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The elephant is a revered creature in Thailand. So much so it’s the national symbol. But in many places, these beautiful creatures are forced to do circus tricks, beg on the street, and give rides to people despite their well-being. So we couldn’t have been happier when we stumbled across the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, which promotes responsible tourism and the ethical treatment of elephants. Here you can feed them, give them a mud bath, and wash the elephants – with no elephant riding!
Why No Elephant Riding?
Highly advertised through pamphlets and billboards, it’s hard to escape the lure of elephant trekking in Thailand. Something so popular couldn’t be all that bad, could it? Riding an elephant is just like riding a horse, right?
Before coming to Thailand, we admit not knowing what elephants go through in the logging and tourism businesses. Like many other tourists, we simply were unaware of what happened behind closed doors and assumed that training an elephant to do labor, tricks, or to be ridable was similar to training a horse. It didn’t take long for us to be turned off by the idea of elephant riding for two major reasons:
- Unlike horses, elephants are not anatomically made for riding. Their spine can easily accrue damage or even become broken from the weight of people riding them, whether bareback or on a howdah (saddle).
- Young elephants to be used in logging and tourism industries are forced into submission via a brutal act called “the crush.” Once the elephant submits, it is often subjected to pain and fear tactics for the rest of its captive life.
Matthew from The Expert Vagabond has written a wonderful article about Why You Shouldn’t Ride Elephants in Thailand. He describes his own attitude change from “I couldn’t wait to get my photo riding on top of a massive elephant!” to now helping others make a more informed decision about riding elephants.
We encourage others to do the same!
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary
We first heard of the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary through our friends, Vince and Linda, when they shared with us their positive and responsible experience with the elephants. We loved the idea of feeding, giving mud baths, and washing elephants, without riding them. No bamboo racks on their backs, no stabbing with sharp bull hooks, no endless miles of trekking on sore feet!
We began our day at the ThaPae Backpacker Guesthouse at 8 am, which organizes the tour. The guesthouse served us a free hot breakfast and then had us in an air-conditioned van and off to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary by 8:45 am. Rambo, our driver, was a comical guy and brother to the man who is the elephants’ lead caretaker.
TIP: We recommend packing sunblock, bug spray, hat, hand wipes, and a change of clothes. Wear a t-shirt and shorts, a bathing suit (under your clothes), and comfortable walking shoes that you are willing to get muddy (preferably not flip-flops). |
The total trip from Chiang Mai’s Old City to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary is about two hours. The first hour and a half is on a country highway. We stopped halfway through at a local market. It was an opportunity to use the bathroom and purchase any forgotten items such as sun block, bug spray, hats, or snacks.
For the last half hour of the drive, we transferred to a four-wheel drive truck that took us and about a dozen large bags of bananas up the mountainside. It was quite the adventure as we all tried holding on in the back of the bouncing truck. Kudos to our driver, Rambo, who expertly navigated the dirt roads!
Once we arrived at the Karen hill tribe village, we each grabbed a bag of bananas and began the descent to a smaller group of houses further in the hills.
NOTE: A certain level of fitness is required to take part at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. The Karen hill tribe village is about a half mile hike up and down several hills from the drop off point. Each visitor is asked to help carry a (heavy) bag of bananas with which to later feed the elephants. Further climbing up a second steep hill by foot is required to meet the elephants. |
The narrow path took us down a long steep hill, across picturesque rice fields, and a homemade wooden bridge. We went a little farther through some brush and came upon a second smaller hill tribe village.
Here we met Robert, the man behind the elephants at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary.
Robert, the Man Behind the Elephants
Robert is a small framed, happy-go-lucky man who leads the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. He lives with several other families, along with his wife and young twin sons, in a small village of thatched-roof houses, fire-stoked stovetops, and beautiful mountain views. This is also the home of the elephants.
After trekking up the hillside to his village, we were allowed to rest and had a chance to hear his story about the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary.
