Elephants in Thailand have experienced many different phases. The current phase, thankfully, is more focused on conservation. Elephants can symbolize many things including strength and wisdom, memory and longevity, good luck and fortune, and spirituality. In the past they were used as in multiple countries for logging and transportation. In today’s world, they are often found in sanctuaries. When it comes to visiting a sanctuary, it is important to do your research to determine if it is an ethical location. As tourists it is our duty to do our best to encourage ethical experiences that protect animals. Here is our experience at an elephant encounter in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Where is Chiang Mai?
Located in the northern part of the mainland of Thailand, Chiang Mai is a town of ~127,000 people. It is well known for the art, history, and culture that can be explored throughout the town and surrounding area. Each year people flock to the area for the lantern festival. That’s another ethical conversation for a different post.
The city is extremely walkable. We chose to stay near the south eastern corner of the main square made up by the mote. This was perfect as to not be right in the middle of the city but still close enough to access anything we needed. Instead of renting a vehicle, we scheduled a Grab for 8 hours one day to go outside of the city. A perfect combination of experiences.
The Elephant Encounter
Elephants are stunning and majestic animals. So much so that I have an elephant tattoo. One of the most common things people do on their visit is an elephant encounter. It is a big reason people come to this area. As stated before, it is important to try to find one that you believe is ethical. Generally that means they do not ride the elephants, force them to do anything they don’t want to do, and don’t use physical harm to control the animals.
As you go around town, there will be people trying to sell these experiences to you along with other tours. We chose to book ours online so that we could see people’s reviews of the location and treatment of the animals.
Here is the breakdown of everything we did on our experience
Elephant Snacks
After being picked up from our hotel, we arrived at the elephant sanctuary. This is where we were provided shirts to keep ours clean. They had large baskets of sugar cane and bananas. In the pen was a mom and baby elephant. After providing us safety information they let us give the mom and baby snacks. We all watched in awe as the baby played with a dog that was her best friend.
Our guide grabbed a few more baskets of snacks and we headed out to the large open field to meet the other ladies. In total there were around 6 adult elephants at the sanctuary. Each one had a name and a fun personality. My favorite was the elderly momma of the group. With a simple word the elephants would lift their trunks to accept food or give you a kiss on the cheek. It was then time for their daily walk down to the river. Once again, no elephants were harmed in this process. They used the food to encourage them to walk and they all seemed perfectly content to go to the river.
Bath Time with the Elephants
Down by the river we were provided space to leave our bags. They showed us how they grind up elephant food while we all put on sunscreen for the next part; bath time. After another short walk, we arrived at the mud pit. This is where the elephants cool down using the mud. A couple completely laid down and rolled over! The others relaxed while we applied mud to their bodies. We recommend taking off your shoes if possible for this portion or wearing water shoes. Sandals will likely sink and get stuck in the mud.
After getting thoroughly covered in mud, another short walk brought us back by the river. Here everyone jumped into the water to rinse off, including the elephants. They found great joy in spraying water at everyone much to the guides’ delight. The water was chilly but they all seemed to enjoy it. Check out the video to see this portion in action.
The Waterfall
As the elephants went back to their resting area in the field, our guide took us on a trek through the jungle. The trek brought us directly to a large waterfall. Crossing the rickety bamboo bridge delivers you to the base of the area. With a quick dropping of items, everyone headed towards the jumping off rock. With a strong tide it was important to be fully prepared to start swimming right after jumping in. The guide kept a close watch to ensure everyone remained safe in the frigid water.
Jumping in was optional and there were not any life jackets. Assess your own comfort levels any time you plan to swim at waterfalls in Thailand, or even in other countries. A deck area had been built near the falls. This was perfect for warming up in the sun and to get videos as people jumped into the water.
Lunch
More often than not, guided tours will offer lunch. The guide led the way back to the first area we visited with the mom and baby. Here they provided us with a box lunch of rice, chicken, vegetables, and fruit. A very traditionally expected lunch for this area. Bathrooms were available at this location. If you have dietary restrictions, it is best to inform the guides ahead of time if possible. Sometimes if scheduling online there is a box for notes that you can list it in. If scheduling in person, mention it at the time of scheduling rather than day of. We have found the tours in Thailand to be extremely accommodating.
Bamboo Rafting
The final portion of the tour concluded when they loaded us in trucks and went a bit further up the river. Many men were atop bamboo rafts held together by old rubber tire bits. They each had a very long bamboo stick to help direct the raft. Two to three people were set on each raft before floating down the river. Expect to get wet at this point as the rafts do not have proper bottoms so water comes through between the bamboo sticks. Miniature falls had us holding our breaths in hope that we didn’t flip!
The jungle was beautiful to watch from the river. Many other retreats lined the side of the river where people were staying and were locals were living. It was fun to watch the local kids playing in the river along the way. The landing point had bathrooms and a small shop. The bathrooms were very wet and dirty. We quickly changed while trying to not set anything on the ground. The shop offered t-shirts and snacks. Our guide provided everyone with a bottle of water for the drive back.
Conclusion
Once loaded back up in the trucks they brought us to the vans by the starting point. From here we were taken back to the hotels. Overall we really liked this experience. We felt like the sanctuary was ethical and kind to the animals. All the elephants were rescues and now living out their days in this jungle/field area. They were well provided for with plenty of food and space to roam. Each elephant had a worker they were bonded to that spent every day with them. The workers ensured everyone was being kind and respectful to the animals.
This is a tour we would recommend to anyone interested in getting a closer experience to the elephants in Thailand! As always do your research to find one that you believe is ethical. Explore the links below to see if one is the right fit for you!
Packing List:
- Waterproof Phone Case
- GoPro or Insta360 with waterproof case
- Tissues for the bathroom
- Sanitizing Wipes
- Sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, swimsuit, towel
- Solid shoes for walking on uneven ground, (Chacos or Tevas are great)
Like this post and want more about Thailand? Check out our other Thailand posts!
