In recent years, Thailand’s elephant parks have come under scrutiny from animal activists and responsibly-minded travellers alike. Increasingly, tourists are seeking out elephant ‘sanctuaries’, where the welfare of the animals is paramount. While some would argue no animal should be kept in captivity, the following parks are actively involved in rescuing elephants and subsequently providing a high level of care and treatment.
Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort
For a full-on (and luxurious) elephant camp experience, splurge on a weekend at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort in the Golden Triangle area of northern Thailand. Established in 2003 as a traditional mahout village, the onsite elephant camp works alongside the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation to perform street rescues, and provide employment and a comfortable lifestyle for over 25 elephants and their mahout families. There are a number of programs for guests such as learning to “drive” an elephant at sunrise with mahout training, bathing an elephant in the river, going elephant trekking through native forests and more.
Baanchang Elephant Park
Adopting and rescuing elephants from unsuitable living conditions and illegal logging camps, Baanchang Elephant Park provides a home and a purpose for domesticated elephants. Reached via a 50-minute drive north of Chiang Mai, the park offers visitors a number of programs, with the Elephant Mahout Training program being an especially popular choice. You can spend one to three days as a mahout (there are on-site accommodations), learning all about the Thai Elephant, and their lifestyle and behaviour. This includes feeding, bathing and brushing your elephant, learning their basic commands and riding bareback around the hilly premises.
Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary
In 2015, Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary (located an hour north of Sukhothai) featured in Lonely Planet’s top 10 unforgettable family travel experiences. Along with this notable endorsement, the sanctuary’s British founder has been recognised for her conservation work by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. So all told, this sanctuary comes with plenty of credibility. Visitors can get involved in a variety of aspects related to elephant care, while the chance to hike with them into the forest to set up camp is an experience that’ll live long in the memory.
Chiang Mai Elephant Land
Chiang Mai Elephant land gives elephants ideal land on which to roam within many square kilometers of forests where the elephants can behave naturally. They promote ethical, sustainable, eco-friendly tourism and ensures your elephant experience does no harm to the animals or to the environment. From feeding to washing and bathing, hugging and holding, we offer your a unique opportunity to help care for there amazing creatures. Elephant Land is a special place for elephants and humans.
Elephant Habitat – Ethics Conservation
You can organise a full day workshop learning about how to take care of elephants, help feed them and learn about their natural habitats on an elephant walk through the jungle. There are opportunities to wash and take a bath with the elephants but please note, riding of the elephants in not allowed. The idea of this conversation project is to protect elephants and allow them to live in their natural environment.
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary is just that, a sanctuary for elephants where you can enjoy some quality time with the rescued elephants. A great family day out where kids can interact, play, touch, and feed the elephants. There are fun activities where you can help wash the elephants and enjoy Ginger Farm Chiang Mai a mud spa session and a river shower! Take home great memories but please don’t ask to ride the elephants as its
a big NO NO!
Elephant Nature Park
Elephant Nature Park is an elephant rescue and rehabilitation center in Chiang Mai where you can volunteer and visit to help. They have been involved in dozens of rescues which have created their thriving elephant herd. The park provides a natural environment for elephants, dogs, cats, buffaloes and many other animals under their care. They often host daily workshops so it’s worth checking their schedule in advance.
Elephant Poopoopaper Park
Playfully outrageous with a serious underlying message of sustainability!
A must – see attraction when traveling and touring in Chiang Mai, Thailand! Visit POO POO PAPER PARK where incredible, eco-friendly paper products are crafted from elephant poo and more!
Elephant Retirement Park
Former working elephants are given a new home at Elephant Retirement Park, a small elephant sanctuary around and hour’s drive outside of Chiang Mai. Just like Elephant Nature Park, there’s no riding the elephants and ‘taming’ instruments like rods and bull hooks are never used. As such, visitors are here to care for the park’s rescued residents. Duties include feeding, brushing, bathing and event making up herbal medicine. We recommend the private’ Special Program, which comes with the opportunity to care fore the oh-so-cute new born calf.
Elephant Freedom Project
Elephant Freedom Project provides a unique setting to experience our elephant sanctuary personally and intimately. We were formally established in 2016; however, our various tribe members have cared for these majestic creatures for more than twenty-five years. Our commitment has remained the same over all these years: providing a safe environment to house and care for rescued elephants. Our sanctuary is one hour from the City of Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Elephants World, Kanchanaburi
Located 32 km outside of Kanchanaburi, ElephantsWorld was established by a Thai vet to provide a sanctuary for disabled, injured, old, ill and former working elephants. Visitors are here strictly to work for the elephants, with duties including sourcing and preparing food, giving the elephants a good scrub in the River Kwai, and satisfying their sizeable appetites with lots of sticky rice and fruit. As part of the ‘Overnight’ program, visitors get to stay in a traditional Thai-style cottage beside the river with the chance to walk the elephants to and from the forest during the wet season.
Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary – Thailand
Our award winning sanctuary is run by Kindred Spirit Elephant Foundation, a registered NGO in Thailand. We opened our doors in May 2016, with the aim to bring as many elephants as possible back to their natural habitat whilst working on educating both the public and the locals about elephant treatment and try to combat illegal trade. We at Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary are passionate about elephant welfare and want our elephants to live their lives as naturally and with as little human influence as possible. We do not promote elephant rides or any form of elephant performance.
We also work very closely with the community of our village where the sanctuary is set. We provide an income for our community by creating homestays for the volunteers to stay, renting land, and creating jobs. We give back to our wonderful community by teaching English at the school, to the homestays and to the mahouts. We have won the Responsible Thailand Community Based Tourism Award, been commended by The World Responsible Tourism Animal Welfare Award and Thailand Green Excellence Animal Welfare Award.
Patara Elephant Farm
Patara Elephant Farm invites you to hands-on experience on participating, sharing responsibilities and taking care of an elephant. “Elephant Owner for a Day” is a special program created for everyone to learn and interact with elephants as what an owner would do daily, during which time you are trained to approach your elephant correctly, know the elephant’s temperament, feed and check its health, learn about and take care of your own elephant, bathe and brush it in the river, learn how to ride on its neck, and communicate throughdifferent spoken commands. You will get a chance to bare-back riding to visit forests, waterfalls or local temples. The program is specialized and meaningful activity to create trust and relationship between you and your elephant.
With conservation philosophy “Extinction is Forever”, Patara Elephant Farm honored to encourage people to try, at least once in their lives, to experience this very special and sacred animal that should be treasured. Give yourself an opportunity to share once-in-a-lifetime experience with the elephants; you will be touched by their beautiful hearts and will be brought closer to their special world.
Remark: The farm welcomes all including children, and those with disabilities.
Phuket Elephant Sanctuary
Pioneering ethical elephant tourism in Phuket, the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary provides a home for sick, injured, tired, or old elephants who have previously worked for tourism entertainment or in the logging industry. Here, amidst the forest bordering the Khao Phra Thaeo National Park, visitors can spend a morning feeding, walking with, and observing the gentle giants as they roam freely, socialise with other elephants, and bathe in the freshwater lagoons. Week-long volunteer opportunities are also available
