I had never been interested in visiting an elephant reserve, I had read about the mistreatment and exploitation that the animals are subjected to. But something happened when a friend told me that MandaLao was the only place that had a strict non-riding policy. It was an AMAZING experience! Our guide picked us up from our hotel, the ride was 30min approx. First you are offered an espresso or tea while you listen to Mr. P (Prasop from Thailand) explain elephant behavior and current challenges in keeping the species from perishing. After that you can prepare snacks for the elephants (banana sandwich with rice ). Next, you are given an orientation and gaiters for trekking through the mud. Then you can take the boat ride across the river. Our guide took us to meet and feed the elephants. We trekked into the forest along with the elephants and the Mahouts for about 2 hours learning about their care and habitat along the way. This has been the best experience of our trip to Luang Prabang . Thank you so much MandaLao not just for the unforgettable moments but because of the incredible work you do with the community and the elephants

What an incredible experience! No barriers, no hooks, no riding. Just trekking with 2 elephants through the jungle where they are free to roam and go as they please. They came incredibly close but we're super gentle just curious to see if we had Bananas hidden. The staff are very friendly, funny and speak good English, sharing background context and facts on the elephants and rescue project. Highly recommended!

A really great place. We booked the half-day tour. After the included shuttle from our hotel, we got a little introduction and could spend about 90 minutes with the elephants. This included feeding them and a 2,5 kilometer walk, where the speed was set by the elephants. They could stroll around and eat as they wanted to. There were no chains, no hooks, no riding. This was a great experience. At the end we got a complimentary Lao lunch.

Interesting experience. We took half day tour with bathing and I would say bathing is basically doubling your interaction time with the elephants. This type of a business should be less harmful to the elephants, but it's still at first place a business and at second attempt to help them. As they do not try to breed them and nor to get them from the lumberjacks permanently. They actually just rent them. I get it that they are expensive, but still it feels more profit oriented.

The BEST elephant experience!!! I was looking for an ethical, humane, educational and up close elephant experience and Mandaloa ticks all of those boxes! We decided to go for a full day tour which I cannot recommend enough!!! We nearly went the half day then decided it was worth paying the extra $50 USD each to have a full day experience. We hopped on the little boat across the river where we got to feed the elephants before heading on a 5km trek through the jungle with the elephants. There are no chains, whips or hooks. The elephants just roam freely along the track and you and you can tell that they are happy and loved. The elephants in their care are rescues from riding camps and logging camps. The tickets aren’t the cheapest ($150 USD per person for full day) however all of the money spent is going back into the local community and supporting the elephants. They buy all of the food for the elephants from local farmers so you know that your money is going straight back to the local community. The guides are so knowledgeable, speak great English and made it such a fun day! Overall I cannot recommend this experience enough!

We really enjoyed our day with the elephants. We came as a large family of 9 with 7 going on the half day trek and 2 continuing on for the full day. They accompanied us wonderfully. The meals were great. 2 different meals for the full day trek and a great vegetarian selection for the vegetarians of the group. We all left very full. The elephants also seemed to enjoy the bananas and ears of corn we fed them. The treks with the elephants was very relaxed and a nice easy pace. Plenty of time for photos with the elephants. The guide and handlers were very gentle and patient with the elephants. If the elephants hesitated in crossing a stream for a drink it just meant more time for photos. We were able to pass by the beautiful and isolated Tad Kuang Song waterfall along the way with the full trek. Just another bonus of the journey. We all recommend the Mandelao elephant treks.

We had such a nice tour at MandaLao elephant conservation. The people are very friendly and they really care about the elephants. The lunch was also very good and tasteful. Would definitely recommend if you want to visit a ethically place.

Highly recommend visiting Mandalao Elephant Conservation! They really love the elephants and rescue elephants from the logging or elephant riding industries. We got to feed them sticky rice banana sandwiches and then went for a trek with the elephants through the forest.

The only place in Luang Pragang where elephants are really loved and fairly treated. Mandalao rescues elephants from the other camps in Laos. We had a great time learning about their protégés, feeding them and walking with them.

