboo hammer with a standard polo ball. The sport kings is similar to horse polo and used to be played in November-December near the Chitwan National Park.

The co-founders of elephant polo in Nepal were Mr. James Manclark and Jim Edwards (owner of the former Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge inside the Chitwan National Park). Nepal Elephant Polo is affiliated with The World Elephant Polo Association (WEPA). Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge hosted Nepal Elephant Polo from 1982 to 2017 in Meghauli, Chitwan. The first world elephant polo for a five-day championship invited the polo chapters from Switzerland, Sri Lanka, India, Scotland, Thailand and Nepal to Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge in Chitwan National Park.

Chitwan National Park is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site (1984 AD). The tropical jungle harbours the wild elephant, one-horn rhino, and Royal Bengal tiger. Tiger Tops team ceased Nepal Elephant Polo in 2017. It stopped because of the suffering of precious elephants. Now, adventure lovers use jungle walks and Jeep safari instead of elephant-back sightseeing. Welcome to Jeep Safari in Nepal to explore various pretty wildlife, pants, indigenous Tharu lifestyle, culture show, and cuisine.