The Best Place to Visit Elephants in Thailand

Don’t feel like reading? Here, I’ll read it to you

So your dream is to play with elephants in Thailand. You’ve seen the posts and pictures and you want to experience these gentle giants yourself. I promise you, this place is not short of opportunities to do so. Every street corner in Chiang Mai advertises elephant experiences. The question is…how do you choose one?

You could spend forever trying to sift through the ones that claim to be ethical but aren’t or those that advertise fun things but are really harmful. You may think yeah! Riding an elephant! Awesome! But chances are, the elephant doesn’t want to be ridden. And sadly, many are beaten if they do not comply.

I can’t tell you what to do, and I certainly don’t know everything about this subject, but there’s a few things to consider before booking your elephant experience.

how are the elephants treated?
how are the people taking care of them treated?
are the elephants being ridden? (Do not ride an elephant)
what are the core values of the organization providing the experience?

Sadly, some places may advertise to be ethical or a sanctuary, but in practice, they fall a bit short. Personally, I don’t want to give any money to an organization that is causing harm. It’s important to me to keep ethicality at the forefront of my mind as best as I can. I can wholeheartedly recommend Chai Lai Orchid. In fact, I think it’s an essential stop on your trip to Chiang Mai.

And they don’t just offer elephant experiences! If you’re lucky or book far enough in advance, you could score one of the bungalows (mountain side is my favorite) or stay with a local family in a Karen homestay (this is what I did)

They have many excursions to choose from:

There are a few things tourist businesses and hotels can be criticized for

Taking land and resources from local people
Keeping animals in captivity when they should be out in the wild
Prioritizing profit over ethicality

Reasons I respect the hell out of Chai Lai Orchid

They keep mamas and their babies together. No elephant is bought or sold
They have been able to rescue over 15 elephants from abusive practices
Each elephant has a Mahout (trainer). This is the one person the elephant will listen to and who has trained them through positive reinforcement and developed trust.
Asian elephants are domestic, not wild. Their habitat has already been destroyed and there isn’t a wild for them to return to. Additionally, wild elephants are at risk of poaching and ivory hunters. Unfortunately, conservation of their habitat is no longer feasible in Thailand, but being in a safe space keeps them from being mistreated somewhere else. Chai Lai is that safe place.
These elephants belong to local Karen families
Chai Lai Orchid was created as a social business to support Daughters Rising with a dream of empowering indigenous refugee women. (More on that in future posts)
Chai Lai Café and Bungalows provides hospitality training for both people involved in Daughters Rising and people from the local villages. It has provided many jobs for locals who would love to share their culture with you. In fact, you can even stay in a local Karen home (like I did). I learned so much and experienced so much joy and kindness in my time here.
90% of their leadership is female
Don’t just listen to me, visit their impact page to learn more

Other reasons to stay at Chai Lai

the views
peaceful oasis
delicious food & drink
they offer spa services
they help you to arrange transportation & other activities

I have been lucky to spend the last week at Chai Lai Orchid while volunteering with Daughters Rising. I can promise you will be well taken care of here and probably won’t want to leave!