Everyone keeps asking me "What was your favorite part of Thailand?" That is such a tough question to answer because the entire experience was amazing. However, I have consistently mentioned The Elephant Nature Park as the highlight.
Anyone who knows me, knows I love elephants. A. Lot.
Prior to leaving for Thailand, we had only made 1 concrete plan for our entire 2-week trip and that was to visit this park.
The original elephant conservatory in the country, Elephant Nature Park.
ENP was the first of its kind in the country founded in the late 90's and it is completely funded by donations and people visiting the park.
No, you do not ride elephants here. They actually rescue elephants from work camps, trekking, the circus, wildlife injuries, etc. Essentially a retirement home for elephants due to most of them being too old to work anymore and being too much of a financial burden on their original owners.
Once here, the elephants are able to roam the 250 acres at their will. Every animal has their own mahout which is essentially their own personal caregiver they are constantly being fed and aren't being too mischievous with guests.
My video recap of Chiang Mai including this post and my Elephant Nature Park experience.
It was really such a special experience to spend time with these amazing creatures and was a dream come true.
I HIGHLY suggest this place - they not only rescue elephants but also cats and dogs. If you decided to visit another elephant community while in Thailand make sure that they do not ride them because, despite their size, that is not what these animals are for.
Tips:
Book early! We booked our day trip about 3 to 4 months before we arrived and there were only a few slots for our large group left within our time window in Chiang Mai.
The have day trips (what we did), overnight and extended stays depending on what type of experience you want to have.
Our day trip which included, transportation to and from our hotel (about an hour away), lunch, water, and the entire day feeding, bathing, and petting elephants.
We paid 2,500 baht which is equivalent to around $75 (half paid at booking and half paid upon arrival so make sure to bring enough for the experience and the gift shop!)
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