Elephant Nature Park

( 16 Reviews )

Activities: Animal Volunteer Projects / Conservation Volunteer Projects
Country: Thailand

The Elephant Nature Park is located in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand and is a place where elephants can roam free from abuse in a wild environment.

There are opportunities to visit the nature park and see these magnificent animals or you could stay longer and really help by volunteering. International volunteers are welcome all year round. This is a really special place for elephants and it is amazing to visit and see them in a wild environment. Elephants can be treated terribly in Thailand, they are no longer needed due to the end of the logging industry and their normal environment is being destroyed.

The Elephant Nature Park offers a unique experience where you can really help elephant conservation. You will love our placements and we highly recommend volunteering with wildlife in Thailand at the Elephant Nature Park. The aim of the nature park is to rescue, help and provide a safe environment for elephants to live out their lives. The nature park is close to Chaing Mai, and easy to find if you contact for more information. At any one time there are lots of elephants being cared for here and the work the team to at the Elephant Nature Park is amazing. Lek, the founder is an inspirational person who you should meet when volunteering here.

The setting for the elephants is spectacular, there are large spaces, a big river, forests and nature which provide a great place for the elephants to live. You can make a big difference volunteering with elephants here, these are great if you are planning a gap year or volunteer vacation in Thailand. You can visit daily, or join volunteer programs depending on your availability.

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Culture and Conservation!

Visiting the Elephant Nature Park was by far my favorite part of my trip to Thailand. I learned so much in relation to conservation and the protection of elephants as well as veterinary, behavioral and dietary observations. It really opened my eyes to a whole new culture and the way other groups of individuals practice their morals. And in the adventure bonus week, I was able to push myself out of my comfort zone and experience the natural wonders of Thailand! I will never forget this experience, as it has truly changed my whole mindset for the better. :)

By: Brenna
Nationality: USA

Amazing

It is really wonderful what people have done here! It was one of the best things on my life going there.. I would recommend doing the overnight-stay.. you get to know the elephants so much more.. and at night or in the morning you can watch the elephants go to sleep or wake up.. the sunrise there is also very very beautiful!

By: Elisabeth Kohlmaier
Nationality: Austria

A story about elephants in the tourism industry

After spending 2 days at the Elephant Nature Park I felt so moved and inspired I created this video: https://youtu.be/z627QbACUcI

Let’s re-shape the way we interact with elephants. Join the elephant movement.

By: Andrea Ma
Nationality: Canadian

Love this place!!

I have volunteered twice at the Elephant Nature Park (Elephant Freedom). I read all of the rescue stories on their website of the elephants before I went. This made me realize how impactful and important the park is. These elephants need a voice and someone to help them. I am so happy I went and look forward to going again soon! If you’re in Thailand this is the number one thing you must do!

By: Casey Ryan
Nationality: USA

Great day with the giants

I took the 1 day Karen experience south of Chiang Mai, a long ride from the city especially when you are the first to be picked up but comfortable AC minibus. Our guide Mai was very nice, we spent the day with 2 elephants, they seemed very well treated and it was fun to give them food, playing in the mud and the water. The vegetarian lunch was excellent. My only regret is that we got few answers about the elephants and there were no information about he Karen. I thought we would learn more about their life, their traditions, ...
But overall a nice experience to try once, you don’t get to touch we’ll treated elephants every day !

By: Amandine
Nationality: French

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Great day with those lovely giants

My boyfriend and I really enjoyed our time at Elephant Nature Park. We booked the program called Elephant Wellness which was really amazing because we just were a group of 8 people. It was an awesome experience to get the elephants so close, feed them, bathe them, walk with them and interact with them.

Even though we scrutinize if the elephants are treated totally well. I mean of course they have a better life now and it really seems to be a great solution to educate other elephant farms who did riding etc. before, that they can own their money by treating the elephants well and let them actually be animals. But still the elephants were made to walk with us and go to the water with us - it was not completely his/her own decision. We wouldn't mind if the elephant could let his own free will decide what he wants to do and if he wants to go bathing he should but if not we wouldn't bother. Getting to feed them and watch them without a big fence like in the zoo was enough pleasure for us.

Still we think Elephant Nature Park really is a great institution and they have done amazing work to help these lovely giants! Of course we recommend supporting them to give the elephants back a life which is worth living.

By: Katharina
Nationality: Austria

Inspiring Experience!

