One of the most popular things to do in Thailand is spend time with elephants, most tourists will take an elephant ride however often the elephants used for rides in the main tourists destinations are mistreated and these places should be avoided. For the tourist who wants to spend time with elephants at a place that cares for elephants and treats them well I have put together a list of the best places in Thailand to visit reputable elephant sanctuaries.
They are ordered by location, not by best to worst. I have been to a few and know people who have been to some of the others. While I can only provide recommendations on places I have been or friends have been, this does not mean the other places aren’t equally as good or better, it just means I have no reference or experience to provide recommendations.
Northern Thailand
Elephant Nature Park
Location: Chiang Mai
Info: “Elephant Nature Park is a unique project set in Chiang Mai province, Northern Thailand. Established in the 1990′s our aim has always been to provide a sanctuary and rescue centre for elephants. The park is located some 60km from the city, and has provided a sanctuary for dozens of distressed elephants from all over Thailand.
Set in a natural valley, bordered by a river, and surrounded by forested mountains the area offers a timeless glimpse of rural life.” – Website
Cost:
One Day visit: 2,500 baht
Overnight Visit: 5,800 baht
Weekly Volunteer: 12,000 baht
Journey to Freedom weekly volunteer: 15,000 baht
Information about options and current pricing can be found at the below link:
http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/enp/en/visit-volunteer
Recommendation: I have been here, along with my parents and friends who strongly care about elephant conservation on separate occasions. Day trips are great and the longer volunteer stays are also enjoyable. Highly recommended.
Website: http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/
Thai Elephant Conservation Centre
Location: Lampang (near Chiang Mai)
Info: “The Thai Elephant Conservation Center (TECC), founded in 1993 under Royal Patronage, cares for more than 50 Asian elephants in a beautiful forest conveniently located near the famous city of Chiang Mai. Beyond being an exciting tourist experience, the TECC is also known for its pioneering work in conservation and science. The TECC also proudly houses six of HM King Bhumibol’s ten white elephants in the Royal Elephant Stables.” – Website
Cost:
Day Visit – 200 baht for adults
Overnight stay – 500 Baht/room/three person or 1000-1500 Baht/room for two people at the Elephant Resort.
One day trek – 4,000 baht
Two day trek – 8,500 baht
Trekking info: http://www.thailandelephant.org/en/trekking.html
One day homestay – 4,000 baht
Two day homestay – 6,300 baht
Three day homestay – 9,000 baht
Homestay info: http://www.thailandelephant.org/en/homestay.html
Recommendation: I haven’t been here and don’t know anyone who has so I can’t provide any personal recommendations on this place. It may be best to do a bit more research on this place before going or look at the other recommended options.
Website: http://www.thailandelephant.org/en/
Baan Chang Elephant Park
Location: Chiang Mai
Info: “Baanchang Elephant Park is dedicated to providing elephants with the highest quality-of-life possible.
We are AGAINST the practice of separating baby elephants from their mother. However, it is our policy to accept and provide care for orphaned baby elephants. Sadly, babies are often orphaned as the cruel result of commercial exploitation (such as a practice known as “elephant begging”) and mistreatment. Fortunately, at present, all of the babies in our park have NOT been separated from their mother.
The location of our park was chosen to provide a natural habitat. We are also AGAINST the practice of elephant painting and the training of elephants to dance and to sit or stand on two legs. We consider these practices unnatural and abusive. Our goal is to teach visitors about the importance elephant preservation and proper eating, sleeping, bathing, and exercising methods. One method of providing exercise for our elephants and a learning experience for our visitors is to allow visitors, to a limited extent, to ride elephants “bareback.” As you can imagine, caring for exploited and abused elephants is a continuous, difficult, and costly process. We need and encourage volunteerism and contributions.” – Website
Cost: Prices vary greatly depending on private tour, group tour and the time of the tours, a list of prices can be found at the below link:
Website: http://www.baanchangelephantpark.com/course/
Recommendation: I haven’t been here and don’t know anyone who has so I can’t provide any personal recommendations on this place. It may be best to do a bit more research on this place before going or look at the other recommended options.
Website: http://www.baanchangelephantpark.com/
Central Thailand
Boon Lot’s Elephant Sanctuary
Location: Sukhothai (Central Thailand about half way between Bangkok and Chiang Mai)
Info: “BLES strives to rescue and protect the elephants of Thailand from abuse and ultimate extinction. We provide a safe home where we focus on individual survival and growth in numbers. BLES allows elephants to interact in a natural environment that encourages breeding. Additionally, we offer support and advice to local elephant owners who may lack sufficient funds to care for their animals. We are deeply committed to our village community and provide jobs and housing to several mahouts and their families. We encourage local participation in BLES activities and promote education about elephants and their plight as well as the environment. To realize its mission, BLES has targeted goals in protection, expansion, and education.”
Cost: 5,000 baht per person per night
Recommendation: I have friends who are very concerned about animal welfare and chose this one above all the others. It is more expensive than some of the other options however they spent a week there and they highly recommend it.
Website: http://www.blesele.org/
Royal Elephant Kraal & village (Elephantstay)
Location: Ayutthaya (one hour outside of Bangkok)
Info: “Elephantstay operates under the Phra Kochabaan Foundation, a registered non-profit organisation. Therefore, your participation in the program directly benefits the welfare of our retired elephants. The program involves living with, caring and learning about elephants. Everyday you will ride, feed, water and bathe your elephant in the river. Guided by English speaking professionals in a program tht allows you to form a personal relationship with your elephant and be a part of practical elephant conservation.” – Website
Cost:
No one day program however the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace offers 1 day elephant visits from 200 baht which helps support the program.
