Don't visit this place of cruel elephants and exhibits of poor elephants moment by moment until they die for money. This is not a free space for elephants, everything is a lie. Shows only for people and tourists. They say they have free elephants with less contact with humans, but that is not true. Don't go there, please, don't contribute to these filthy and inhuman business where elephants are tormented. Tourists are the main culprits for the suffering of poor tormented elephants, because they give money to have fun like that.

The retired, non-working elephants are not tourists. Locals. Do your research. These elephants even the old ones- are forced to interact with guests who will ride them, bathe them and more. There is a conservation program here. However, with the option for guests to play with the baby animals, it is clear that the creatures bred here are being set up for a lifetime in captivity as they wouldn’t be able to be released into the wild after so long interacting with humans. It is heartbreaking.

A really wonderful place and the closest you'll ever get to Elephants and understanding their role within Thai culture. Truly memorable and an easy day trip from Bangkok.

The elephants are beaten, chained all day to do tricks and give rides. Elephants are on extinct list. Even they were not on the list. They do not deserve this. They do not do all this. They are wild. Imagine 80-90 years of brutal captivity. Elephants are hit with sharps in head and they bled while giving rides. This is what humanity stands for, and give 5star reviews to. Think Again ??? Where is your conscience?????

Dont come here. Cruelty exposed..THINK about the animals pain instead of your pictures. Freak show.

This is the best place hands down to soak up Thai culture and history, and to learn about the history and emotional bonds domestic elephants have with the Thai people. This is a very happy village and it only exists for the happiness of the elephants. These people live here, treat their animals like family, and work so hard to make sure the animals are physically and emotionally happy. There was no abuse. Why? Because an abused animal is an unhealthy angry one. What is the benefit in having an unhealthy animal? This place also has the highest birthrate, 80 some babies in 20 years. Healthy happy elephants give birth, thats just common sense for ya. Overall this place holds their mental health in high esteem and it really shows in the loving relationships I witnessed. This is a really interactive program, you care for your elephant, feed it, take it to different places to eat grass, take it to the river for baths, bond. The staff takes good care of you and are good teachers. Food is excellent and accommodations are too.

From the bottom of our hearts, my husband Chris and I want to say thank you to the team at Elephantstay for making the past three weeks so incredible for our family. This was Chris' and my third visit but first with our daughters and it was a truly amazing experience! Michelle, Ewa, and Lexi are so unbelievably knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodating and made sure we all had a wonderful time. The mahouts were fun and playful with our girls, and made sure that they had a safe and memorable experience. Having now spent nearly 40 days at Elephantstay, it just feels like home. The family meals and excursions with the ladies who run the program made it feel like we truly belonged. It's never easy leaving, but returning feels like we never left, so I look forward to holding onto these memories until we are back at our home away from home at Elephantstay! ❤️🐘🇹🇭❤️

Nice place to see some elephants in their daily captive environment. Opportunity to feed them yourself.

This is my fifth visit to Elephant Stay. To take care of your own elephant for a full week is an extraordinary experience and a unique gift. Elephant Stay is run by Michelle and Ewa beautifully where you are made so welcome while helping to conserve elephants and maintain their rightful dignity in Thai culture. The food is delicious too. 5 stars and thank you!

We loved our time at elephantstay. The workers truly care about the elephants and the education of the guests on the history and culture surrounding them. We had a magical time feeding, playing with, washing, and taking to the river different elephants. Lunch was provided and we enjoyed eating with Michelle, Lexy, and Eva. Tshirts were provided along with showers. Loved seeing how well they are taking care of such magnificent creatures. Highly recommend a full day at Elephantstay!

This Elephant stay number 3. How I wish it was more. There is nothing better than being emersed in the Thai Elephant culture at this working elephant village. The friendliness that surrounds the village is infectious and this Elephant experience allows you to be helpful in a small way to the plight of these "GREAT" creatures and some small ones.These amazing animals are receiving loving and caring treatment. Will I return? Certainly will!