Thank you for the great day at your facility! 🐘🫶 MandaLao strives to make the lives of elephants better which have so far been used as working/riding animals and treated horribly. You can still see the scars from riding or when the back of the legs were slapped. They also plan a reintroduction program in the future as Laos only has around 700 elephants left (half in captivity). The experience starts with a little history about elephants and the project, which is employing almost 50 people and supports 100 families that are growing plants for the (currently) 11 animals- each eating 6% of their bodyweight daily! Half of your ticket price will go to feeding the grey giants. Then you cross the river on a boat and start with giving the animals a little snack, before you walk through the surrounding forest. The half day tour will turn around after some km, while the full day tour continues to a little campsite. You will also have the opportunity to see and bathe at a waterfall- beautiful and a definite recommendation. Ask all the questions you have and they will be answered. The mahouts and guide are full of respect for the elephants and are passionate about their work.

We did a full day here so even though expensive was a great day we went by small boat over to meet the elephants and feed them Then we walked through the jungle with them. We stopped for linch in the middle of the jungle and had some lunch which they had bought with them in bamboo leaves. It was delicious. We stopped by a small village and met some of the children there. Then we took the elephants back through the jungle. no riding. Amaxing to see them.wandering through the jungle. Well cared for. . We were given foot wear so no need to worry about that. Also mosquito spray. My son got to chop some sugar cane to feedback to the elephants. fantastic experience

The full day was definitely one of my best days in my life! I got picked up in the morning, got many information about the elephant and then we started to walk with the elephants. I had lunch like a picnic which was delicious. After a little break at the waterfall we walked again. I came back in town at 5. I was the only person at this day, so I had a guide and two elephants all by myself, the guide made beautiful pictures of me and the elephants. 100% recommendation to do the full day!

Best experience of my life! My husband and I went to MandaLao in 2017. The staff are genuinely great people who love and care for elephants. Of course the elephants were adorable too. We enjoy walking with them, bathing, and feeding them. And the meal at the end was delicious too! Highly recommend!

The following is a review from my husband. While I thoroughly enjoyed myself the day we where at Mandalao, meeting elephants have always been a dream of his, and he can describe the day in ways that I simply can't. Translated to english by me. I have always dreamed of meeting these beautiful animals. But I wanted to meet theme in the correct way, without them having to suffer force or threats. When we arrived at Mandalao, we got an introduction to the facility and their work, and that's when I knew I found the right place. Our guide, Ung, was funny and amazingly knowledgeable. He was with us from the moment we were picked up from our hotel until we were dropped of at the end of the day. We "hiked" (a slow walk through the easier parts of the jungle) with two elephants for the first half of the day, taking our queues from them regarding when it was time to stop and when it was time to keep moving. No one ever tried to force the elephants to move faster than they wanted to, which meant that the ~3km hike to the place where we would have lunch took almost 90 minutes. Like I said: no stress, no force, just letting the elephants be elephants and us humans tagging along for the ride. We were four people who had lunch in the jungle, since we where the ones who where doing the full day trek. While having lunch we got to feed the elephants even more and have a cuddle with the ones who showed that they where okay with being touched. For me that was Vennie, the ~45 year old former riding elephant that I was petting, hugging and talking to for almost two hours. It was magical to meet these beautiful and smart creatures up close and on their terms. The staff could answer all of my questions and showed me so much about elephants. It really showed how much they love the animals and where dedicating their lives to caring for them and helping to free them from labor and abuse. I left Mandalao with an inner calm and warmth in my heart. Please visit Mandalo, they do really good and important work, but they need paying visitors in order to keep it up.

