Bathing Elephants Chiang Mai, Thailand

We did a half day tour at Kanta Elephant Sanctury and it was a highlight of my time in Chiang Mai. The day started around 7am with the company picking us up at our hotel and driving 45 minutes outside of town to the sanctuary. Once we got there they gave us a pair of clothes to change into, a locker, tea and coffee. The guide explained that these elephants were recused from tourism entertainment and the logging industry. Each elephant has their own trainer that stays with them even when the elephants sleep. The sanctuary prides themselves on not using training hooks, chains and absolutely no riding.

They gave us a bag of sugar cane to feed the elephants in their large pasture. At first it was a little nerve racking because the elephants would come right up to you. We were instructed to hold the sugar cane out and the elephant would use its trunk to take it from your hand and put it in their mouth. They have a very good sense of smell and could smell the sugar cane even when it was still in the bag. They would walk up to you and poke your bag with their trunk. I was very hesitant because they are so large but the elephants were gentle and quite sweet once you got use to their size and mannerisms.

We then made medicine balls for the elephant using vitamins and mashed bananas. Once everything was mashed together into a tight ball we fed them to the elephants. Unlike the sugar cane where we just held it out, the medicine banana balls were placed directly in their mouth. It was a very odd experience but the elephants seemed to love them. We would hold them up and say “ball” and the elephants would open their mouth widely and then we would place it on their pink tongue. Elephants only have a few teeth at the very back of their mouth so there was nothing to worry about.

The Elephants rehydrating themselves at their waterhole.

Lastly, we got into the water and bathed the elephants using small buckets and scrub brushes. It was so much fun and a sight to see. The elephants seemed to love the water and it almost looked like they were smiling. At one point, an elephant used its trunk and sprayed water over everyone wanting to start a water fight. Afterwards, we got to shower off and had a small snack of fruit and crackers.

Bathing Elephants with buckets

I learned a lot about elephants on this half day trip and would recommend it to everyone, even small kids. The staff were friendly and wanted to share their passion and love for these elephants with us. There are many companies that still do elephants riding and do not treat their elephants well. Do not support these companies and make sure they do not allow riding. I felt very comfortable with Kanta’s treatment and training, and the elephants truly seemed happy to be there. A half-day including transportation was 1500 thai baht or $47 a person. Pick up at 7am and returned by 12:30pm.

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Chiang Mai and Phuket: Major Difference in Elephant Tourism

Note: After Chiang Mai, we flew down to Phuket were there is elephant riding everywhere. It was disheartening because the elephants in Phuket were kept in small spaces, had chains around their ankels and saddles on their back. They looked much more unhealthy than the ones at the sanctuary in Chiang Mai. The saddest was when we were driving we passed by a line of elephants with chains around their ankles, people on their backs walking down a busy road. If I had come to Phuket first or not done research on the elephant sanctuaries, I would have thought that elephant riding was okay just due to the fact that it is so prevalent in Phuket . The culture of elephant care was drastically different between the two regions, so it would be easy to buy into the elephant riding tourism/entertainment. This was a stark reminder to always do your research and to think critically about your impact as a tourist.