5/5 Christopher S. 7 years ago on Google
We
had
a
lovely
time
joining
one
of
the
very
first
tours
by
the
newly-opened
Elephant
Valley
Thailand,
a
rehabilitative
sanctuary
for
elephants
rescued
from
the
logging
industry,
which
is
run
by
the
same
owners
as
the
Elephant
Valley
Project
in
Cambodia.
The
sanctuary
is
located
about
25
minutes
from
the
city
center.
Upon
arrival,
we
were
given
an
overview
of
the
sanctuary
and
an
introduction
to
their
four
elephants.
The
guide
was
knowledgeable
and
genuinely
curious
about
and
interested
in
the
welfare
of
the
elephants,
biodiversity
and
conservation
in
Thailand,
and
our
experience
there
as
tourists.
This
is
a
no-ride
sanctuary
where
the
focus
is
on
helping
the
elephants
transition
from
their
former
lives
as
work
animals
to
their
new
lives
in
the
sanctuary.
As
such,
much
of
the
tour
consists
of
observing
the
elephants
of
doing
what
they
do
best
-
eating,
tearing
down
bamboo,
wandering
about,
and
interacting
with
each
other
and
the
mahouts.
We
were
given
heaps
of
information
on
the
elephants'
backgrounds,
the
process
of
rehabilitating
them,
their
previous
lives
as
work
animals
in
the
border
areas,
the
lives
of
the
mahouts,
and
the
animals'
biology.
The
guide
also
gave
us
the
opportunity
to
converse
and
interact
with
the
mahouts
with
his
translation,
which
added
another
really
cool
element
to
the
experience.
A
tasty
lunch
of
local
cuisine
was
provided
on-site
at
a
covered
outdoor
eating
area.
Following
our
meal,
we
were
given
the
opportunity
to
feed
the
elephants
some
bananas
(definitely
the
perfect
moment
for
some
shameless
selfies).
If
you're
looking
to
sit
on
an
elephant's
back
and
prance
about
the
countryside,
this
is
definitely
not
the
place
for
you.
But
if
you
are
genuinely
interested
in
learning
about
the
animals
and
the
process,
successes
and
challenges
of
rehabilitation,
and
peacefully
observing
them
in
their
natural
habitat,
you
will
find
this
experience
incredibly
enriching
and
rewarding!
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