One of the must-do’s for Northern Thailand is a little quality time with the pacaderms. While Chiang Mai is a great place to make this happen, there are a few options in terms of how you experience these amazing beasts of burden. I have broken it down into options and explained the pros and cons of each:
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Option 1: Mahout for a day
This is a more intimate experience that gets you up close and personal with the elephants while also having a strong theme of conservation and respect. Places like the Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang and the Patara Elephant Farm in Chiang Mai are some of the best in this category. The idea is that you learn about, care for and interact with “your” elephant for a day. In the morning you are given a briefing on the history and life of the Asian elephant before being introduced to your elephant and its mahout. Throughout the day you feed them, bathe them, ride them like a mahout does, no fancy chairs, just booty to big ol’ head. Lunch in included and then some more riding or bathing as well as practicing getting on and off (insider tip: watch out for those tusks, ouch!) You learn how to make an elephant stop and go and turn, or at least in theory you learn, I didn’t have a huge amount of success and I was glad the mahout stuck close by. At the end of the day you do feel connected to the animals and it is a magical experience.
Pros:
- Usually the group size for these experiences are under 12 and you definitely feel as though you are having a unique experience
- It’s an adventure of (pun intended) highest proportions.
- It’s fun to just be in the elephants world for a while and there is free will for all (for the most part)
Cons:
- Because of it’s uniqueness this is a more expensive option, but a lot of the money does go towards conservation
- You are going to feel it the next day. Riding through the jungle on an elephants head is an amazing workout.
- This is not for the faint-of-heart, you are face to face with these animals and you have to put a lot of faith in their good nature
Option 2: Elephant Nature Park
The Elephant Nature Park is a conservation-based experience that invites guests to care for and help with elephant care without any riding or other human-interest angles. In the morning you go to the market and help buy the food for the elephants and once at the camp you get down to basics: mucking out the elephants area, feeding them breakfast, bathing them in the river, taking them for a walk to their eating area in the jungle. The day includes many lectures on the history of the elephants in Thailand, as well as the challenges facing them today.
Pros:
- A truly conscientious elephant-based approach.
- As a not-for-profit you know the money you spend on the day goes directly to caring for the elephants
- A very intimate, feel-good way to spend a day with elephants.
Cons:
- You don’t get to ride them. While this may be better for the elephants, many people don’t feel the experience is complete without being up-top.
- It is a hot, dirty and grubby day.
- Sometimes the lectures about elephant abuse and elephant treatment can get a bit too much and you just want to go out and enjoy the elephants.
We book both of these options for our guests, depending on their interest, timeframe and physical fitness and we have gotten fantastic reviews about all of them. The trick is to pick the experience that works for you and your family and then relax and enjoy it.