Ethical Elephant Sanctuaries in Chiang Mai

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Elephant Sanctuaries in Chiang Mai With No Riding and No Shows

Chiang Mai's elephant sanctuaries take in elephants retired from logging and tourism, and none of them offer riding. All six below were checked against that one by one, and all six pass.

Here is the list of 6 Ethical Elephant Sanctuaries in Chiang Mai

1. Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

4.9 /5

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary is home to elephants rehabilitated from Thailand's logging and tourism industries, and it runs the most accessible half day programme of the Chiang Mai group. Visitors help prepare the food, feed the herd by hand, then move to the mud pit and the river to wash the elephants. There is no riding and no show, so the time goes on feeding and observation alongside the mahouts. Follow the staff instructions closely, since the elephants are not restrained.
Timings: 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Tours starting from
₹3,753

3.4 /5

Established at the start of 2013, Elephant Retirement Park takes in elephants that have finished working in logging and in tourism, and states its rules simply: no abuse, no chains, no riding. Half day and full day programmes cover feeding, walking with the herd, mixing herbal vitamins for the older and injured animals, and a mud spa followed by a river wash. There is a separate nursery programme for anyone who wants time with the calves.
Timings: 8:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Tours starting from
₹3,040

Ran-Tong Save and Rescue Elephant Centre sits in the Mae Taeng foothills about an hour north of Chiang Mai and takes in rescued and previously abused elephants. Visitors change into Karen mahout clothing and spend the day walking beside the herd, bathing them, and helping prepare vitamins and medicine for the older, injured and pregnant animals. There is no riding and no trick work, and the programme is deliberately built around watching rather than entertainment.
Timings: 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM

4. Thai Elephant Care Centre

3.3 /5

4.2 /5

One of the largest elephant camps near Chiang Mai, Maesa has dropped its old show programme completely and now states plainly that it runs no elephant riding and no elephant show. The painting and football routines it was once known for are gone. A visit is built around walking with the herd through the forest, feeding them, watching them use the mud pits, and sitting in on sessions that explain elephant anatomy and behaviour. Good if you want scale and structure rather than a small camp.
Timings: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Tours starting from
₹3,040

3.5 /5

A small family run camp where about sixty people live and work alongside the herd, Baan Chang has taken elephant riding off its programme: the current full day is sold as elephant day care with no riding activity. Visitors learn the commands a mahout uses, the feeding routine and the bathing routine, which makes it the most hands on camp on this list without anyone getting on an elephant's back. Book through a hotel or tour counter rather than at the gate.
Timings: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Tours starting from
₹3,040

All six of these camps have confirmed no elephant riding, which is the one thing worth checking when you compare ethical elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai. If a camp still advertises rides, a show, or elephant painting, it is not a sanctuary whatever it calls itself. Been to any of these, or found one we have missed? Tell us in the comments below.

This post was published by Joysurjya Hagjer

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FAQs on Ethical Elephant Sanctuaries in Chiang Mai

Which elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai do not offer riding?

All six on this list. Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, Elephant Retirement Park, Ran-Tong Save and Rescue, The Chang Chiang Mai (formerly the Thai Elephant Care Centre), Maesa Elephant Camp and Baan Chang Elephant Park have each confirmed that riding is not part of their programmes. Maesa and Baan Chang were the last two to change, dropping shows and riding respectively.

How do you tell a genuine sanctuary from a camp that only calls itself one?

The word sanctuary is not regulated in Thailand, so check the programme rather than the name. Look for a clear statement of no riding and no show, no bullhooks, and elephants that are not chained between sessions. A camp selling painting, football, trekking or a photo on an elephant's back is working the animals, whatever the sign at the gate says.

Can you still ride elephants in Chiang Mai?

Yes, some camps around Chiang Mai still sell rides, but none of the six here do. Welfare groups object to riding because an elephant has to be broken to accept a rider in the first place, and because a saddle and passengers put load on a part of the back that is not built to carry it. The feeding and bathing programmes on this list are the alternative.

Is bathing with elephants ethical?

Opinion is split. Bathing is natural behaviour and most camps here treat it as part of the animals' daily routine, but it does mean handlers keeping elephants in the water while groups of visitors take turns. The Chang Chiang Mai has dropped bathing altogether and runs observation only, so pick that one if you would rather keep your distance.

Should you book a half day or a full day?

A half day covers the core of it: food preparation, hand feeding, and the mud and river wash, and it gets you back to Chiang Mai by early afternoon. A full day adds the walk with the herd and, at Ran-Tong and Elephant Retirement Park, time helping mix vitamins and medicine for the older and injured elephants. Go full day if the elephants are the point of the trip.

What happened to the Thai Elephant Care Centre?

It is still running, under a new name. The centre was renamed The Chang Chiang Mai in November 2019. It sits next to Maesa Elephant Camp, houses around 14 elephants, most of them elderly and retired from logging or show work, and takes visitors by appointment only on a half day or full day programme.

How far are the elephant sanctuaries from Chiang Mai city?

Most sit an hour or so north of the city, in the Mae Rim and Mae Taeng valleys. Ran-Tong is in Mae Taeng, roughly an hour out. Maesa Elephant Camp and The Chang Chiang Mai are next door to each other in Mae Rim. Most programmes include hotel pickup and drop off in Chiang Mai, so you do not need your own transport, but confirm it when you book.