Care for Elephants in Chiang Mai provides a tranquil haven for rescued elephants, allowing visitors to engage with these majestic animals in an ethical and responsible environment. Experience educational tours, hands-on interactions, and the chance to support elephant welfare in Thailand.
Care for Elephants, located at 94 m.1 t.kudchang m.meatang, Chiang Mai, 50150, Thailand, is dedicated to the compassionate care and rehabilitation of rescued elephants. This sanctuary offers visitors a unique opportunity to witness and engage with elephants in a natural setting, promoting animal welfare while educating guests on the importance of conservation. Each elephant at the sanctuary has a story, and through guided tours, visitors learn about their pasts and the comprehensive care they receive. The sanctuary highlights the role of elephants in Thai culture and the pressing need to protect these magnificent creatures from exploitation. Care for Elephants prioritizes ethical interactions, allowing guests to feed the elephants, walk alongside them, and observe their natural behaviors. Join us in supporting a sustainable future for elephants while enjoying a meaningful and unforgettable experience in the heart of Chiang Mai.
Care for Elephants (เมืองเชียงใหม่, ไทย) - รีวิว - ThailandAgoda.com
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Care for Elephants is perched on a picturesque hilltop overlooking 94 m.1 t.kudchang m.meatang Chiang Mai, 50150, Thailand
The day I spent doing the Care for Elephants program with Elephant Nature Park was the highlight of my trip. The group size was small (I think there were 10 of us at most!), which allowed each person to have an intimate experience that didn’t overwhelm or crowd the elephants. It felt clear to me that the elephants are truly cared for in an ethical way by all involved. I was so surprised that each elephant had a personalized diet! It was amazing to see the way they were cared for. The tour guide was calm and lead us well. The professional photographer was a huge bonus, and he captured memories that will be cherished forever. I can’t wait to frame some of the pictures and enjoy the memories forever! Also, the lunch was one of my favorite meals of my whole trip. Truly delicious!!! I highly recommend this experience to all who are looking to meet and learn about elephants in an ethical way.
This is such a great experience that we actually repeated! You can spend the whole day with the elephants but respect their space at the same time. Meanwhile, the tour guide explains everything you need to know about them. The lunch is also delicious and vegetarian! At the end of the visit they bring you to the main shelter and you can see how they help other elephants. Soooo worth it!!!
We had a wonderful day walking with the elephants, our guide was very passionate about the work the park does and it showed in his knowledge with little stories about individual elephants. Great experience to be able to feed them, watch them swim, and Ben took great pictures for us, Highly recommended.
What an amazing experience! Ban Cha picked us up from our hotel and briefed us about the day’s schedule and the work of the foundation on the way to the sanctuary. We started off by preparing some watermelon and rice balls for the three beautiful female elephants we would be accompanying for a walk and then fed them what we’d prepared. The elephants have visibly different personalities. It’s hard to describe the awe of being so close to such a huge, majestic and gentle creature. Walking with them and having the privilege of petting them and feeding them bananas is something I will never forget (which was my husband’s plan in booking the experience on my 50th birthday!) Did you know that elephants, while huge, are very quiet? They can sneak silently right up behind you to beg for a banana – and they will! LOLAfter a leisurely stroll with our banana-loving friends (both canine and elephantine!), we stopped for a vegetarian lunch at a hillside platform with stunning views over the beautiful hills and valleys. Later, we also visited the main sanctuary where most of the herd (calves included) live.Important note to manage your expectations: this is an ethical sanctuary with elephants rescued from the tourist trade, illegal logging camps, street begging and circuses. Some are blind or have been injured by landmines or human cruelty. You cannot ride the elephants here and they’re not forced to entertain anyone, they’re just there to be awe-inspiring and beautiful and live out their lives in peace. If you can afford it, the package we had which included feeding and walking with our lovely ‘granny’ elephants was well worth it for those who want a more interactive experience without exploiting these amazing creatures.Good to know: bottled water is available at the start and at the lunch place, as are toilets and hand-washing facilities. There are cafes and gift shops at the main sanctuary. If you do the walk, wear good shoes for hiking on uneven terrain. You will get a bit mucky (how mucky depends on how much rain there’s been and how often you get nudged by a banana-seeking trunk!); you may also get sneezed on by an elephant! ? Bring a change of clothes (and mozzie repellent).
Such a privilege to spend a whole day with these gentle magnificent creatures. From the moment I arrived, it was clear that the well-being of the elephants is the top priority. The sanctuary is a safe haven for elephants rescued from abusive situations, and the staff is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about their work. They take the time to educate visitors about the individual stories of each elephant, highlighting their unique personalities and the challenges they’ve overcome. It’s heartwarming to see how these elephants thrive in an environment that respects their natural behaviors and needs.I highly recommend visiting this sanctuary to anyone who wants to learn more about elephants and support their conservation efforts. It’s an experience you won’t forget!
This was one of the best things I’ve ever done! It was so special. Such compassionate care of the elephants, truly kind people, great food, amazing photos from Ben, all of it! But getting to feed and walk beside such beautiful creatures was a once in a lifetime experience that I’ll never forget!
