The Happy Elephant Home – Thailand (Mae Taeng)

While riding up the mountain road to Doi Suthep, we stopped on the side of the road to grab a bite to eat at a traditional Thai BBQ. A man joined us and introduced us to his wife and child. He mentioned that he was on his day off and that he worked at an elephant sanctuary in the jungle outside of Chiang Mai.

We got his contact info and decided to show up to his reserve the next morning. After an hour long minibus ride, we arrived in the middle of the jungle near the Burmese border where a compound of thatched huts and hundreds of acres of elephant reserve were built. We discovered that we were the only ones there because every employee had the day off. A few French volunteers from Canada offered for us to join them, so we decided to spend the day with the elephants. It was absolutely incredible! 

We started by using machetes to cut fresh sugar cane and bananas to prepare for the elephants. We fed them, then walked them about 2 kilometers to the river where we proceeded to wash, clean, and play with them before we would head back to the compound to cook fresh Thai food with the locals. These are my favorite photos and videos from this exceptional experience:

 Miko, the baby elephant, was extremely playful and loved to roll around and wrestle, although it was difficult to compete with him as he was 250 kilos. The older elephants were around 45-50 years old and were absolutely amazing creatures. As I looked into their eyes,  I started to realize how human-like they really are. This day was unforgettable and made this entire trip worth every penny. This experience is an absolute must when traveling through Chiang Mai. 

More Elephant Videos: 

Elephant Feeding 

Elephant Play

Baby Elephant Feeding

Link to the Elephant Sanctuary: Happy Elephant Home 

Enjoy!