Should I ride an elephant in Thailand? My visit to the Chiang Mai Elephant Nature Park

Thailand, day 5. After breakfast at my hotel – eggs and northern Thai sausages, with chili and lemongrass; god, I love the food in Thailand – I'm picked up by a bus for a day trip to the Chiang Mai Elephant Nature Park. I'm the only singleton on a bus full of millennial couples. While they sleep, I marvel at the scenery, giddy as a kid on Christmas Eve; I've been waiting many years to see elephants in Thailand.

Elephants: to ride, or not to ride?

There is no shortage of elephant sanctuaries and rescue parks in Chiang Mai; the tricky part is figuring out if they're legitimate. I spent hours online reading reviews of various elephant parks and he-said-she-said articles about elephant abuse and elephant riding in Thailand. I know elephants are critically endangered; I know I won't ride one, even if some people claim it does no harm; and I hope I'm not contributing to elephant mistreatment by visiting a nature park. They all claim to care about elephants... but do they really? Based on some reviews I read, not all of them do.

In search of Asian elephants

The trip from Chiang Mai Old City to the Elephant Nature Park takes about an hour. The road outside the city limits is flanked by forest, dense with tall leafy trees and palms heavy with green bananas and coconuts; the endless green is offset by the bright blue sky and the occasional brown river or pond, dotted with lotus flowers.

We pass 7-Elevens sitting ironically alongside markets selling fresh produce and meat, groceries, and ready-to-eat street food. Small Buddhist shrines, complete with soft drink offerings, seem to mark the miles.

Up into the hills we pass several camps where tourists are riding elephants and driving ox carts. Pim, our tour guide, tells us that there are 3,000 domestic elephants in Thailand, and a declining number – about 1,500 – in the wild. I wonder how many are "rescued" from the wild to satisfy foreign tourists' desire for an elephant encounter. 

Thailand ❤ #2 - Chiang Mai Elephant Nature Park

My concerns evaporate when we arrive at the Chiang Mai Elephant Nature Park. Dozens of elephants roam freely; there is no riding, no swimming with tourists.

"First we feed the elephants," says Pim, "because no food, no friend!" We feed the elephants watermelon and bananas; we watch them frolic in the river and coat themselves with red dust and mud, protection from the blazing sun; we get up close and feel their leathery skin.

As we meet each elephant, Pim tells us their story. "This is Za Za, look how skinny she was – and now she is so fat!" Ten percent were born in captivity and the remainder are rescue elephants, many with visible scars: broken hips from working in logging camps, blindness from human punishment, mangled feet from land mines.

The elephants are so calm in our presence, it's tempting to hug them. But when they move, you can feel their power. While we're seated on an elevated walkway, overlooking the park, a 4,500 kg female starts to scratch her back and legs against it. We laugh nervously as the structure sways back and forth, secretly thrilled to be so close to such power and beauty.

Although the elephants are the highlight of my day, meeting other travelers makes me smile too: I talk to a woman who lives a few miles away from me back home; get some tips for Singapore from a Californian ("read Crazy Rich Asians before you go," she tells me); give some tips for Bangkok to a couple from the U.K. I have a blissful day, and feel a little envious of those staying overnight. ("The elephants stay awake all night!" two women from the States tell me. "But it's wonderful!")

An evening at Chiang Mai Night Bazaar

Back in the Old City, I end my day with a beer at a quiet, tree-covered bar, where I chat with an ex-pat who's excited to speak English again (most English-speaking tourists are "drunk all the time," he tells me). Then I head over to Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, where the street food caters to tourists and the vendors all hawk the same cheap souvenirs: tacky elephant-print clothing and "funny" t-shirts; Thai silk so cheap you know it's not Thai silk; bottle openers shaped like penises. Oh, Chiang Mai – I want to love you. But I fear the tourists have changed you too much.

I buy a painting of an elephant from "the artist" and find the same paintings being sold around the corner for half the price, and can only laugh. Well played, young man. I will happily cart my over-priced painting around Southeast Asia for another two weeks, a reminder of my wonderful day with the elephants. I'd call that a win-win.

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