Located close to Chiang Mai city in northern Thailand, the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre of Lampang is a delightful place that welcomes you to the word of elephants.
Visiting the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre is a relaxing and joyful experience. As one drives away from the city of Chiang Mai into the picturesque highway situated by the hills of northern Thailand, the air becomes clearer and the streets wider.
One can start the journey with a visit to the museum, which houses pictures and information on the royal Thai elephants, distinctive types of elephants and rare images of the elusive and sought after White Elephants. After the museum, you can hop onto the open air jeeps that tour around this large centre or take a stroll in the shed where elephants are being fed, before they are taken for bathing. With love and care, each elephant is bathed by their own mahout, and often playful for the visitors who watch them. If you wish, you could also enrol yourself in a mahout training course that spans a few days and teaches you the nuances of communicating with and understanding how to take care of elephants.
Once bathed, the elephants are ready for a show that involves them showcasing special moves and painting, aided by their mahout. One thing to note about this place is that the government-run centre takes care of abandoned animals as well as those who’ve been kept captive. Each fee paid on the ground goes into running the centre that also houses a hospital.
After the show, visitors get a chance to feed these humble creatures, who are very delighted to take corn and sugarcane. Once we are done feeding the elephant, they take us for a bumpy yet relaxing journey through the wilderness. As we leave the elephants behind, the mahouts guide them through and outside the water, where they are to proceed for other activities of the day.