Prices vary depending on how many people are caring for an elephant, below prices are for 1 person caring for 1 elephant:
3 days/2 nights – 12,000 baht(15,000 baht in peak season) +3,500 baht each additional day
7 days/6 nights – 21,000 baht(25,000 baht in peak season) +3,000 baht each additional day
14 days/13 nights – 40,000 baht(42,000 baht in peak season) +2,800 baht each additional day
Details of all packages and current prices can be found at the below link:
http://www.elephantstay.com/packages.html
Recommendation: I have been here and I also know people who have stayed & volunteered here, recommended.
Website: http://www.elephantstay.com/
Erawan Elephant Retirement Park
Location: Erawan (near Kanchanaburi) about 3 hours from Bangkok
Info: “Located approximately 50 kilometers from Kanchanaburi, Thailand, the Erawan Elephant Retirement Park is the newest project sponsored by the Save Elephant Foundation. The first elephants to call the park home arrived in early July, 2013. All the resident elephants are former tourism elephants, rescued from trekking camps, street-begging or performance shows.
Spread over 50 acres, the facility operates similarly to Elephant Nature Park and volunteers will help maintain the retirement property, as well as assist the mahouts with the elephants.” – Website
Costs: 12,000 baht per week, volunteer stay available from one to four weeks.
Info on costs:
http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/enp/en/visit-volunteer/projects/viewproperty/erawan-elephant-retirement-park-weekly-volunteer/48/
Recommendation: I haven’t been here and don’t know anyone who has so I can’t provide any personal recommendations on this place however it is connected to the Save Elephant Foundation and the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai so I would assume it is in line with those same standards and experience.
It may be best to do a bit more research on this place before going or look at the other recommended options.
Website: http://www.saveelephant.org/erawan-elephant-retirement-park/
Eastern/North Eastern Thailand
The Surin Project
Info: “The Surin project is a new and innovative project focussed on finding solutions to the challenges faced by mahouts and their elephants in Surin province in North-Eastern Thailand. It is committed to improving the living conditions of Asian elephants and providing sustainable economic revenue for their mahouts in the local community.” – website
Location: Surin (Eastern Thailand near the Cambodian border)
Cost: 6 days / 5 nights – 13,000 baht
http://www.surinproject.org/volunteering.html
Recommendation: I haven’t been here and don’t know anyone who has so I can’t provide any personal recommendations on this place however it is connected to the Save Elephant Foundation and the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai so I would assume it is in line with those same standards and experience.
It may be best to do a bit more research on this place before going or look at the other recommended options.
Website: http://www.surinproject.org/
Save Elephant Foundation and information:
Southern Thailand
I am not aware of any respectable places to volunteer with elephants in the South of Thailand, the South of Thailand is full of islands and beaches and is not the usual environment or ideal conditions for Elephants.
There are conservation programs with other animals in Southern Thailand. If you know of any please with elephants comment below or send through the information.
Elephants in other countries near Thailand
Some other places focused on Elephant conservation in countries bordering Thailand are below:
Burma (Myanmar)
Green Hill Valley Elephant camp
Location: Kalaw – Central Burma (Myanmar) in the middle of the country, closer to Mandalay than Yangon
Info: “We have 7 elephants at the moment and old timber elephants are having their retirement at the camp with our medical care, while other healthy elephants are helping us in tourism.
“Elephants are elephants” we like to see them in their own nature. We want you to see “Elephant as Elephant”.A visit to Green Hill Valley camp is seeing conservation of elephants and their nature” – Website
Costs: Email enquiry sent, no response received, internet is terrible in Burma(Myanmar)
Recommendation: I haven’t been here but I am planning on visiting this place when I am in Burma, unfortunately I have been unable to get in contact with them as yet.
Website: http://www.ghvelephant.com/
Cambodia
Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary
Location: Near Siem Reap in Cambodia
Info: “The Save Elephant Foundation is working within the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary to protect and conserve 1 million acres of jungle habitat, approximately one hour north of Angkor Wat. The project spans 25,000 acres and aims to protect the land and all of the native species, flora and fauna, that call it home, including tigers, monkeys, buffalos, and of course, the Asian elephant.
Initially, this project will focus on tree planting and restoring the region’s forest and combatting the illegal logging that has taken place. Other goals for the Elephant Sanctuary Cambodia are plant and wildlife identification, seed collecting, trail-making and educational outreach. Be a part of this project from its grass-roots!” – website
Cost: 12,000 baht per week, volunteer stay available from one to three weeks.
Info on costs:
http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/enp/en/22-elephant-sanctuary-cambodia-weekly-volunteer
Recommendation: I haven’t been here and don’t know anyone who has so I can’t provide any personal recommendations on this place. It states that it is in the early stages and at the time of writing may just be setting up the program.
It is connected to the Save Elephant Foundation and the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai so I would assume once it is established it will be in line with those same standards and experience.
It may be best to do a bit more research on this place before going or look at the other recommended options.
Website: http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/enp/en/visit-volunteer/projects/viewproperty/cambodia-elephant-sanctuary-cambodia-weekly-volunteer/49/?thisProperty=49
Final note on this list:
This is not a complete list of places to volunteer with elephants in Thailand however this is a good start to help you choose the place that is right for you whether it is a day trip to spend time with elephants or a month volunteering.
I strongly urge tourists to do research about how animals are treated before going to places overseas with animals and only choose places that treat animals humanely and don’t exploit them for entertainment. You really can help to make a positive impact in countries when you travel just by the choices that you make of where to visit and spend your money.
I enjoyed putting this information together as I am passionate about volunteering with animals and I look forward to creating more information about volunteering and conservation programs in the future.
Please feel free to contact me to provide more information, feedback on the places listed above or information on other conservation and volunteer programs with animals around the world.