Well my "Happy Place" has been found at last, an amazing little village to immerse myself in the amazing life of the Mahout…. Up close and personal with my very own elephant to feed, clean, bathe, swim, walk & talk with and LOVE !!. The homestyle food is so good and the accomodation is adequate and comfortable enough for the price, everybody here makes you feel so welcome and part of the family .. The gorgeous friendly staff, the directors, the villagers, and the beautiful children all become your best friends for life at Elephantstay ... BUT be prepared it is a working village and the day is busy .... I suggest waking up early everyday and take in the sights and sounds of the start of every day, you wont regret or forget it !! Thank you all at Elephantstay for all that you do for these beautiful animals .... It was my first time here and it wont be my last, it really is an incredibly humbling experience to be part of this place even for a short time .... Thank you to Pi Om, Michelle, Ewa, Lexi, Mr Pong and all of the wonderful mahouts , children and family's that made my week long holiday so happy !! Adrian B

What an absolutely AMAZING experience! I spent an unforgettable few days at Elephant Stay to learn, care for and get hands-on experience taking care of these beautiful creatures. My elephant, Rumruay, a 50+ year old beauty and I got to meet each other the very first day. For me, this was a bucket-list item to live on-site and feed, wash, and ride her to feed, and water her in the river. Michelle and Ewa were gracious hosts who are passionate about the health, education, safety and preservation of these animals. I got a first-hand account of history of these animals, the care and everyday hard work of the mahouts, the health and welfare of these intelligent creatures. And, just how instrumental they were in the local recovery efforts of remains in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. If you want to learn more about the work, check out The Last Mahout - about the plight of these Asian elephants. Better yet, I highly recommend spending a couple of days/nights at Elephant Stay with Michelle and Ewa. The food was very good, the company was fun, educational, and insightful. I cannot wait to go back! Thank you again making my first trip to Thailand a memorable one! Please give Runruay a hug for me!!

I went into the elephant stay with no expectations, but Michelle and Ewa were beautiful, welcoming hosts. In my time there I got to experience the fun-loving side of Thai culture and understand more about their respect for the elephant. All the food was amazing, and I had some brilliant mealtime chats. Thank you!!

I would not recommend this place. It was awful. They even had a crazy American redheaded woman who volunteered there aggravate us to the point we got back in the van and left. All of the elephants were chained up and looked miserable. I'll ad photos later.

There’s around 10-15 elephants in different sizes and ages. You can buy small and big basket of food and feed the elephants also take photos or videos. The price for food basket 50-200 bat (not expensive). All elephants on a chain for the safety of visitors. Recommend for visit, especially with kids :)

I came into elephantstay with very little knowledge of elephants but have always been passionate about animals and was eager to learn about how they are treated, etc. As a result I stayed here for 3 days and I learnt so much more than I ever anticipated. The hosts made so much time for my partner and I, for example, they stayed up with us till late every night (even though they had work at 6am the next day) just to chat to us and make our experience fun! They were also so passionate towards educating us on elephants and Thai culture as a whole. They taught us how to speak words in Thai, how to respect the culture, and introduced us to some delicious Thai dishes. After spending a long time trying to choose an elephant sanctuary, we came across this village and it stood out to us. This village offers so much more than just an afternoon of bathing elephants which the majority of tourists are sucked into. They show you how to know when the elephants are happy or sad, what to feed them, how to communicate with them and so much more. I learnt that the elephantstay has the highest number of successful births, has been visited by Thailand royalty, and even has a vet who lives there 24/7 to care for all the elephants needs. Yes - you can ride the elephants which at first may sound unethical, however, I learnt that each elephant is able to happily carry up to 25% of its body weight but the elephants only actually carry around 10%. Also, I rode the elephant once a day for around 40 minutes which included swim-time for the elephant. Therefore, they are not being constantly ridden for hours and hours and giving rides to tourists is actually integral to preventing their extinction as it the main source of income. Not to mention, the elephants enjoy it as they get exercise and are able to eat as much food as they want along the way. I ensured that the elephants were not being exploited, as a lot of articles suggest, because I simply could not live with myself if I was involved in anything that was putting elephants in harms way. Many articles spread a lot of questionable information about the elephants as I have not been able to find any supporting research for what they are stating. I learnt that elephants would be extinct if they were not allowed to work, as work offers them a purpose and the exercise that they need to be happy and healthy. If they do not wish to work, they are not forced to do so at the Elephantstay which was music to my ears as it shows that the elephants are not forced to do anything they don’t wish to do. Therefore, I would recommend elephantstay if you are looking to create deep connections with the elephants and are looking to gain a genuine insight into the life of the domestic elephants of Ayutthaya.