Really great experience. I was a little bummed at first to only be able to do the afternoon feeding and 1km hike. I love hiking and the longer morning jaunt sounded more my style, but I really wanted to see elephants! The afternoon Communicating with Elephants session was awesome for a few reasons. There were only 3 of us total, so it felt more personal and we were able to ask a lot of questions with our guide Yang. We got to talk to an elephant trainer for a good while, learning about their current studies of elephant diet and their ambitious plans for releasing elephants back into a nearby preserve. Then we made nutrient rich treats for the elephants (banana, rice, salt, tamarind, and a probiotic). You take a brief boat ride across the Nam Khan which is fun and provides nice views. Feeding the two elephants was good fun and they seemed to enjoy it as well (based on body language we learned at another sanctuary). After eating, the elephants went down to the river to spray themselves with water and one even covered itself in fresh mud. You're not allowed to get close or "help" them bathe, which is a good thing. This was really fun to watch and they just let the elephants do their thang until they're ready to move on. The last part involved walking through the jungle and following the elephants as they scavenged. They love fresh bamboo shoots in particular, and finding a good tree to rub up against. This part was cool because it felt the most free form. I also appreciate the shorter walk through the jungle versus the morning tour, because there are quite a few mosquitos and not much of a breeze in the trees! I can imagine getting bitten more on the longer morning hike that is twice as long. Each elephant has a mahout, who stays close by but does not use a stick or even verbalize commands most of the time. The only time I heard them tut commands frequently was right before we parted ways with the elephants, to take a photo. I'm not sure what they were saying but it seemed like maybe a command to stay in place. The elephants still played with each other while we quickly did this. I will definitely come back when I visit in the future.

I had a wonderful time here! The reservation very well maintained, the elephants looks happy and the guides these guys is so cool. They deserve more than 5 stars for sure 😄

The tour was very well organized, this is an ethical tour where you can touch two elephants while feeding them and walk with them for a little bit. The staffs seem to care a lot about the elephants. The lunch food was really tasty!

If you are going to visit elephants in Laos, visit them here. All of the employees truly love the elephants. No riding/bathing is allowed because it is detrimental to the animals. These gentle giants are a pleasure to trek with. It was an honor to watch them forage, scratch and plow their way through their natural environment. I will never forget this experience.

A highly enjoyable (and ethical) elephant conservation experience in Luang Prabang. Would recommend to anyone seeking an encounter with elephants that is approached with much care and consideration.

Half Day Trek - We were hesitant to do anything involving elephants due to the ethicality, but after extensive research decided we would go with Mandalao and were delighted. A very professional organisation, the ‘elephant master’ from Thailand first gave us an extensive and fascinating introduction to the many conservation programmes working to reduce the number of elephants in captivity and Mandalao’s role in this. Our lovely and energetic guide ‘Noy’ then took us to meet and feed the elephants bananas and for a gentle walk through the forest following the elephants at their own pace- they were very much in charge! Finally a delicious lunch with a beautiful view. Overall a real highlight of our trip, well worth the money and couldn’t recommend more.

This was one of the best experiences in my life and really appreciate my Loca driver in Luang Prabang for recommending it. The whole premise is conservation and rescuing trafficked elephants or those in tourist parks. During COVID, some of the rescues were chained up for two years before being rescued. The day kicks off with an hour informative insight with an experienced keeper before you walk through the forest with a few of the elephants. No riding and they go at their own pace through the forest. Lovely, home made lunch afterwards

Wonderful place. The staff care so much for these wonderful creatures. The property is stunning, our guide Dao was so kind and knowledgeable with a wonderful sense of humor, and the lunch was delicious. There is no better and more ethical way to interact with the majestic elephants of Laos.

Amazing experience spending the day with the Elephants and the extremely passionate team at @mandalao_elephants! Having read about the mistreatment and exploitation of these incredible creatures, it was super important for us to ensure we weren’t supporting any of the existing elephant riding camps that still operate in Laos and South East Asia today. The team at Mandalao have created Luang Prabang’s first non-riding elephant sanctuary and it covers an area of 80 hectares of forest where elephants can roam freely on the banks of the Nam Khan River. Truly commendable what the team has created for these wonderful creatures at the Mandalao Elephant Conservation. We can’t wait to go back!

This was the best experience with the elephant in Southeast Asia. It’s a hike WITH the elephants not on the elephants. The camp is located outside of Luang Prabang you take a boat to go the other side of the Nam Kham river. It is an adventure itself. Highly recommended who visit this lovely place of Luang Prabang. The meal they give at the camp is great too.

This place is absolutely beautiful, you can really feel the staffs' passion for the elephants and the attention to detail. They making sure the elephants only do what they want to do and that the visitors build a connection with them before they go for a walk. The lunch afterwards was also very delicious. Overall I can totally recommend Mandalao to have an unforgettable elephant experience.