Chiang Mai Elephant Friends

Nicely located next to a river and away form the street so it's very calm and has a nice view through the valley. Food is cheap and delicious and the elephants in the sanctuary are taken care of well from what we can tell. We did the 1.5hour Programm including feeding, going for a walk and bathing with the elephants. Our guide was very informative, supportive and created a good mood. It was a very pleasant experience in it's entirety spending time with these gentle giants. I'd rate the elephant Programm with 5/5

You visit this place to be with the elephants and you won't be disappointed. Up close and personnel with elephants is what they do best. Don't expect the Hilton, rooms are basic but still very good for the location. We stayed there for 24hrs and that was just right. Anything less we would have missed out on activities anything more would get a bit monotonous. We booked the early morning feed at your room, the jungle walk with guide and elephants and the bamboo rafting. All well worth doing.

First and foremost this is not an Elephant sanctuary or rescue facility. The elephants are bred, are very well trained for the enjoyment of guests. So if this is not what you want than this is not trip for you. We stayed here for 1 night out of 3, unfortunately we had to leave b/c of the poor air quality as there was burning in the area and my entire family had allergic respiratory reactions. They were nice enough not to charge of the cancelled nights. On our arrival we did Elephant Care, which includes feeding, walking with and bathing the elephants. We got 3 elephants to feed and walk with: baby and mommy. They roam freely mostly during the day and you can feed and walk with them. When walking our guide was very informative and honest. Unfortunately, they breed the elephants (3 this year) which in my opinion perpetuates the situation of these beautiful animals remaining in captivity. However, tourist like babies so this keeps the hotel alive. The baby elephant was interactive with us and super cute. The mom was hanging with just eating and walking around the trail and looking for snacks. The animals seemed very well cared for and not stressed at all. Definitely an experience most people would not get the opportunity to have unless in an environment like this. For bathing we had a different elephant. We washed the elephant with river water and gave it a 'massage'. This elephant was very calm and seemed to have fun spraying water on us as much as we liked pouring water over her. Again, these are very trained elephants for the enjoyment of guests which are used to performing on command. On our only morning we had a wake up call from an elephant. We got a bag full of bananas that we gave to the elephants. Cool experience for the kids and us. Hopefully in the future, they can figure a way to enclose property so the elephants can “free roam”. Unfortunately, they explained that had to chain them so they would not escape. The staff members were very nice and very willing to help with anything. The room was clean and cute looking. The restaurant food was not good, but edible. The location is beautiful.

Okay hear me out.. Next to many good reviews I've seen some bad reviews about this place as well. We stayed here for 2 nights. On our arrival we did Elephant Care, which includes feeding, walking with and bathing the elephants. We got 3 elephants to feed and walk with: baby, mommy and grandma. They roam freely when you are feeding and walking with them. When walking our guide (not the mahout) was playing with the baby a lot, they were playing hide and seek and were running around the trail. The baby elephant really wanted to interact with him and kept asking for tickles on his tummy. The mum and grandma were just walking around the trail and looking for snacks. None of them seemed to be stressed. The mahout was nice too, he spoke words to the elephant and we never saw him do anything bad to them. For bathing we had a different elephant. We washed the elephant with river water and gave it a 'massage'. This elephant was very calm and seemed to have fun spraying water on us as much as we liked pouring water over her. On our last morning we had a wake up call from an elephant. We got a bag full of bananas that we were allowed to give. The elephant was calmly eating the bananas and asked us to give at least 4 bananas at a time. Which seems funny because I think she knows the whole bag is for her. The mahout was just relaxing and when it was time to go they kind of walked hand-in-hand(trunk) away. I do really care much about animal welfare and the environment and I really think they try hard to take good care of the elephants. The one thing that was sad to see in my eyes was chaining them at night. I wish in the future they are able to build enclosures for keeping them and the guests save at night. I get that people are hesitant about chaining or enclosing them but don't be mistaken that in zoos for example animals are enclosed too. They might not roam around completely free but they are taken care of and treated with respect. Next to that, staff members are nice and very willing to help with anything. The room was clean and cute looking. The restaurant for breakfast and dinner was okay, not really special - except from the view, which is stunning.

Unforgettable experience. Unfortunately we only stayed one night, 2 is must :) we took a full day trip and morning feeding of elephants. We really liked the accommodation, as well as the dinner in the restaurant in the middle of the property. The whole thing has a special charm. We are very happy that we chose them among all the providers. The elephants look happy, the staff is very friendly, and by visiting you also support them in their work for a better future for elephants.