It was moving to hear from a man who had years of elephant trekking experience but admittedly felt it was wrong. He saw how the elephants were mistreated, poorly fed, and unhappy. He eventually left that profession and helped to create a home for several rescued elephants on about 50 acres of land, far away from the demands of riding, street begging, and tricks.
Robert is hopeful that elephant tourism will gradually shift from irresponsible practices towards ones that are more responsible. He commends visitors who educate themselves about the poor treatment of elephants in the tourism industry and who stay away from companies offering silly elephant tricks and exhausting trekking.
Meeting the Elephants
Now for the exciting part! After donning our Karen hill tribe attire, we trekked up a short but steep hill to see the elephants. Our large group was split into three smaller groups that alternated equal time with each elephant.
As we reached the top of the steep hill, a small clearing opened up to their 29-year-old male.
This guy was big! And also happily munching on a mound of corn stalks. Robert had brought a large bag of bananas with him and started passing bunches of them around for us to feed the elephant.
We were in awe watching the elephant’s nose snake around for bananas and feeling the wet one-fingered snout as it grasped them from our hands. We were in for a surprise when we heard the deep inhales-exhales from his trunk as he reached for the bananas. That was something we weren’t expecting!
In addition to our guide, each elephant was assigned a mahout who stood aside and gave firm verbal commands to keep them in check. No bull hook was used. Believe us, we made sure to keep an eye out for them!
The way to behave around elephants reminded us a lot of how to behave around horses. Don’t stand behind them, watch out for where they step, and pay attention to their body language to see if they are curious, agitated, calm, etc. And when they’re relaxed, well, er, you’ll know!
Our second stop was with the young momma elephant and her one-year-old baby.
The baby stands about four and a half feet tall and weighs about 500 pounds. We wouldn’t have guessed it, but he preferred bananas that had already been peeled.
At one point, the little guy started leaning against everyone. At 500 lbs, we all stumbled away. Except for Chris. He was the only one strong enough play back. The baby even wrapped his trunk around him and started to nibble on him!
Our last stop was to see their pregnant female, deep in the jungle. This old girl is 54 years old and is halfway through her pregnancy. The gestation period is about two years, so she still has another year to go before giving birth.
After meeting the elephants, we hiked back down the hill and the three tour groups met back up and took a break for lunch. We enjoyed an ample buffet that included vegetarian options, fried chicken, and fresh-cut fruit.
Lunch is served on a great viewpoint overlooking the tiered rice paddies along the mountainside and the nearby river. We had a nice long break and eventually worked our way down to the river and small waterfall while the others relaxed on the overlook.
Mud Spa and Bathing with Elephants
The (messy) main event consists of everyone joining the elephants in a big ‘ol mud puddle and then going for a refreshing dip in the river afterwards.
As we were finishing up lunch, the mahouts gathered up the elephants and herded them down to the mud spa area, located just at the base of the steep hill. You could see the elephants’ excitement by the bounce in their step as they approached the muddy area for their daily dosing of fun. They went right in with no encouragement needed!
All four elephants got into the mud pit and started getting dirty. The baby elephant tried rubbing up against its mom but comically slipped around and fell over a few times. We threw handfuls of mud at the elephants and smeared it on their legs and bellies. It takes a lot to get them covered!
Don’t plan on staying clean. The guides had fun throwing mud at everyone, especially those who try to avoid getting dirty.
After everyone was good and muddy, we walked down a short trail to the river with the small waterfalls to rinse off. The elephants went right in, completely submerging themselves and lying on their sides with only their trunks poking out from the water’s surface. They were happy and trumpeting.
A word of warning – watch out for the elephant poop. It floats!
Reflection
After we cleaned up, we had time to relax before heading back to Chiang Mai. The hill tribe’s women put out a display of handmade items, including bracelets, purses, scarves, shirts, and skirts. We bought a few things, which hopefully helped support the families who made them.
Although the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary is only a few months old as of November 2014, it seems to be flourishing. As more information comes available about the treatment of elephants for trekking and circus purposes, visitors seem to actively seek places that focus more on wildlife conservation and sustainable tourism instead. We’re happy to have supported one of these organizations!
