Guide · Welfare

How to tell an ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai

The word sanctuary guarantees nothing. Here are a welfare charity's tests, what scientists measured in Thai camps and what each listing near the city says it does.

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Editorial team, elephantsanctuarytour.comUpdated October 24, 2026Read time: 6 min41 sources

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In brief

01The simple test
World Animal Protection says a genuine sanctuary is one where you can look, not touch.1
02Red flags
Riding, bathing, touching and selfies, shows, and access to baby elephants.234
03The science
Researchers at Chiang Mai University conclude not all tourist activities are bad for welfare.5
04How rare
Observation-only venues held 7% of the elephants World Animal Protection surveyed.6
05Watching option
An observation programme in Mae Wang, 7 hours, from $54.

A word anyone can put on a gate

Search for an ethical elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai and almost every result uses the same vocabulary: sanctuary, rescue, care, ethical. World Animal Protection warns that a venue calling itself a sanctuary, rescue centre or retirement home is no proof of high welfare.7 The scale of the business explains why the wording matters: Thailand's Department of Livestock Development estimated 2,700 elephants working in 250 tourist venues in 2017.8

Thai law treats wild and captive elephants very differently. Killing or capturing wild elephants has been banned since the Wild Elephant Protection Act of 1921, while the Draught Animal Act of 1939 classes captive elephants as livestock.910 Only six camps had been certified by the Department of Tourism and nine by the Department of Livestock Development, out of about 250.11 The sign on the gate tells you little about what happens behind it.

We do not certify any venue or listing. A welfare charity and a team of scientists who study captive elephants offer clearer tests, and they do not always agree with each other. Knowing both lets you read any listing with a sharper eye, ask better questions on the phone or by email, and decide for yourself what kind of encounter you are comfortable paying for. A short message to a venue before you pay often tells you more than its photo gallery does.

The rules over time

How Thai law has treated elephants

  1. 1921

    Wild elephants protected

    Killing or capturing wild elephants becomes prohibited.9

  2. 1939

    Captives become livestock

    The Draught Animal Act classes captive elephants as livestock.10

  3. 1989

    Logging banned

    After the logging ban, captive elephants turn mainly to tourism.12

  4. 2017

    Tourism at scale

    An estimated 2,700 elephants work in 250 tourist venues.8

  5. Today

    Register calves early

    Captive calves must be registered within 90 days of birth.13

The four questions World Animal Protection asks

The charity boils its advice down to four questions.14 Does the venue allow close contact with elephants? Are the elephants behaving as they would in the wild? Are there baby elephants? Are the elephants and the people safe? It adds that the best place to see elephants is in the wild, and that elephant-friendly venues allow no direct contact between people and elephants.1516

The first question carries the most weight. World Animal Protection says that if a venue lets you get close enough to ride, bathe or touch an elephant, the animal has been cruelly trained, and it describes a genuine sanctuary as one where you can look, not touch.171 Close-up selfies and touching count as red flags on its list too, and it notes that many venues advertise with photos of people riding, bathing and posing with elephants.318

On young animals, the charity says you should not be able to see or touch a baby elephant, especially without its mother, and that true sanctuaries do not breed, with an exception for orphanages that rescue calves from the wild.419 On safety, it warns that captive elephants can be unpredictable and dangerous, especially when crowded, and that even at elephant-friendly venues mahouts often walk with the herd at a distance.2021

Welfare scores

Where Thailand's tourism elephants live

% of elephants
Score 5 or lower: 69% 69% Score 5 or lowerScore 6 to 8: 26% 26% Score 6 to 8Score 9 or 10: 5% 5% Score 9 or 10
Share of the 2,849 elephants in World Animal Protection's survey of Thailand, by the welfare score of their venue out of 10.22

In their own words

What each Chiang Mai listing says it does

ListingHoursActivities it namesOn riding
Full day, waterfall & raft9Feeding, forest walk, river bath, raftNot stated
Half-day feeding5 to 5.5Walk, feeding, river swim and bathNot stated
Waterfall group day7Elephants, waterfall, bathingProhibited
Observation programme7Feeding, observing, forest walkNot stated
Small group, up to 105 to 8.5Mud bath, river bath, vitamin ballsNo riding
Hands-off hike1 dayHiking to find the elephantsNo riding
Raft & cooking day10Visit, cooking workshop, raftNo riding

From each GetYourGuide listing's own description; "Not stated" means the listing does not mention riding either way.

