Which Elephant Center In Chiang Mai Area?

[malamala]

The elephants were always mysterious creatures for me, I have been reading many posts on the subject of visiting the elephant training centers, shows etc. Some centers let you take care of your own elephant for a day, others are just to show what tricks these stunning animals can do.

I would rather enjoy my time tending to them then watching them to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

Still there are several centers around Chiang Mai, which one would you recommend?

Some of them some with very steep price tag, which I am not sure if it is justifiable.

Found some:

Pattara www.pataraelephantfarm.com

Baan Chang elephant Park http://www.baanchangelephantpark.com/course/

Elephant Nature park www.elephantnaturepark.org/tour/tour_1d.htm

The Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang http://www.changthai.com/

thank you for the feedback, comments, ideas.

[Goshawk]

although i've never actually been in it, but i've driven by it countless times.. the Maesa Elephant Camp after the waterfall & near the Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden looks ok. I believe its one of the longest established & has possibly the largest population of elephants in the north..

then again, camps Per se aren't really my thing.. Going to Nam Nao NP or Khao Yai NP amongst others and tracking/watching wild elephants is much more rewarding, albeit with a certain amount of danger involved.. but thats just me..

[bangkokcitylimits]

Go to one where they care about the phants and protect them, instead of to the commercials ones where they abuse and exploit them by let them do stupid tricks and shows (the ones where the taxis bring you to receive provision paid by yourself) You can also visit an elephant hospital.

Torture of baby elephants

[november222]

if i have visitors i take them to the elephant training centre in chiang dao. a bit further out of town, but beautiful surroundings.

[garyh]

The Royal Thai Elephant Conservatory at Lampang is definitely worth a visit. They also do a lot of work caring for sick and injured Elephants such as one that had it's foot blown off by a land mine.

[gotlost]

The Royal Thai Elephant Conservatory at Lampang is definitely worth a visit. They also do a lot of work caring for sick and injured Elephants such as one that had it's foot blown off by a land mine.

I agree with garyh they have the best in northern Thailand.

http://www.thaielephanttraining.com/?page_id=96

[lannarebirth]

Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang is the one you want IMO.

[Dellboy218]

although i've never actually been in it, but i've driven by it countless times.. the Maesa Elephant Camp after the waterfall & near the Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden looks ok. I believe its one of the longest established & has possibly the largest population of elephants in the north..

then again, camps Per se aren't really my thing.. Going to Nam Nao NP or Khao Yai NP amongst others and tracking/watching wild elephants is much more rewarding, albeit with a certain amount of danger involved.. but thats just me..

This one is fine if you want to see an elephants kicking a football playing a harmonica and if you want to buy an elephant painting. The elephant centres mentioned by others are much better if you find these activities a turn off.

[Goshawk]

I agree with garyh they have the best in northern Thailand.

ooh.. been to them all have you ?

actually the one in Lampang is one of the very few zoo's (sorry, elephant training centre/camps ) that i have visited as Mrs G's mum lives just down the road from it..

i would say it is nothing out of the ordinary, and certainly not the 'best in northern Thailand' (whatever that means) as you say..

its worth a visit, but no more so than any of the other's listed already here.. All of them have the 'sideshow' element to them.. tricks and all..

If i had to nail down one good elephant refuge in the north, it would probably be the one far off the tourist trail near Chiang Saen in Chiang Rai district.. i forget the name, but they are a group of Uni Prof's doing great stuff with rescued, injured & rehabilitated Changs..

alas, no football & painting's shows here folks.. (i discovered the place while on a recent bird of prey study around the Yonok Wetlands area)

i'll say it again.. you want to see elephants in Thailand ? ....forget the zoo's, go & seek them in the wild (while their still there... ) you'll feel a whole lot better for it......

(although one could argue that the protected National Parks themselves are nothing more than just a massive 'managed zoo', in reality thats all they are... but lets not go there... )

Edited October 23, 2010 by Goshawk

[NolaK]

You want to go to The Elephant Nature Park. It is the most intelligent day trip out of Chiang Mai. There are no rides or stupid tricks, yet they have formatted their program to make for a wonderful experience. They also have multi day volunteer opportunities. Visit Elephant Nature Park’s website to learn more about their various programs.

