Elephant Discovery Chiang Mai

For fellow animal enthusiasts seeking an authentic encounter with elephants, supported by a genuine team who truly cares.

Our visit to the Elephant Discovery was undoubtedly the highlight of our trip in Chiang Mai. What resonated most was the evident care and respect extended to the elephants. This is an intimate camp, home to 3 adult elephants and an adorable 9-month-old baby (as of Dec 2023), placing the animals’ well-being above profit. They choose to welcome only small groups, like ours consisting of 4 adults and 4 children, which made the experience very special during this morning spent with JJ and his team of elephants caregivers.

We delved into their daily routine, learning how to make their natural vitamins balls out of organic products mashed in a mechanic mortar. The experience of feeding the elephants with bamboo leaves, bananas and sugar cane was a joy, we then went for a little walk down the river where the elephants bathed and played in the water. We participated to all activities, treating the animals with respect.

With its rustic setting, this camp exudes authenticity, their tools and structures crafted from natural materials. To ensure the visitors comfort, modern toilets have been built, clean and well maintained. The lunch wrapped in a banana leaves was very tasty, the portions generous, and we could feed the watermelon leftovers to the elephants.

I highly recommend this camp for animals lovers who look for a genuine experience where the connection with these beautiful animals transcends mere observation.

I am not an elephant care expert. However, for me, it looked like these elephants were taken care of well. This place seems to really care for the well-being of the elephants. They teated the elephants with love and respect. It was important for me to visit a place that cared for and respected elephants.

Our guide was honest. He openly talked of how elephants have been(and unfortunately some still are) treated poorly. We learned about different aspects of keeping the elephants happy and healthy.

We were a small group of 5 persons visiting the elephants. I enjoyed that the group was so small.

I saw one review complaining about the full day visit being too short. I did not experience that. It was not a full day, but it was enough time to have a nice experience. I'm glad the elephants could take off to the mountains without us turist.

I had a really good day, and I believe the elephants were happy too :)

This by far was the most memorable & amazing experience my husband & I have ever experienced! We booked the Private day tour and had Dominic as our guide. The day started by getting picked up from our hotel. We also opted to do the bamboo rafting, where we were dropped off & got to enjoy the nature all around. We then were picked up by Dom and were on our way to the elephants! During our trip to the sanctuary, Dom educated us about the nature & about the city. Upon arrival he introduced us to the elephants and keepers who were very professional. Their names in English were Mamacita, Lady Gaga, Forest Gump (baby), and Bon Jovi! The keepers talked to the elephants & for our photos the elephants hugged & gave us kisses!! The elephant keepers allowed us to feed the elephants and take many photos with/of them. As the day went on we got to eat a home cooked lunch, cut up ingredients to make medicine balls for the elephants & fed the elephants again. We then spent some time with JayJay and the elephant keepers to enjoy some elephant time in the river where we got to splash the elephants with water & they splashed us back! We then concluded our tour by washing up, and heading back to the hotel. I’m missing many components of the tour because this review will be too long, but I will 100% do this tour again. 10/10 all around!!!

That was probably our best day in Thailand. I definitely recommend a visit to this place.

We booked a full day tour just to have enough time with the elephants and we did not want to rush. Our tour guide Dominic picked us from the hotel in time and we had a 1 hour trip to the village. He speaks English very well and very informative about the village life and elephant caring. We learned a lot. We had a bamboo rafting first on the beautiful river. Then arrived to the sanctuary.

There are three beautiful elephants all rescued from circuses and hardworking jobs. Each has their private caretaker. They do mountain walking everyday, get their medicine and food.

With a full day tour you have a chance to prepare food and medicine for elephants, walk and bath with them, and learn a lot about elephants. Plus the lunch is just amazing.

The half-day at Elephant Discover was truly amazing! We were a group of six people (they do not accept large groups). We fed the elephants, learned about them, and bathed with them. Though I'm not an expert, it seemed that the elephants were well looked after, and the staff treated them with care and respect. They only accept one group of visitors per day, ensuring the elephants are not overwhelmed. I highly recommend this place for a fantastic experience!

A beautiful small family run sanctuary, providing work to members of the Karen Tribe and rescuing elephants from harsh work. Allowed for full hands on feeding, prepping medicine and washing. A beautiful intimate experience

We had a wonderful day and the staff is professional and kind.
In this sanctuary they take care of Elephants It is forbiden to ride them as It is considered as a mistreatment, we gave them food, prepared them their natural medicin, went with them to the river, they don't Accept more than 9 visitors which is better then to go to a sanctuary full of turists , we really had fun, best day we had in Tailand

I am so glad we went on this tour instead of another (more advertised) one! We went for the half day tour, which was long enough, and we were taken great care of. But more importantly, it was very clear to see that this was a real ethical place where the caretakers think about the elephant’s needs first, and care about their well-being a lot. They gave us important information on why they do things the way they do, and about the right way to take care of elephants. The lunch was great as well and we got to spend more than enough time with the elephants. Finally, our guide was really nice and funny and spoke English well. Could not recommend this trip more. If you’re in doubt, choose this one!

