3 Best Ethical Elephant Sanctuaries in Chiang Mai, Thailand

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1. Elephant Nature Park (Chiang Mai)

My week volunteering at Elephant Nature Park (ENP) was one of the most impactful experiences ever.

This place is not just a home for elephants – it’s at the forefront of ethical animal tourism in Asia. The park is home to over 100 elephants and thousands of other animals like cats, dogs, and water buffalo.

When you tour this ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai, your knowledgeable local guide will teach you all about Thailand’s elephants and tell you heartwrenching stories about each elephant and how it came to be at ENP.

The park and associated Save Elephant Foundation was started by Lek Chailert, a local celebrity, thanks to her great work. She grew up in a small village in Northern Thailand and has always wanted to help elephants.

Lek may be small, but she has made a big difference. She has turned ENP into a place that shows other sanctuaries how to take care of animals the right way.

Of the three ethical elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai that I’ve included on this list, ENP is the easiest one to visit since it’s just over an hour from the city and the only one that offers half-day or one-day programs in addition to overnight visits.

Planning Your Visit to Chiang Mai Elephant Nature Park

• Program Options: Half-day, full-day, and overnight stays. Each includes transportation to/from Chiang Mai, guided tours, vegan meals, and close-up interactions with various rescued animals.

• Cost: Half-day tours at 2,500 baht ($68 USD), full-day tours at 3,500 baht ($95 USD), overnight experiences at 5,800 baht ($158 USD), and volunteer experiences at 15,000 baht ($409 USD) per week.

• How to Book: Book in advance directly with Elephant Nature Park via their website. Space is limited, especially for overnight stays, and they do book up.

Note: While Elephant Nature Park is 100% hands-off, the park offers some off-site experiences with local projects that may allow feeding. Remember, the Save Elephant Foundation works with community projects all over the region to help them take steps for more ethical experiences, and they are not all fully transitioned to the hands-off practices that ENP follows.

My ENP Volunteer Experience and a Rescue Mission

Volunteering at ENP means doing a lot of different jobs. I scooped elephant poop, chopped sugarcane (my first time using a machete!), walked disabled dogs with wheels for back legs, unloaded trucks of melons, filled trucks with hay, and even peeled bananas for the grandma elephants missing teeth. It was hard work but very rewarding.

I also participated in a deeply moving rescue mission.

We helped three elderly working elephants travel several miles to their new home, offering snacks to encourage them to walk to their new home. Unfortunately, the third elephant was in poor condition and needed to be transported by truck. 

I witnessed the touching handoff from the former mahout (elephant caregiver) to the new mahout—a transformation from being controlled with painful hooks to being guided gently with words and snacks. 

Arriving at the sanctuary at sunset, I heard the elephants making happy rumbling sounds, much like purring. It was a moment straight out of a movie, reminding me of the sanctuary’s profound impact on these animals.

In addition to participating in the rescue, I also spent a day at a nearby elephant camp that ENP is helping to transition to more ethical practices. Seeing the harsh conditions these animals lived in before underscored the importance of ENP’s mission.

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2. BEES – Burm and Emily’s Elephant Sanctuary (Chiang Mai)

BEES – Burm and Emily’s Elephant Sanctuary is right up there with ENP as one of the best ethical elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai! I can’t wait to visit.

Too many so-called “elephant sanctuaries” in Chiang Mai offer programs with tourist dollars in mind. Not at BEES! This small, high-welfare sanctuary is all about observing the elephants in a way that puts their needs first. It’s truly an ethical sanctuary.

It’s a fully hands-off sanctuary where you can see rescued elephants in their natural forest habitat. BEES provides a peaceful setting where you can watch elephants live just as they should – freely and without stress. 

You’ll be driven about three hours from Chiang Mai to the tranquil Mae Chaem district, where you can watch the elephants roam the jungle, forage for food, and socialize without direct human interference. 

Staying in Thai-style accommodations and enjoying local cuisine add to the immersive experience. This supports the local community and promotes sustainable practices. In addition to watching elephants, you can try tubing, hiking, and even volunteering. 

Everyone who spends time at BEES wishes they spent longer, and many travelers say their visit is the highlight of their Southeast Asia travels!

Planning Your Visit to BEES Ethical Elephant Sanctuary

• Program Options: Choose from various stays—a single overnight, a three-night retreat, or a whole week immersed in the sanctuary’s peaceful environment. The sanctuary does not run a general day program but sometimes accepts visitors on scheduled Observation Walks.

• Cost: BEES does not publicize their prices due to contracts with international partner organizations. If you’re interested in booking a program, contact BEES by email, and they’ll provide additional information. Overnight programs are all-inclusive, with pick-ups on set days. Observation Walks are 2,500 baht ($68 USD) per person.

• How to Book: Make sure to book your visit in advance by emailing BEES for availability. They’re a high-welfare facility that limits public visitation to minimize impact on the animals. Drop-ins are not permitted.

• Accommodation Details: You’ll stay in one of seven private Thai-style accommodations on the sanctuary grounds, suitable for solo travelers and groups. Rooms feature local-style furnishings, including mattresses on the floor, bed linen, fans, mosquito nets, and access to shared bathroom facilities. No WiFi is available at the sanctuary, so buy a SIM card!

3. Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary (Chiang Mai)

Kindred Spirit is another one of Chiang Mai’s most ethical elephant sanctuaries and the third and final one I recommend travelers visit when in Northern Thailand. 

It’s a little further away than BEES, about a 2-hour drive from Doi Inthanon National Park and about 4 hours from the city. They are located in a community forest near the Karen communities that they support.