By going with them you will come home proud that your money went to this organization and not some pseudo-sanctuary. I get more positive feedback on this program than from almost any other around the world. Enjoy! Nola Kelsey (Author of '700 Places to Volunteer Before You Die: A Travelers Guide' and 'The Voluntary Traveler’)

[malamala]

thank you for the nice varied opinions Which ones did you visit yourself versus hearsay?

[butterisbetter]

I would highly recommend the elephant conservation center in Lampang. I did the "mahout" course, a few times. I am under no illusion about me being anything close to a mahout, but you do get to stay in the camp overnight and spend lots of time with the elephants.. this is the place where they have an elephant hospital. Supat, who lives at the camp and coordinates one of the programs lives for elephants and has established a very well managed program

another camp i recomment is the Mae Tang elephant camp. Right now they are raising money to build a second elephant hospital in Northern Thailand. At night they let the elephants loose to go up the mountain, forage and dow whatever else it is that elephants do. the elephants come back in the morning because the camp has a guaranteed supply of food for them and when you need up to 300 pounds of forage in a day, that's apparently an irresistible temptation.

[Johpa]

The tricks and novelties at the Mae Sa Camp provide food and medical care to a rather large population of elephants that would otherwise be in rather sad shape. The staged events at Mae Sa may not be to everyone's tastes, but it is the largest provider and care giver to pachyderms in the Kingdom. Apart from some internecine politics, most of the larger elephant camps share a common vision of providing and caring for the animals and share veterinarian knowledge gained over the past 20 years.

[jackr]

Mae Sa also provides a lot of tourist wonga into greedy little human pockets. It'a a nice setting, but is more than a little contrived and extremely touristy.

[Loaded]

if i have visitors i take them to the elephant training centre in chiang dao. a bit further out of town, but beautiful surroundings.

I like this one as it fits in nicely with a weekend away at the Chiang Dao Nest 1 or 2. A bit off topic but I prefer 2 as it's quieter and the restaurant specializes in Thai food rather than gourmet farang.

[NolaK]

thank you for the nice varied opinions Which ones did you visit yourself versus hearsay?

RE: Where have I been? That is a fair question. While there is a difference between hearsay and research by those who write about these things for a living (by the way I am a zoologist), I myself have also been onsite at five of the local elephant “camps, treks, facilities… “including Lampang, Maesa, ENP… and my recommendation is still Elephant Nature Park – hands down.

There are some other interesting options for both sanctuaries and field work around Thailand, but for the Chiang Mai area and what it sounds like you are looking for ENP is it.

[Johpa]

Mae Sa also provides a lot of tourist wonga into greedy little human pockets. It'a a nice setting, but is more than a little contrived and extremely touristy.

I have known the owner for many years and yes, he has prospered from this successful business venture that has been around for decades now, but "greedy" is not an adjective I would use for one of the most generous Thai men I have ever met. The Mae Sa Elephant camp provides a heck of a lot of employment and job security to many, many people who would otherwise be living on the edge, including minorities and one other group that would be unemployable anywhere else in Thailand.

[PoorSucker]

Chiang Dao.

[november222]

nolak's endorsement is based on his personal experience and not on hearsay. i recall the owner of elephant national park being on the front cover of time magazine a few years ago, as asian hero of the year. nice one.

time asia

Edited October 25, 2010 by sbk

[RichT]

I can personally vouch for Elephant Nature Park - I took my sister, brother-in-law and two nieces (12 and 8) there earlier this year and it was one of the highpoints of their visit to Thailand. You won't find any elephants playing football or "painting" pictures: it's more conservation and rehabilitation focussed but there's still plenty of hands on experience with the elephants.

Obviously you can choose to believe rumour from unspecified and unverifiable sources but with minimal research you can check out its credentials yourself. To quote directly from their website:

The park has received numerous awards from institutions including the Smithsonian. The founder was named Asian Hero of the Year by Time magazine in 2005 and the park has been featured in many international publications including National Geographic magazine as well as feature documentaries from respected film production companies - Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Animal Planet, BBC, CNN, KTV, RAI, major Thai language TV channels, printed press and radio stations.