Wonderful full-day experience of caring for the elephants, feeding them, walking with the in their natural habitat, and visiting the elephant sanctuary in a small group of 10. Host was very informative and passionate about the work they are doing to rescue elephants and provide them with care and a safe home.
Wow, what an amazing day from Chiang Mai. We really had a wonderful time interacting with the elephants and the wonderful staff at the elephant nature park. Our guides, Bancha and Ben were so kind and entertaining through the whole day, and it was such a well-balanced day too. I am coeliac and they even prepared a special gluten free lunch for me, I was so grateful! They took some amazing photos for us too. Basically, if you’re in Chiang Mai don’t miss the opportunity of this tour. The half and full day tours of the nature park I’m sure are great, but not as interactive as this one. Highly recommend!!
The Care for Elephants tour is part of the Elephant Nature Park organization, research this organization, their founder set the standard for rescued elephant and elephant care in Thailand, and the region. She has won dozens of awards for her animal rescue work and the ENP organization invests in the localcommunity to empower local families to take part in ethical elephant treatment, coffee production, skills training and other efforts. The elephants in this experience are free to roam the jungle and while we loved feeding them it was great to see that they were able to forage themselves in their natural surroundings. The elephants were not forced to do any tricks, performance or even to bathe if they didn’t want to, the guides did a great job balancing our ability to walk with them as well as our safety, these are still massive, amazing creatures. We spent a lot of time with them but also had nice breaks to enjoy the mountain scenery and eat a wonderful lunch. This was a once in a lifetime, memorable experience, but most importantly, ethical program. Thank you!
We booked the Care for Elephants activity directly from the Elephant Nature Park website. Both of us agreed that this was our favorite activity of our Southeast Asia trip! Care for Elephants gave us a chance to interact up close with two elephants, feeding them treats and walking with them through the forest. We got lots of photo opportunities and time with the elephants, it was amazing to see them up close! The included lunch was fantastic, and at the end of the tour was a visit to the main Elephant Nature Park which gave us the chance to meet more elephants. If you are considering this tour, book it – you won’t be disappointed!
A truly fantastic experience and one not to be missed when visiting Chiang Mai and maybe even the Elephant Nature Park.These rescued elephants are now truly free from harm and abuse under the loving care of Mr. Ben and his mahouts. Thank you, Mr. Ben. ???
Don’t tell my husband, but this was the best day of my life. It’s been on my bucket list to pet an elephant and this is more that I could have dreamed of. We got to spend the entire day with two lovely lady elephants. We fed them, walked with them and walked in the water with them. We also had a delicious lunch. We had a professional photographer take the most beautiful pictures and send them to us. We also got a tour of the elephant nature park! The tour guide was incredible. I am so grateful for such a perfect day. I wholeheartedly recommend this tour. The elephants are so well taken care of and happy. It was such a joy! I hope I can come back!
This was a truly remarkable experience. Being able to walk among the elephants, feed them, and just spend time with them in nature was incredible. The elephants are so gentle, and it was amazing to learn all about the different ones who came to the center. We had lunch overlooking the jungle, which was beautiful. Also, Ben took amazing photos of us which he shared for no charge. All in all, so incredible and exceeded my expectations. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience.
The most amazing experience you can have in Chiang Mai. We were able to have so much time with these gentle giants. Everyone is concerned about “ethical” experiences and we saw the care and thought this project put into their practices. It exceeded our expectations. We found it truly amazing and then to top it off Ben the owner took amazing pictures and sent to us for free.
Wow- just wow. My husband and I spent our anniversary walking with the elephants and I don’t know if we can ever top that! We spent the entire day preparing food for two of their sweet elephants and walking with them as they ate and lounged by the river. Our guide has been working with the project for 16 years and was knowledgeable and had true compassion for these magnified animals. We also got to meet some of the other elephants at the park once our walk was complete. It’s been a dream of mine to have an up close encounter with elephants and this exceeded my wildest expectations! Would HIGHLY recommend!
We were in Thailand for 2 weeks, visiting various locations, doing and seeing lots of things and by far, this day with Care for Elephants was the main highlight and our best day. We knew Care For Elephants were as ethical as you can get but you also worry about it all being said and not being done. But this was the absolute level of care you would want to see for these previously abused and mistreated but incrediable gentle giants. We spent the day with two elephants, Jebo and Maeboo, 35 and 50 years old and they were such happy souls. We prepared their food, we walked with them in the jungle, we had lunch at the most amazing viewpoint up on the side of a large hill and we also spent time viewing some of the larger herds in the nature park itself. The guide (TOP) was amazing, passionate and very informative. The work this place is doing is nothing short of amazing. No riding, no bathing (although you can observe the elephants cooling themselves down in the river), no doing anything that is ‘entertaining’ to tourists, purely what is best for the elephants. So much so that they don’t run our event every day so to not intrude. Absolutely amazing and so glad we got to experience the fantastic work of this organisation.
The whole day was amazing. Caring for the elephants was a dream fulfilled. Lunch at the top with stunning views so beautiful. Our guides , Bee and Ben were passionate and looked after us well.