Three quieter days

Watching, walking or a small group

Chiang Mai: Ethical Half Day Elephant Sanctuary & Waterfall This page's pick

Watching in Mae Wang

Observation, feeding, forest walk

Hours
7 hours
Reviews
680
Price
from $54
Check dates
Chiang Mai: Elephant Dream Project Sanctuary - Full Day Full day

Guided jungle day

Walking with a local guide

Hours
8 hours
Group
Up to 10
Price
from $69
Check dates
Chiang Mai: Small Group Ethical Elephant Sanctuary Tour Hands-on

Small group with a bath

No riding stated, up to 10

Hours
5 to 8.5
Reviews
1,591
Price
from $72
Check dates

Decision helper

Which kind of visit matches your values?

Start from what you are comfortable with.

An observation programme

World Animal Protection says visitors should only watch elephants behaving naturally from a distance.23

A day that lists feeding

World Animal Protection found hand feeding offered with 92% of the elephants it surveyed.24

Read both views first

The charity counts bathing as a red flag; the Chiang Mai University review says not all activities harm welfare.25

A national park

Thailand's wild elephants live mainly in the Western Forest Complex, Kaeng Krachan and Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai.25

None of the days compared here

Several listings near Chiang Mai state there is no riding, and the others do not list it.

A genuine elephant sanctuary is one where you can look, not touch.

World Animal ProtectionSource 1

Riding, bathing and the training behind them

Riding has not disappeared. In World Animal Protection's survey of 236 venues holding 2,849 elephants, 42% of the elephants were still used for rides and 1 in 5 lived at venues that offer shows.2627 Several listings sold for the Chiang Mai area state plainly that there is no riding, so read the small print before you book.

Bathing is where opinions split hardest. World Animal Protection says the number of elephant washing venues in Thailand more than tripled in five years, and that nearly all elephants used for close contact such as bathing went through a training method known as the crush.2829 In its 2026 report, washing was offered with 42% of the elephants and hand feeding with 92%.24

There is a human risk too. World Animal Protection reports that a 22-year-old Spanish tourist died during an elephant bathing experience in Phang Nga Province in January 2025.30 Between 2010 and 2016, media reports counted 17 deaths and 21 serious injuries caused by captive elephants in Thailand.31 Keeping a respectful distance is a safety choice as much as a welfare one.

Checklist

Questions to ask before you book

01

Ask the venue

  • Where did each elephant live before?
  • Are calves born or bred on site?
  • How do the mahouts guide the elephants?
  • How many visitors share the elephants each day?
02

Watch for

  • Riding or shows
  • Selfie sessions and touching
  • Elephants kept on short chains
  • Shade, water and space to roam

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Video

Why the word sanctuary means so little in Thailand

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What the scientists add to the debate

Researchers from Chiang Mai University and the Smithsonian take a more cautious line. Their review of captive elephant welfare in Thailand concludes that there are many ways to manage these elephants and that not all tourist activities are bad for welfare.5 Their survey of 627 elephants at 33 camps in northern Thailand found management moving away from shows and saddle riding towards feeding, bathing and walking.32

Not every result points the same way. In the studies they reviewed, elephants at observation-only camps showed higher stress-hormone levels than those at camps with saddle riding and shows, though only a limited number of elephants were examined.33 Their advice to camps is practical: enough exercise, few high-calorie treats, little concrete flooring, careful use of control tools and a limit on visitors per day.34

The charity and the scientists agree on more than it first seems. Both want elephants that move, forage and live in groups. Where they part is on contact: the charity rules it out, while the researchers judge each practice by its measured effect on the animal. Holding both views in mind is the most useful preparation before you book anything. A venue that welcomes questions about both, and answers them plainly, tells you something about how it is run.

