Finding An Ethical Elephant Experience in Thailand

Visiting with elephants in Thailand is easily the most sought after tourist attraction. There are several options available due to the high demand, but very few that practice ethical tourism when it comes to the elephant’s best interest. I would encourage you to do your research and book an experience that does not include elephant riding (with or without the harness) and make sure there is no elephant painting on the program’s itinerary. After doing my own research I settled on Elephant Jungle Sanctuary.

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary is one of the newer programs in the Chiang Mai area. With over 3,500 wild elephants in Thailand, the locals and members of the Karen-Hill tribe opened the first Elephant Jungle Sanctuary park with with the mission of protecting and supporting these rescue animals. Since opening in 2014, they have expanded to three new cities in Thailand. They now care for over 50 elephants across all locations.

Should you decide to visit Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, just know you will be participating in ethical tourism while supporting a great program! The funds from visitors day trips are primarily used for elephant rescue, food, veterinary care, infrastructure and land so that they can continue to expand their project and receive more elephants.

I’ve included all of the details on my own experience so you know what to expect when visiting Elephant Jungle Sanctuary for their full day visit.

Full Day Visit To Elephant Jungle Sanctuary – What to Expect

We got picked up from our hotel in Chiang Mai in an off-road ready truck and were transported about 1.5 hours through the country side of Northern Thailand. The ride itself was very rough since the drive includes winding through unfinished rural roads. If you do get car sick I highly recommend you take medication for motion sickness prior to being picked up.

Once you arrive at Elephant Jungle Sanctuary you will be greeted and given your Karen tribal top to wear for the day. The elephants actually recognize you as volunteers in this attire which will help them see you as a non-threat.

You will go through an orientation learning about the program, the agenda for the day, and how your contributions directly support the gentle giants. From the base of the camp you could see the elephants roaming freely on the grounds. It was great to be able to see them enjoying the large open space before directly interacting with them.

Feeding Elephants at Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

There are three families at the Chiang Mai location, ages ranging from 15 months – 55 years old and you are able to interact with all three of them. Once the day of volunteering actually kicked off, the first thing we did was feed one of the three elephant families. We were each given a bushel of bananas and shown exactly how to feed them. You can put the food directly into their mouths, or offer it to them with an open hand so they grasp it with their trunks to feed themselves. This was a great initial interaction with the elephants since they were really excited to approach us knowing we had food for them. Although these are wild animals, you can tell they are very comfortable with human interaction. I felt very safe the entire time and the care takers continued to encouraged us to have free interaction with the animals.

After we were done feeding them their bananas we were instructed to return back up to the base of the camp to carry down more food for them. This time it was sugar canes and corn stalk. The elephants will spend over 12 hours a day eating and can eat anywhere from 200-600 lbs, so as a volunteer you are actually working to ensure the animals needs are met.

I had plenty of time to get great pictures and videos before we moved on to the next interaction.

Interacting with Elephants at Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

Once we were done feeding the first family of elephants, we navigated through the massive camp towards the group of baby elephants. These younger elephants were much more curious and energetic compared to the adults. We didn’t feed them, but we did get to give them attention and affection for a good half hour or so before moving on to meet the oldest elephants at the camp. The senior elephants were far less interested in our groups presence. They were just looking to relax and bask in the sun. This was a great moment to just observe their interactions up close in nature.

Thai Lunch Buffet

The Full day visit to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary included a traditional Northern Thai Buffet. We enjoyed chicken curry, steamed vegetables, fried chicken, and steamed rice while taking a break in the shade. It gave us a chance to chat with and get to know the other travelers in the group.

Preparing Rice Balls For The Elephants

After lunch wrapped up we moved on to preparing rice balls for the elephants at the base of the camp. These rice balls were made by combining cooked and uncooked rice, bananas, lime juice, and water in a giant mortar and pestle. The caretakers explained that the elephants are fed this in an effort to help their digestive tracks. Once the rice balls were formed, we each carried two down to feed to the senior elephants.

Mud Bath and Waterfall Play with the Elephants

Part of the full day experience included the opportunity to help the elephants cool off by participating in giving the gentle giants a mud bath. You could really tell they were excited for this when they were brought back out to us. They immediately lied down on their sides and expected us to start padding them with mud in an effort to help keep them cool. Not only does the mud help protect them from over exposure of the sun, but the mud also helps keep away insects.

The waterfall play was not so much about serving the elephants the way the rest of the day had been structured. It gave us an opportunity to really see them enjoying themselves in a natural setting.

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary vs Elephant Nature Park

I want to start off by saying both Elephant Jungle Sanctuary and Elephant Nature Park are amazing programs that support a really great cause. You will have an amazing experience at either! That being said, I thought it could be helpful to share why I ended up going with one over the other.

Why I chose Elephant Jungle Sanctuary –

• I wanted to support a less established program in the Chiang Mai region that is also trying to do good by these animals
• Elephant Jungle Sanctuary’s experience runs in smaller groups which means more individual interaction with the elephants and a more intimate experience overall
• I spoke with friends who had visited both and they mentioned that Elephant Nature Park had more restricted interactions with the animals in comparison to Elephant Jungle sanctuary

Tips For a Successful Visit to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

• Book in advance – This is the one experience you want to be sure to book in advance. Avoid disappointment of your dates being sold out and lock down the date you plan to visit as soon as you book your flight!
• Bring your camera and GoPro – Are there lockers at Elephant Jungle Sanctuary? No, there are not. I knew this and decided to leave my DSLR and GoPro back at the hotel. I regretted it as soon as I arrived and assessed the situation for myself. There is a place for you to store your belongings and the group is together at all times so you will be ok to leave your camera for the mud bath for example. I only encourage you because I wish I brought mine in hindsight.
• Shoes- Wear flip flops or shoes you won’t mind getting ruined. They will get muddy!
• Bring sunscreen and mosquito repellent – There is no shade available until you are back at the main camp for lunch. You are also in a very remote heavily wooded area so there are a lot of mosquitoes. This is something I neglected to bring and paid the price for.

 

If you have any other questions on what to expect at Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, please leave a comment and I will be sure to respond!