Researched and vetted: real ethical elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai, and which ones to avoid

One of the top activities in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is visiting an elephant sanctuary. And understandably so — after all, who doesn’t want to see these beautiful, intelligent animals in real life? Unfortunately, not all sanctuaries are created equal, and in fact, most of them are not truly ethical, as they allow activities and interactions that are harmful to the elephants. Don’t be fooled by the term “sanctuary” — that’s a loose term that doesn’t mean anything. 

Below is a detailed list of red flags to look for in a sanctuary, followed by a list of the most ethical elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai, thoroughly researched and vetted by yours truly, and a list of the ones to avoid. 

PS: This is a review of the ethical elephant sanctuary I visited during my trip to Chiang Mai. I stayed at a local homestay in Chiang Mai and wasn’t too far from the sanctuary.

How to spot an ethical elephant sanctuary? 

A truly ethical elephant sanctuary is observation-only and completely hands-off, meaning there’s zero interaction between you and the elephant. This means no feeding, petting, bathing, trekking, or riding, though trekking can be acceptable as long as there’s a reasonable distance from the elephants.

Why is hands-off the only ethical way to see elephants (and other wild animals)?

Elephants are often referred to as “gentle giants” because despite their size, they seem docile and harmless. The reality is much less cute — elephants are, at their core, wild animals, and for them to act docile around strangers, a lot of “training” has to be done. 

And by training, I’m referring to something called “phajaan”, or “the crush”, whereby elephants are mistreated and abused to crush their spirit, so that they become submissive. This usually means hitting them, or keeping them in tiny enclosures so they can’t even turn around, and separating mothers and babies to isolate and emotionally break them. If you’ve ever seen an elephant being controlled, for example during elephant riding, you’ll see the mahout (the elephant trainer/keeper) hitting the elephant on the head with a metal hook to control it. 

Today, most people are aware of the exploitation associated with riding elephants, which is why most places with elephants have stopped offering these activities and instead are focusing on more ethical ways to see elephants. But boycotting elephant rides isn’t enough; close interactions with elephants are still unethical because the elephants are required to participate in certain activities, be at a specific spot at an exact time, and be in close proximity to strangers daily. Which means they’re never 100% free and are still being controlled.

So how do you know if an elephant sanctuary is truly ethical? 

Look for these details on the sanctuary’s website or program explanation:

1. A completely hands-off approach (no feeding, no petting, no riding, no bathing). Elephants don’t need our help to bathe or feed themselves.
2. The elephants are not expected to do anything for our entertainment, and there’s no guarantee of seeing them.
3. They are not forced or expected to be anywhere at any specific time.
4. The elephants are free to feed themselves, bathe whenever they feel like it, and walk wherever they please. 
5. They live in a large natural space, like a forest.
6. The elephants are 100% free to roam. They’re never kept in captivity, chained, or forced to stay in a specific spot. 
7. Trekking is fine as long as there’s distance between us and the elephants, so our presence doesn’t become a potential threat to them. 

What are the most ethical elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai?

I can’t even begin to explain how long it took me to find a truly ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai (and in Thailand in general). Sure, everyone now knows that riding elephants is bad. But most don’t know that bathing and feeding them are so unethical, because anything that makes wild animals, including elephants, interact with tourists means they are being coerced into being at a certain spot and behaving a certain way for our enjoyment, not theirs. Even trekking too close to them is not ethical because sensing our presence is enough to cause stress and anxiety, especially in rescued elephants who were in terrible situations prior. 

So it was incredibly frustrating to find elephant sanctuaries that claim a hands-off, no-contact visit, and yet when you dig a bit deeper and look at their “programs” and photos, everything shows tourists touching, petting, and feeding. 

Even more frustrating are the bloggers and influencers talking incorrectly about ethical sanctuaries, and yet their “vetted” sanctuaries offer interactions, whether it’s feeding, bathing, photo ops, or trekking incredibly close to the elephants. 

And I understand that people love elephants and want to get close to them, but please consider how the elephants feel, and the training that they go through to tolerate constant tourists daily petting, feeding, or bathing them. If more of us say no to greenwashing and unethical elephant parks, we will reduce the demand for this, and with time, only truly ethical elephant sanctuaries will remain.

Anyway, after a long research journey and talking to friends who are involved in animal welfare projects, I finally found the right sanctuaries that are truly ethical, with a 100% hands-off approach (no bathing, feeding, riding, or invading their space). 

List of truly ethical elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai (no greenwashing)

Most, if not all, include pickup and drop-off in Chiang Mai. 

