So when I was asked if I would like to ride an elephant up the steep hill to the entrance of the Amber Fort I made it VERY clear to our guide that not only would I never ride an elephant, but I think the very idea of such a thing should be banned.

“Oh, OK,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I know that’s how a lot of people think.” All the time, we’re watching a steady plod-plod-plod parade of elephants swaying up the hill.

The fort’s website says to get there early if you want a ride, because the elephants are now limited to five uphill rides in a working day since a court case in India’s Supreme Court in 2015.

The court was told that many of the elephants were poorly housed and showed signs of being chained or tethered, both of which are now illegal in India.

However, when I had used my legs to take me up the hill and into the fort, I then had a birds-eye view of the rides – and noticed how many of the elephants had no tourists on their backs. Could it be that the drip-drip of disapproval over decades is finally working? I think it could.

I know we’re meant to “live and let live”, but does anyone really need a photograph of themselves on an elephant’s back? I don’t think so. Away from the fort, on the road back into Jaipur, it was the same story.

Men touting for custom for a ride on the road, with cars navigating their way around them. And lots of the elephants had no tourists on them. Shame I never got into an argument with our guide, though; I guess he’d heard it all before.

Verdict: Getting elephant rides banned everywhere is a work in progress, but there are signs that tourists are putting animal welfare first.

Top photo: No passengers for these elephants as they trudge uphill to the Amber Fort.

Updated March 2020