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Contact Information
The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary offers one-, two-, and three-day tours, as well as volunteer opportunities.
Website: www.ElephantJungleSanctuary.com
Phone: (053) 273-415 or (053) 904-166
Cost: 2,400 baht per person for one day. Includes breakfast, lunch, and transportation.
Time: Depart at about 8:30 am and arrive back in Chiang Mai around 5:30 pm
In the event that Elephant Jungle Sanctuary is fully booked for the day and is unable to accommodate your group, an excellent and equally wonderful alternative is the Elephant Nature Park.
Thank you for explaining why we shouldn’t ride elephants. I totally thought it was ok and the norm until I read this article. It inspired me to read up a bit more on elephants and I’ll definitely be staying away from those elephant-riding places.
did you get vaccinated before leaving? wondering if I should get my rabies shot
Yes, we did :)
Thank you for this post. I am glad that the mentality is changing in Thailand and around the world. I will be sure to visit this place this coming June.
The more travelers write about it, the more people have become aware of the issues. It’s a good news story!
Hi! I’ve never been to EJS, but I’ve read some reviews on tripadvisor that made me wonder if they are really caring about elephants. There are some people saying they saw elephants in chains and the use of harmful training tools!
We check out TA reviews – the vast majority are 4 and 5 stars. One person said that the elephants are chained up at night – but how do they know? (was he/she there at night?) We did not see chains when we visited (and were actively looking for them) but that was 2.5 years ago and things could have changed. We did not read anyone mentioning about bull hooks. Let’s just hope it’s not right! Overall, EJS sounds like it is still one of the best places to visit if you want to experience elephants in Chiang Mai.
Hey Angela,
We are in Chiang Mai next week and are trying to decide between EJS and ENP. Have you done both? Do you know how they would compare? Availability is limited at ENP but is that because it is more established? EJS also provides a One Day Walk with the elephants. Have you heard anything about that? Any help would be awesome!
Although we have visited Elephant Jungle Sanctuary and not Elephant Nature Park, we have only heard great things about the latter. Availability is limited because yes, it is more established and its name is recognized far and wide across Thailand. We recommend ENP over EJS for people with mobility issues – whether you aren’t in the greatest physical shape, have stubborn joints that won’t cooperate when walking far distances or up hills, or if you are with children. Otherwise, we think both are the best option if you want a place where they don’t ride elephants or use bull hooks.… Read more »
I stumbled upon your blog and I am overjoyed that I did! This article was especially helpful and I don’t think I would have discovered EJS without it. Thank you for writing about animal tourism and your experience at EJS.
You’re very welcome. Hope you have the chance to visit EJS or ENP while you’re in town!
If we wanted to rent motorbikes and do the elephant sanctuary one day and the sticky waterfalls the next , is there recommended lodging in that area to avoid the drive back to Chang Mai for the night?
Chiang Mai Old City is actually directly between the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary and the Sticky Waterfalls, so you would have to drive right passed it on the way between the activities.
What a wonderful description of this unique experience! I am SO happy to hear that there was no elephant riding and no bullhooks. I will be visiting ENP for a week in March-April 2016 for a similar experience. All of these Asian elephants are so deserving of protection. EJS is just one more step towards protecting all of Thailand’s elephants from abuse. Thank you so much for helping educate others that eco-tourism is better for all,
We’re glad to see places like ENP and EJS are leading the way for better treatment towards elephants. We feel good knowing people like you have come to our blog and make the better choice (staying away from the businesses that force them to give rides and do tricks). Have a blast!
I know you mentioned in the article the flip flops are not preferable but, in your opinion, can you make it the entire day in flip flops? Or are they totally out of the question?
Yeah, you can make the whole day in flip flops like a few members of our group did. It’s just a little awkward because we walk on hills and in some parts muddy, slippery terrain. It’s possible, but it’s more of an annoyance.
Found this post just in time! We arrive in Chiang Mai on Monday and are looking for an alternative to ENP. Thanks for the informative post!