• Eve79 Elephant Sanctuary
  • 1.5 hrs from Chiang Mai city centre
  • A relatively easy trek in the jungle to find elephants, with plenty of respectful distance. The trek ends at a waterfall, and the route back to the starting point is very easy.
  • Completely hands-off (no feeding, no bathing, no petting)
  • Includes lunch or dinner, depending on the time of day you choose to go
  • 20% of their booking profits go back to the local community
• Elephants Eco Trail
  • 2.5 hrs from Chiang Mai city centre
  • They offer two options: a full one-day activity, or an overnight stay
  • Allows trekking in the forest to observe elephants, with distance
  • Includes a vegetarian and eco-friendly lunch
• Isara
  • Currently under maintenance, but was vetted by experts in this field as being truly ethical
• Bees sanctuary
  • 2.5 hrs from Chiang Mai city centre
  • Only offers visits with overnight stays, minimum 1 night
  • Completely hands-off but allows trekking with distance
  • There are also rescue dogs on the premises
• Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary
  • 3 hours from Chiang Mai city centre
  • Allows trekking to find elephants, without getting too close
  • Only offers visits with overnight stays, minimum 1 night
• Mahout’s Elephant Foundation
  • There are 3 experiences offered: mountain adventures, volunteering, and a yoga retreat. Minimum 4 nights
  • Hang out with the mahouts to learn about elephants
  • Immersive cultural experience with the villagers
• BLES (Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary) in Sukothai
  • A 6-hour drive from Chiang Mai
  • Offers overnight stays (minimum 2 nights), no day trips
  • Only available to visit during weekdays, no weekends
  • There are no fixed schedules or organised activities aside from walking alongside elephants, but they let the elephants lead the schedule

Avoid these elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai 

The list is probably longer, but this is what I found so far for sanctuaries that are either not ethical or using greenwashing marketing tactics.

• Elephant Nature Park
  • This is the most popular elephant experience in Chiang Mai, but it’s ethical.
  • The reason this is on the avoid list is because their information is ambiguous. I contacted them privately, and they said they don’t allow feeding and trekking, but when I mentioned that their website lists feeding and trekking with elephants activities, and they confirmed they do offer this. The lack of transparency was already enough to indicate that they aren’t 100% ethical. Also, some reviews claim that the elephants are still forced to be at a certain spot at a fixed time (which makes sense given that visitors are “guaranteed” a bathing observation activity) and that it didn’t feel like the elephants were free, with the mahout blocking their paths or even hitting them discreetly. 
• Chang chill
  • Not 100% ethical: it’s completely hands-off, but they still allow people to get very close for photos
  • It’s about 1.5 hours away from Chiang Mai city centre.
  • There are two locations, Doi and Hillside, with slightly different landscapes (Hillside has a natural mud pool and Doi has a river and rice fields)
• Joy Elephant Sanctuary
  • Feeding is allowed. They even say that they offer a “hands-on experience”, which is an immediate red flag
• Elephant Soul Sanctuary
  • They claim to be hands-off, but allow feeding and photo ops
• Elephant Parks
  • They allow bathing and feeding
• Elephant Sanctuary
  • They allow bathing, trekking, and feeding
• Elephant Jungle Sanctuary
  • They allow bathing and feeding
• Big Boy Elephant Sanctuary
  • They claim to be ethical and that there’s no forced interaction, yet they allow feeding

FAQs

Are elephant sanctuaries in Thailand ethical?

There are many ethical elephant sanctuaries in Thailand, though there’s unfortunately also a lot of greenwashing too. A real ethical elephant sanctuary doesn’t allow any interaction with the elephants, meaning no feeding, bathing, close photo ops, riding, or petting. 

Some of the most notable ethical elephant sanctuaries in Chiang Mai are Bees Sanctuary, Elephants Eco Trail, Eve79 Elephant Sanctuary, and Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary. Others include Somboon Legacy Foundation in Kanchanaburi and Following Giants in Krabi.

Popular ones that claim to be ethical but aren’t really (they allow some kind of close interaction) are Elephant Nature Park, Chang Chill, and Joy Elephant Sanctuary. 

Is Elephant Nature Park an ethical elephant sanctuary?

Despite its popularity and its emphasis on being an ethical elephant sanctuary, the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai is not 100% ethical, as it allows close interaction with the elephants, namely feeding and walking closely with them.

What does “crushing their spirit” mean in elephant training?

Also known as “phajaan”, or “the crush”, this is an abusive training method to crush elephants’ spirits and show them that they don’t have any control, thus forcing them to be submissive to whatever we subject them to. Some of the ways this is done are by separating mothers and babies, and keeping them (especially the babies) in tiny cages that don’t even allow them to turn around, and without food. It’s a horrible, inhumane thing to do.