This is a great option for travelers with extra time on their itinerary since, unlike Elephant Nature Park, it only offers immersive overnight stays. 

I love that Kindred Spirit is both an ethical elephant sanctuary AND an authentic Karen village homestay, so you’re getting a true taste of local life. You’ll do other activities like cooking local food and basket weaving with the villagers. It’s a full cultural immersion that most travelers miss!

The elephants move freely through the forest, so you may need to hike several hours through the forest to see them, part of what makes this experience so magical. 

Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary is a non-profit organization, so all the profits go back to the local village and towards caring for the elephants. 

Planning Your Visit to Kindred Spirit Ethical Elephant Sanctuary

• Program Options: They offer 2-day, 3-day, and 5-day packages, with longer stays coordinated upon request. The 5-day and 4-night package includes a gibbon encounter, too!

• Cost: The 2-day/1-night package costs 10,000 baht for solo travelers, and the 3-day/2-night package costs 11,500 baht for solo travelers. For 2+ people, the per-person price is 5,300 baht for 2 days/1 night, 7,500 baht for 3 days/2 nights, and 15,000 baht for the 5-day/4-night package. Prices include all transport, accommodation, and food in the village.

• How to Book: Book directly on their website or via Viator. Before booking, solo travelers should contact the sanctuary to inquire about joining a group. 

What to Look for in an Ethical Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand

Choosing the right ethical elephant sanctuary profoundly impacts your experience and the welfare of the elephants in Thailand. 

As a traveler, your support for truly ethical practices positively influences Thailand’s animal tourism industry.

Any form of hands-on elephant experience—riding, performing, or even bathing—involves unethical and harmful practices. 

A truly ethical sanctuary is fully hands-off, allowing elephants to roam, socialize, and live without human interference, which is crucial for their well-being.

Look, I’d love to spend a day bathing an elephant. It sounds beautiful. But that’s not a natural behavior for an elephant, and they are being trained or forced to do it, with the threat of pain if they don’t comply. Let’s just let them be elephants!

Characteristics of a Truly Ethical Sanctuary

• Freedom and Natural Behavior: Ethical sanctuaries provide environments where elephants can express natural behaviors—free from chains and without the threat of hooks. No touching, no riding, no bathing, no feeding, no breeding, no hooks.

• Community and Environmental Impact: Organizations like World Animal Protection highlight the importance of sanctuaries that engage in community education and support local ecosystems.

The History of Elephants in Thailand

Asian Elephants are endangered. About 15% of the wild Asian elephant population lives in Thailand.

The significant decline in wild Asian elephant populations from over 100,000 in the early 20th century, mainly due to habitat loss and poaching, to just a few thousand today underscores the need for effective conservation.

Thailand historically used elephants for logging, transportation, and even warfare. 

After the 1989 logging ban, the shift to tourism significantly impacted elephant welfare in Thailand. Locals had to find other ways to make a living with their elephants, and since then, elephant tourism has been on the rise, with over 10 million tourists in 2019 riding elephants.

The pandemic highlighted the vulnerability of elephants dependent on tourism, prompting rescues by organizations like Elephant Nature Park.

Why Riding and Bathing Are Problematic

This is an unpleasant topic but an important one. I had no idea how bad elephant tourism was until I volunteered at Elephant Nature Park. Whenever people post their cute elephant photos online, it seems so sweet. But the reality is dark.

Baby elephants are traumatically separated from their distressed mothers as the first step to train them to be safe around tourists.

Training elephants often involves a brutal ‘Phajaan’ or crushing method, where elephants are confined and tortured to break their spirit. Such practices make them submissive enough to carry and work with tourists, as detailed in reports by animal welfare organizations.

Riding is detrimental to an elephant’s health as their spines are not designed to support the weight of humans and cause long-term harm and pain. Plus, tourists have been known to get injured when an elephant has had enough.

Although many elephant riding camps have transitioned towards less harmful activities like elephant bathing, bathing still requires traumatic training and usually involves control methods like sharp hooks. 

It’s not just elephants who are mistreated in Thailand for the sake of tourist dollars. Many animals, such as bears, tigers, and lions, undergo training abuse and are kept in cruel conditions. Stay away from places like the Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai.

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Best Elephant Sanctuary Chiang Mai FAQs

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Final Thoughts: Elephants in Chiang Mai

Choosing the best ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai isn’t just about a memorable bucket list experience – it’s about positively impacting the lives of these incredible animals and the local communities that care for them. 

Thailand has made significant strides in animal welfare, largely influenced by conscious travelers like you, who choose to support truly ethical practices.

At the end of the day, we all might dream of close encounters with elephants—snuggling or bathing alongside them—but true compassion involves respecting their natural behaviors and needs. 

A truly ethical sanctuary is one where the animals are not directly contacted, allowing them to live as freely and naturally as possible. This is why I’ve carefully selected and shared only three ethical elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai, each committed to the highest standards of ethical treatment.

Elephant Nature Park stands out due to its proximity to Chiang Mai and its pioneering efforts in ethical animal tourism. For those with more time, BEES and Kindred Spirit offer deeper immersions into local culture and elephants’ natural habitats, providing a richer understanding and appreciation of these gentle giants.

By choosing any of these sanctuaries, you ensure that your visit contributes positively to the welfare of elephants and the broader goal of ethical tourism. Remember, your travel choices can help transform the industry, promoting practices that respect animal welfare and support community development.

Now that you know where to see elephants in Chiang Mai, let me help you plan your time there. Living here part-time, I’ve gathered all the insights to help you plan an unforgettable adventure.

Let’s travel thoughtfully and inspire change, one visit at a time!