Glad to have helped!
Congrats on this post, we need to spread the word. I love elephants as so many do, so it’s easy to fall into an elephant trekking tour. Watching their treatment and broken backs / hips was very sad and angering. Luckily I heard about the Elephant Nature Park and spent some time up there. I’m thrilled this new place has opened now as well; I’ll definitely go next time I visit Chiang Mai. The views and the lunch look pretty epic, too! So you live in Chiang Mai? Do you know of the famous roti stand outside Wat Mahawan on… Read more »
We’re happy to have stumbled across EJS and see that, along with ENP, elephant tourism is heading in a more positive direction. And thanks for the roti recommendation!
Glad to hear that the elephants were treated well, that there wasn’t any riding and no hooks, but I noticed they have a ‘ring’ or ‘collar’ around their neck, do you know why or what is for?
Yes, the bottom of the collar has an attached piece of hollow wood with smaller pieces of wood on either side. The pieces of wood on the sides tap the hollow piece of wood as the elephant walks. It is used to keep track of the elephants at night and when they wander out of sight during the day. They are also to allow the people in the village to be aware if the elephants are getting to close to their houses/crops. They do not serve any other purpose…especially not at all meant to cause them pain or to chain… Read more »
I had seen people ride the elephants last year in Cambodia, near Angkor Wat. The elephants looked happy, but after reading your blog, I was alarmed to hear how they become trained. I hope your website makes people more aware of what is happening.
When people get just a hint of the abuse that elephant typically go through to be able to be ridden, do tricks, and work for logging industries, it’s hard not to find graphic information about what exactly goes on online. Awareness is key. We are happy to push for responsible tourism, and more than just in the animal department. We hope others, like ourselves, continue to exchange the thrill of riding and being photographed on top of an elephant in for a more mutually beneficial and noninvasive experience. We had lots of fun during our day at EJS, and seeing… Read more »
What a coincidence, I read about the woman who started the sanctuary yesterday! It looks like a wonderful place, thanks for sharing.
What a great coincidence! We know there are people out there looking for ride-free elephant parks, and we’re happy to help get the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary’s name out there. This woman did an amazing job.
So glad to hear about this place! Let’s hope they all become no-riding, no show places. After living in Thailand for nearly 3 years, we have decided not to ride horses anymore either. After learning about what happens to elephants, we did some research into horse riding in North America and were not happy with what we found. :( Perhaps one day all animal exploitation of animals will cease. :)
What a bummer to hear that horse riding gets a bad rap, too! The only kind we’ve done is with Angela’s family, who owns three. Two of them are rescues and they have a great home and proper treatment. We’re just happy to see that there’s a movement for rescuing animals from inhumane treatment.
Great article Chris and Angela. I’m glad to see they have the male there now. When we were there they were in the process of trying to arrange that. I heard they are in negotiations to accept another elephant also. Glad you had a great time and thanks for posting about this great elephant tour that treats their elephants humanely.
We’re glad to hear that they are still looking to expand their elephant family. And thank YOU for also writing about this place! You are who inspired us to go there with our family :)
So lovely to hear about this caring elephant sanctuary! With education, we’re learning :-). After we saw elephants in the wild in Zambia (so proud and fierce there), we realized how their spirit is actually broken for them to be ridden by tourists in Thailand. So feed the rescued elephants, bathe them, love them – but don’t ride them.
It’s heartbreaking when you learn what the elephants go through to be broken. Although seeing them in the wild is the best as you did in Zambia (wow!), the next best thing is rescuing them from riding and logging and giving them a safe home.
Great to see an alternative to the ENP for once. I hope that this place does well. You guys writing about it should help lots. Also, LOVE seeing photos of Chris playing with the elephant. I always prefer the posts with you guys in the pictures too. :-)
We’re all for ENP, but they’re big name and seem to do really well for themselves. We’re trying to help out the little guy! We’re so glad to have learned about EJS through Vince and Linda just before Chris’s family visited because we’ve always wanted to see elephants, too :)