We have booked a half-day tour. We were picked up on time at the hotel (about 7:20). The ride lasted about 1 hour. The car was such one like the red cabs in Chiang Mai. We were a small group of only 4 people. First we prepared a meal against obstipation for the elephants. There are 3 female elephants (no baby). After feeding, we bathed with the elephants in the river. Photos were taken the whole time and will be emailed to us. At the end we had Pad Thai or Fried Rice for us. Very tasty. Around 1 pm we were back at the hotel. It was a great experience and everyone was very friendly to us and the elephants. Definitely recommended.

An amazing opportunity to meet, feed, play and wash the elephants ! Very personable experience, this place doesn’t have mass crowds washing one elephant.. they genuinely care about your experience and the elephant, most importantly. This place is was listed as ethical and I can tell you from my experience, it 100% is!..

This cost me and my partner £40 pounds each and if time was on our side, we would of booked another day with them!

What an amazing experience! They really take good care of the elephants and are not a commercial business. The 3 month old baby elephant "forest gump" was very funny. 10/10 would recommend to book this tour.

Absolutely fantastic experience. Dominic was the hotel pickup and good, later revealing its hood operation. The staff were friendly, spoke English and French, and had a good rapport with the animals.

The program started with Raft ride in the river to the camp. Then we learned about the elephants and the proper care, before we fed them as a first interaction. Lunch was a decent noodle dish, and afterwards we walked with the elephants to the river. The elephants rushed into the water and splashed around and sprayed our small group with water. We then walked back to camp and fed them herbal balls we’d prepared. Super fun day and terrific people.

It’s worth mentioning if researched many of these camps. This one seems consistently to have a good reputation and hasn’t changed its name since opening.

One of highlights of our trip. Loads of fun. Baby elephant was a bonus.... Cute and playful. Highly recommend.

Unforgettable experienced! We loved the elephants and the staff member were super friendly and honest. A half day tour is a perfect time frame to get to know the elephants, feed and bath with them 🥰 also we came there in small groups which created a comfortable environment. We think it’s an ethically reasonable option of an elephant encounter. definitely recommend!

I hardly ever leave reviews, but I want to now for this great half day trip.

We booked half a trip for 1700B per person. In total it turned out the group was 7 people, and usually it is this size (never larger than 12).
We were picked up from our hotel at exactly 7:15 by a very kind driver who was also our main guide. The drive was all right, it takes about 1-1.5 hours depending on how many other passengers must be picked up. Note that there is no air conditioning in this pick up truck, but the windows do open. The drive can get a bit bumpy so if you're very easily getting car/motion sick I would recommend different transportation.
When we arrived we first had to cross a bamboo bridge that was a bit crooked. That was fun, and a first nice picture moment.
The guide took pictures constantly with your own phone so you have many great memories. Then we continued towards the elephants, about a 6 minute walk, but I recommend closed shoes especially if it has been raining.
We then arrived and were given some info about the elephants and we could feed and touch them. There were 4 including a young elephant of 7 months old, really cute!
We then had some more opportunities to ask questions and talk a bit about how the animals here were treated. This whilst we were cutting fruits herbs and vegetables to create vitamin balls that helped the elephants digestion. This all happened close to the elephant enclosure.
Anyway we created the balls by using a large manual pestle and mortar and our hands.
Some more pictures and then we fed it to them. The elephants were very thankful and thanked us in a special way, which I will leave as a surprise.
We then followed the elephants to the river (if you're not going in the river, do NOT wear flip-flops, I constantly got them stuck in the mud)
We didn't get to swim/bathe with them because the rain had made the current too fast and then elephants (especially young ones) will drown. So too bad but understandable.
It was really fun just seeing them walk and run in the open walking past you etc. And their keepers were very kind with them but also strict, otherwise they'd end up destroying all the trees in no time.
We finished walking with them in a circle and then got to feed them again (they constantly eat). Afterwards we had our own lunch which was prepared by the guide. Warm rice with some meat and watermelon. Very tasty and nice, he also provided us with an unlimited amount of water bottles.
We then left for home the same way we came and arrived around 1pm. Then my girlfriend left her phone in the truck, but the driver had noticed and came back to leave it at the reception at our hotel.

In short: amazing, fun, ethical, kind, trustworthy people guide tour and animals, 5 stars!

This is my first time to see a wild elephant, and I am so excited that I could see them with Elephant discovery Chiangmai company. The staff are so lovely and help tourists with photos, videos, and answer all the questions about elephants. They are so knowledgeable and let me know a lot about elephants. I will come back again and bring my family to do this tour.

This is the most beautiful experience that we ever had while traveling.
This foundation is the best option to see elephants in Thailandia. They are very kind with the customers, they offer us a lot of details and information about the elephant life and they take care very well of the elephants. I highly recommend that with all my heart ♥

Amazing experience ! Very small groups. Only 4 people on my tour. We each had one on one time with an elephant. It’s about an hour drive outside of the Old Quarter, nestled in the mountains. You interact with the elephants on land as well as in the river. You receive an amazing lunch as well. I can't find anything negative about the place. It is well worth going.

A family run sanctuary. The elephants a very well treated, the keepers love their animals like their children. The food was really nice and the staff very welcoming. I recommend this experience

A small but beautiful sanctuary. The staff takes great care of the elephants and it does so in an ethical way. When you go here you can get close and personal with the elephants and they will take pictures with their own camera to make sure yours doesn't get wet.