There are external links to the appropriate sections of the listed organisations' own websites on ENP's "In The Media" page so you can easily verify these claims for yourself rather than take their word for it (I clicked on Animal Planet, Time Magazine and National Geographic myself just now and they were all genuine).

tl;dr: a big thumbs up for Elephant Nature Park from RichT

[sbk]

libellous post removed. lets mind the forum rules, thanks

[RichT]

Obviously you can choose to believe rumour from unspecified and unverifiable sources but with minimal research you can check out its credentials yourself.

In case you're wondering what on earth I'm talking about here, it's a response to the libellous post that's just been removed by sbk, rather than a broadbrush attempt to insult all the other posters on the forum which it appears to be now the quote from that post is missing!

Edited October 25, 2010 by RichT

[RichT]

Here's some pix from our day at Elephant Nature Park to give you some idea of the activities and surroundings:

Edited October 25, 2010 by RichT

[IanForbes]

Thank you for the topic, Malamala. I love elephants, and although I'm like Goshawk and prefer them in the wild, I also know that it isn't practical for most people restricted by time to try and find wild creatures in their native habitat. It's sort of like fish ponds where you pay for an afternoon's pleasure of fishing in relative comfort, and with a good expectation of catching something. Trying to do it on your own in a wilderness setting is much more challenging and rewarding mentally, but much less rewarding in actual results.

[PoorSucker]

And let the mahut do the riding....

[Spaniel]

One poster mentioned seeing elephants in the wild. Well, good luck with that although not impossible. Since 1995 we have been camping in Khao Yai NP 4 or 5 times a year and we have seen wild elephants only three times. It is great when you do come accross them. We have been to the Elephant Nature Park and also recommend it too.

[T_Dog]

Don't discount the elephant camps up the Mae Taeng River. There are a couple together, and then if you climb up over a pass and back down to the valley again, there is a camp in a very natural setting where they seem to care a lot about them. Can't remember the name of that camp at the moment, but it seems to be well run, and they don't have the elephants do tricks for cash.

[Flatouthruthefog]

Don't discount the elephant camps up the Mae Taeng River. There are a couple together, and then if you climb up over a pass and back down to the valley again, there is a camp in a very natural setting where they seem to care a lot about them. Can't remember the name of that camp at the moment, but it seems to be well run, and they don't have the elephants do tricks for cash.

This indeed is Elephant Nature Park, and they don't come any more natural unless you want to spend hopeful weeks in the jungle.

Almost every animal (and there were 33 at the last count, including several babies) have been rescued from abusive owners or just plain bad conditions or disease by the Foundation that runs it.

This shows that the els don't have to do tricks and give treks to be enjoyed, just for what they are, one of the most loved and interesting animals in the world.

The Park's office is on a corner on Moon Muang Rd, south of Thapae Gate and you can get a mini bus from there. At the Park, the inclusive all-you-can-eat Thai buffet is also excellent. A truly great and educational family day out.

[IanForbes]

What i do hate to see is elephants chained to a stake. Elephants almost rival humans in intelegence and they are very communal. Chaining one to a stake is inhuman and cruel. My heart goes out to them standing there swinging their trunk back and forth in boredom.

[T_Dog]

Don't discount the elephant camps up the Mae Taeng River. There are a couple together, and then if you climb up over a pass and back down to the valley again, there is a camp in a very natural setting where they seem to care a lot about them. Can't remember the name of that camp at the moment, but it seems to be well run, and they don't have the elephants do tricks for cash.

This indeed is Elephant Nature Park, and they don't come any more natural unless you want to spend hopeful weeks in the jungle.

Almost every animal (and there were 33 at the last count, including several babies) have been rescued from abusive owners or just plain bad conditions or disease by the Foundation that runs it.

This shows that the els don't have to do tricks and give treks to be enjoyed, just for what they are, one of the most loved and interesting animals in the world.

The Park's office is on a corner on Moon Muang Rd, south of Thapae Gate and you can get a mini bus from there. At the Park, the inclusive all-you-can-eat Thai buffet is also excellent. A truly great and educational family day out.

Thanks FlatOut! That is indeed the place. We found it to be the most welcoming and educational of all the camps around.