Thailand makes me think of three things: white sand beaches, great food, and elephants. The beaches were easy to find, and delicious/affordable food on every corner, but finding elephants in Thailand posed a bit more tricky. Not because elephants aren’t readily available, but because we didn’t want to support a place that had any risk attached to the elephants welfare. If there was a whiff of “bad review” in terms of how the elephants were treated, we wanted no part in the process. After long, hard research, we can confidently say we found one of the few places in Thailand that had their hearts in the right place. 

Lanna Kingdom Tours in Chiang Mai. Just a short plane ride out of Bangkok and a sanctuary for rescued elephants. Many reasons contribute to why an elephant would need rescuing: poaching, husk cutting, human abuse, injury or illness, but one thing was certain, this group actually cared for the animals that couldn’t care for themselves. Faith in humanity is certainly restored at a place like this. 

We experienced the coolest tour with these gentle giants, led by the coolest Chiang Mai local —and new friend. Only two tours are offered per day, capped at 20 people so as not to stress the elephants and allow them their space, but our tour began when we were picked up from our hotel and driven an hour into the serene countryside of Thailand. It was beautiful to see, especially as we pulled into their incredibly large, wide-open habitat, and saw graceful elephants walking patiently around their handlers turned family.

We changed into provided shoes, hats, clothes and after a short discussion on how to work with the elephants, how they came to be with the Lanna Kingdom family, we were handed a bushel of bananas. The clothes weren’t fancy, as you can see, but these sweet animals are kind of messy eaters.

Bananas make elephants easy friends. They loved them, and as an elephant will spend 12-18 hours a day eating, it wasn’t hard to gain their interest. Adult elephants will consume 200-600 pounds of food per day and generally stick to their leafy green diet. Luckily, vegetation is plenty on their terrain. They are provided for both by nature and by the Lanna Kingdom family.

Their goal is to keep the elephants happy and healthy, so once the bananas were gone, we were taught how to make vitamin balls from fruit, rice and sugar cane. It was interactive, messy, and so fun! And the elephants certainly didn’t mind eating them, even if the word “medicine” was attached.

Up to this point, we had changed into provided clothes, had a great learning discussion, fed the 5 hungry elephants their sweet bananas, were arms-deep in medicine ball mix and slobber, and now it was time to clean up. The elephants, and us, together. Yep. We got in their big bath tub with them. Elephants often “bathe” themselves in dust and mud to protect their skin, keep flys away, and help their body temperature regulate, and though the mud is necessary, they need to clean it off just as often. Being in such close proximity to these habits, needless to say, we needed a bath as well.

Being part of these creatures daily life, observing their behavior, even just for a moment, reminds you of how beautiful our world can be. They are gentle, kind, loving, and we were so grateful to find a place that reciprocated their compassion in return. 

Our group shared a delicious meal of homemade Pad Thai, watermelon and rice cakes on the property while the elephants wandered past looking for treats. I curiously asked what sparked the interest in growing this sanctuary, and the answer was not surprising at all. The owner had witnessed abuse after abuse, in circus shows, dancing or being told to perform. In Buddhist belief, elephants are considered the last life in reincarnation. To kill, injure, or mistreat one brings bad karma. And this is seen all too often in Thailand (and beyond.) 

The government helps a bit, but not nearly enough in rescuing these creatures. Most of the elephants in need of rescuing were used in shows, and can cost nearly $45,000 USD to release into the sanctuary care. If an elephant is sick, it is $300 USD just for medicine. The sanctuary mainly relies on donations to keep them afloat, however they do sell paper (made from the animal dung) and other items to cover costs. I picked up a card that said “An elephant loves you so much, he made you this card.” Thought it was too darn cute.

If you feel inclined to help Lanna Kingdom tours and these beautiful, endangered animals, feel free to send your donation by PayPal to lannakingdomanimalsanctuary@gmail.com or through a Thai Bank transfer to Bangkok Bank account number 590-0118018 to Witthaya Phongsri, or better yet, get yourself to Thailand and say hello in person! You wont regret it!

For an inside glimpse into my experience, watch my instagram video here.