Jumbo Elephant Camp Day Tour

The best day we’ve ever had vacationing was at the Patara Elephant Farm in Chiang Mai, Thailand!  When visiting an Elephant Camp you get to care for the elephants, learn about them, bond with them, feed them and bathe them.  A visit will be a life changing experience far beyond just riding an elephant and we urge you to put it on your bucket list.Fun Elephant Facts:

Here are a couple cool things to know about Elephants in Thailand.  August 12th is World Elephant Day.  March 13th is National Elephant Day in Thailand. Chang without an “i” means Elephant in Thai while with the “i” means City.  A Mahout is a trainer who dedicates their life to their elephant often staying with them day and night.  Many Mahouts come from the local Karen Hill Tribes and are so dedicated it becomes a 7 day a week 365 day a year commitment.The main ethical issues to look out for is if you ride bare back by yourself which is better for the Elephants or if you ride in sets of two on a wooden seat strapped to them which is not good.  Traditionally Elephants have been used as work animals over the centuries lifting and pulling logs.  The strong animals are almost built for this type of work, but Elephant’s bodies aren’t for heavy loads pushing down on their shoulders.  Most of the good places will only allow a single rider (if any) to ride bare back on the head and will have weight restrictions.  You want to avoid any place that straps riding platforms on the backs of their elephants.