We traveled to ENP in March 2017 with the intention to learn more about elephant conservation while volunteering for a week. We wanted to make a difference where possible and came away with much more than feeling good about giving our time. The founder, Lek, took time to meet with our group and explain the plight of the remaining elephant population and how each person can make a difference by just being the voice for elephants. ENP is a life-changing, magical place to not only visit but to dedicate some time to volunteer.

By: Time To Be Herd
Nationality: USA

When love creates great things.

I was a recent ENP volunteer at the Chiang Mai park. Not knowing quite what to expect it was emotionally moving to see and meet several majestic elephants that had been severely traumatised due to human ignorance, greed and total lack of awareness. These beautiful sensitive creatures are nurtured and cared for following years of abuse of injury by a lovely team of people hell bent on ensuring elephants and elephant husbandaery are the best they can be. The best sound that made my heart sing with joy is when after their nights sleep the elephants greet each other in the morning with roaring and trumpeting. A happy elephant is an utter joy to behold. Lek and her husband Darrick and their on site team work tirelessly at all levels to try and keep elephants in their natural environments. Sadly Asian governments are not so aware and put barriers in the way. Elephants are Thailands most revered animal and also their most abused. Through organisation like ENP working with people around the globe there is a glimmer of hope. It was a privilege to share a few days there.

By: Jojo Patience
Nationality: British

My experience at Elephant Nature Park

In December 2015 I was there! I don't like to ride an elephant because it is not normal & bad for them, so I found the park. I was there for 2 days, I just have one word; AMAZING! It was very special to touch elephants & take care for them. The food for volunteers was good & the accommodation too! Just do it! ❤️ I love elephants more after this ☺️ Respect for elephants!

By: Gerda
Nationality: Netherlands

Amazing day

This was an amazing day at a very ethical place. Most off the elephants has awful lives before and they now seem to be well looked after and happy.

By: Daniel
Nationality: United Kingdom

Absolutley amazing place and experience!!

11/10. Couldn't recommend this place enough. The work they do here is amazing and so important!! I took a day visit to the park in June 2017 and honestly it was the best day of my life. The itinerary for the day was varied and I got to see so many elephants up close and I learnt so many new things. The location was so pretty and the vegetarian buffet was so nice. Feeding and bathing the elephants was a fab experience. GO!

By: Nicola Shonick
Nationality: British

The Elephant Nature Park is a MUST VISIT

Visting the Elephant Nature Park is an unforgettable opportunity. Read more about my experience here: http://creativetravelconnections.com/elephants-arent-made-riding/

By: Creative Travel Connections
Nationality: USA

One of the Greatest Experiences!

Absolutely loved my trip to the Elephant Nature Park (ENP)! My friend and I traveled in Thailand for two weeks and knew that we wanted to visit an elephant park but were unsure of which one to visit, especially ensuring that they didn't mistreat the elephants. ENP was everything we could've wanted and then some! We didn't have a lot of time so decided to do a single day visit and since we booked rather last minute, most of the options were sold out for the entire two weeks that we were going to be in Thailand. We wound up choosing the Sunshine for Elephants trip and couldn't have been happier. We got to feed several elephants, go on a hike with them, and then bathe them in a river. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. After that, we went to visit the park itself for a quick tour. I actually preferred doing a trip outside of the park rather than spending the entire day there because we got to actually interact with the elephants the entire day. Highly recommend!!

By: Jonathan
Nationality: USA

A life-changing experience

I volunteered for a week in October 2013 together with my wife and 46 other volunteers from all over the world and simply had a life-changing experience! By working with the elephants, I learned so much about these gentle giants and how bad they have been and still are treated by humans. This project is very well organised and every activity is there for a reason. I met with a lot of dedicated people, staff and volunteers and also got real close to some of the elephants. I will continue to work on improving the conditions for animals and I will definitely come back to Elephant Nature Park.
The park also receives day visitors who get their special tour around the park and get to feed the elephants. They seemed to have a great time, too.

By: Michael Opsahl
Nationality: Denmark

5 visits!

5 visits says it all! First time I was a day visitor and was so impressed by ENP that I decided to return later that year as a volunteer.
I did 2 x separate 1 week visits as an elephant volunteer and then 2 visits as a dog volunteer- each for about 3 weeks.

Beautiful animal energy and a dedicated team.

By: Gill Hibbitt
Nationality: British

Incredible Place

This is the best place I went to in the whole of Thailand and I would highly recommend visiting! The elephants are amazing and it was a privilege to spend time up close with them. Lek and the ENP team are inspirational.

By: Paul
Nationality: British