Elephant Jungle Paradise Park
A sanctuary for elephants
Chiang Mai, Thailand
I did quite a bit of research before going to this elephant sanctuary. I hate the idea of riding elephants and have heard they are mostly mistreated terribly, even if you don't see it. So this place was great because they didn't offer riding and the elephants have all been taken from riding camps to be rehabilitated and cared for. It was an amazing experience. You get to feed them, rub and pat them, give them a mud massage and wash off in the waterfall with them. It was so much fun and they are such gorgeous gentle beings. The guides were great, telling you their names, histories and educating you about them in general. They were loads of fun, always laughing and having a joke and wiping mud all over you. I 100% recommend this day trip, you won't regret it and will have the best time of your life. - - Sam Flynn, Australia
Shared a fantastic day with my husband celebrating his birthday with the beautiful gentle elephants. Entertained all day by our guide machete , fab food cooked fresh for our lunch with refreshments after showering!. The elephants seem extremely happy and don't seem to mind us cooing over them, there is no riding or using hooks which obviously adds to their relaxed temperaments. Best shower in the world. Would definitely recommend this trip. - Tracy Mennim-Moulding,
We had what could possibly be the best day of our lives, all thanks to this park and the sensational Machete (tour guide). From the moment Machete picked us up, he had us laughing and enjoying every single moment. His laughter, good nature and happiness was so contageous, we couldn't have asked for better! We were lucky enough to have just three of us in our group so he the elephants, waterfall and mud all to ourselves which is obviously not a common thing but it made the day even more special. I cannot recommend this park enough. All the guys there were incredibly friendly, the elephants seem very happy with so much space to roam around and eat all they want and even get 'medicine balls' that we helped make. If you want an amazing elephant experience, this place will give it to you. Highlight of our Asia trip so far and it will take a lot to beat. Thanks a lot guys for a beautiful day :) -- Matt Harrison, UK
We had an amazing experience today! My boyfriend and I had extensively researched an appropriate Elephant Conservation to visit and were thrilled to come across this one. It has rave reviews on trip advisor and came highly suggested from our hotel.
Not being an elephant expert - pretty sure NO ONE reviewing this is - I came in with an open mind. My only hope was to be a part of an experience where the elephants were not used for our entertainment and amusement. That being said, the schedule was built around the elephants leisure and we participated in the feeding/cleaning process when the elephants weren't resting. As an animal activist and vegetarian, I didn't witness any mistreatment of any kind.
To the few, very very few nasty reviews on this Facebook page, I didn't witness any mishandling or ill will towards the gentle giants.
It's really unfortunate that some people go on holiday and try to pick apart an experience that means so much to the majority. Targeting a group of people who are doing their best to reshape the way elephants are treated in Thailand is disgusting. Ignore those reviews.
Enjoy your time here and come in with an open mind as well as an open heart. It's a life-changing experience � -- Joann Row, USA