Close encounters with elephants in Chang Mai, Thailand
As I strolled along the path, surrounded by the soothing sounds of nature, a sudden shift in the air hinted at the approach of something enormous.
Before fully grasping the situation, a shadow cast itself over me —a gentle yet unmistakable presence demanding attention.
With anticipation, I turned slowly. Mae Sak, the majestic elephant, stood at an impressive 9 feet tall.
Of course, when I turned around, it wasn’t as if we were face-to-face.
Suddenly, I felt like a tiny, fragile leaf, slowly tilting my head upwards to meet her eyes.
I stood there in awe. Then, realizing how dumb I probably looked with my mouth wide open, I sidestepped off the path to let her by.
The gentle giant looked even more majestic as she strolled past me, shaking the ground with every step.
Tawan Elephant Sanctuary experiences offered
If you ever find yourself wandering around Chiang Mai, Thailand, with a spare day or two, go to an elephant sanctuary.
Not only do you get up close and personal with elephants (too personal if you’re not careful), but you’ll also experience the off-the-beaten-path jungle of Thailand.
That is, of course, if you find the right elephant sanctuary.
After extensive research, we found the best elephant sanctuary that Thailand has to offer. Here are a few things to look forward to:
- Over a dozen fully grown free-roaming Asian elephants rescued from abusive ownership.
- Several small elephant babies (not actually that small). They wander around with their mothers, hoping to prank some unsuspecting tourist who gets too close and finds his legs wiped out from under them (like me).
- Free showers. All you have to do is stand near an elephant in the river.
- A morning wake-up call with an elephant knocking on your window.
- Bamboo rafting down the Wang River – with elephants cheering you on and spraying you all the way.
- A beautiful 4-acre property maintained by staff who treat their elephants with great care.
Tawan Riverside Elephant Resort
Being in a country like Thailand may be the only time you get to be this close and personal with these gentle giants.
But this close contact comes with a caution.
Before going to any elephant sanctuary, it’s best to remember that you’re walking onto their turf. These are massive creatures that are generally very gentle.
But everyone’s in a bad mood sometimes.
I learned this the hard way when I attempted to pet one of the biggest elephants on the face.
A sign warns, “Don’t pet the elephants on the face.”
I suggest you read the sign.
As soon as my hand made contact with the elephant’s face, it only took a slight swing of its massive trunk to send me flying into a pile of sugar cane husks.
Feeding the elephants
Feeding elephants is one of the most entertaining things to do at an elephant sanctuary.
We fed them bananas and sugarcane. You can place the food directly in their mouths if you’re brave. You can also hand it to their trunk so they can put it in their mouths.
The end of an elephant’s trunk is like a hand. It has over 4000 muscles, making it extremely agile.
Perhaps the most satisfying way to feed them is to hold the food in the air, wait for them to raise their trunk up high, with their mouth wide, and toss it into their mouths.
Elephants also require a lot of water since they use it for drinking and for cooling themselves.
The elephants spend much of their day down at the river, filling their trunks with several gallons of water before lifting it and spraying it onto their backs.
When they’re not at the river, they spend the rest of the day wishing they were at the river.
As I explored a few acres in the back of the sanctuary’s property, I spotted one elephant that looked especially thirsty.
Luckily, a hose was attached to a spigot no more than 50 feet from me.
So, I did what any tourist lacking the wisdom of experience would do: I picked up the end of the hose, turned on the spigot, and started walking it over to the elephant.
I think the elephant had seen this move before because it immediately started toward me.
When it was 10 feet away from me, it lifted its trunk to catch the jet of water from the hose end. After filling its trunk, it aimed directly at its mouth and blasted water into it.
It repeated this process a few times. After about a minute, however, the elephant decided it had enough of being fed and chose to take matters into its own hands – er, trunk.
To my shock, it started moving closer. It reached its trunk out and wrapped it around the end of the hose, inches from my hand.
For a brief moment, we were playing a game of tug-of-war before I remembered I was competing with an elephant.
Without further hesitation, I released the hose.
Using its agile trunk, the elephant positioned the end of the hose so that the jet of water was spraying directly into its mouth.
Then it started backing up.
Fearing it would rip the hose from the ground, I ran to the spigot and turned off the water.
The elephant must have realized what I did because it dropped the hose. With the remaining water, it aimed its trunk directly at my face and drenched me with what’s best described as “elephant trunk juice.”
Bamboo Rafting
Another highlight of the Tawan Riverside sanctuary was the bamboo rafting.
Hop onto a 20-foot-long homemade bamboo raft and experience the thrill of going down the jungle river with locals smiling at you the whole way.
(Thailand is known as the “land of smiles.”)
You might also see some elephants and Siamese Buffalo if you’re lucky.
At one point along the river, we encountered a group of Thai kids partying, and for a moment, we felt like part of their group.
So much so that one of them tried to toss me a Chang (Thai Beer).
How much does a visit to Tawan Elephant Sanctuary cost?
To stay a night in one of the bungalows on the sanctuary property vary.
A standard queen bungalow starts at $48
A “Superior Family Room” with two king beds costs $104.
There are many other ways to spend money at the Sanctuary:
- Full-day excursion with an elephant ($82)
- Elephant wake-up call ($42)
- Elephant bathing ($42)
- Bamboo Rafting ($15/boat)
I personally recommend bamboo rafting.
Truthfully, my wife and I spent so much time with the elephants, without paying for the extra wake-up call, elephant bathing, and excursion, that we didn’t feel the need.
Also, even though we didn’t pay to bathe the elephants, we could still get in the water with them and touch them.
Tawan Riverside Elephant Resort Accomodations
What we loved about our stay
The Tawan Riverside Elephant Sanctuary was a delightful experience.
The staff is friendly, the onsite restaurant serves incredible food, and the company of elephants is captivating.
Not so much…
Other than being tossed around a bit (my fault), there was just one downside to our stay at the Tawan Riverside Elephant Sanctuary.
The Cicadas.
If you visit Thailand around March, the Cicadas emerge in full force.
You’ll be aware of their presence not just by the loud chorus of clicking sounds they make, but you might also feel as if moisture is sprinkling from the sky when you’re in the jungle.
Unfortunately, that is not rain.
Do we recommend the Tawan Elephant Sanctuary?
Absolutely!
This ranked as one of our top experiences in Thailand.
It offered a wonderful escape from the hustle and bustle of crowded cities.
Also, you probably won’t get this close to elephants anywhere else, so take advantage of it while you can!
And learn from me – encountering elephants in a sanctuary is a unique and awe-inspiring experience, but respecting the animals’ space is crucial.