What the listings near the city say they do

The listings sold for Chiang Mai describe very different days. The full day this site sells names feeding bananas, a forest walk with the elephants and a bath with them in the river, and states that its activities depend on elephants that are not forced to do any of them. The half-day feeding programme in the same valley names a nature walk, feeding and a swim and bath in the river.

An observation programme at Joy Elephant Sanctuary in Mae Wang District names feeding and observing the elephants and walking alongside them as they forage, over 3 hours of guided touring and wildlife viewing. A listing in Mae Chaem calls itself hands-off and hikes to find the elephants. A care programme near the city names a mud pool, a bath and time with baby elephants.

Many venues present their work as elephant rescue in Chiang Mai, and a listing cannot prove where an animal came from. Ask where each elephant lived before, whether calves are born on site, and how the mahouts guide the animals. World Animal Protection says hooks should not be used unless in a real emergency, and that elephant-friendly venues handle elephants with positive reinforcement whenever possible.3536

Venues on the charity's own list

World Animal Protection publishes a list of the venues that scored highest in its assessment, reviewed in December 2025, in two classes: following its elephant-friendly guidelines, or following them except for hand feeding over a barrier.37 In Chiang Mai the first class names six venues.38 They are Burm and Emily's Elephant Sanctuary, ChangChill View Doi, ChangChill Hillside, Global Vision International, Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary and the Mahouts Elephant Foundation LIFE Project.38

The charity also names Isara Elephant Foundation in Chiang Mai among its other high welfare venues, and says it spent several years helping ChangChill become elephant-friendly.3940 None of the GetYourGuide listings compared on this site is sold under those names. If one of them is your choice, book it through the venue's own channels.

The bigger picture explains why such lists matter. In the 2026 report, observation-only experiences involved just 7% of the elephants surveyed.416 Of all 2,849 elephants, 69% were at venues scoring 5 or lower out of 10, and only 5% at venues scoring 9 or 10.22 The choice you make with your booking is small, but it is the one you control.

Your elephant day

Elephants, a waterfall and a raft in one day.

Hotel pickup option in Chiang Mai, lunch on the day, and no fee to cancel until 24 hours ahead.

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You ask,we answer.

Can you ride elephants in Chiang Mai?

At some venues, yes. World Animal Protection found 42% of elephants at Thai tourist venues still used for rides; several Chiang Mai listings state there is no riding.27

Is bathing with elephants harmful?

The sources disagree. World Animal Protection counts bathing as a red flag; a Chiang Mai University review concludes not all tourist activities harm welfare.25

Are baby elephants a warning sign?

World Animal Protection says yes. It says true sanctuaries do not breed, with an exception for orphanages that rescue calves from the wild.419

Does the word sanctuary mean anything on its own?

Not on its own. World Animal Protection warns that the names sanctuary, rescue centre or retirement home are no proof of high welfare.7

Which Chiang Mai venues does World Animal Protection list?

Six follow its guidelines in full. They include Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary, Burm and Emily's, both ChangChill venues and the LIFE Project.38

Is an observation day dull?

Not if you like to watch. The observation programme here walks alongside the elephants as they forage, with a waterfall break and tea.

Are captive elephants in Thailand protected by law?

Only in part. Wild elephants have been protected since 1921, while captive ones are classed as livestock under a 1939 act.910

Sources

What this guide is based on

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    Bansiddhi, Brown and Thitaram, Animals (2020), Chiang Mai University and SmithsonianWelfare Assessment and Activities of Captive Elephants in Thailand
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  7. 7↩
  8. 8
    Bansiddhi, Brown and Thitaram, Animals (2020), Chiang Mai University and SmithsonianWelfare Assessment and Activities of Captive Elephants in Thailand
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  9. 9
    Bansiddhi, Brown and Thitaram, Animals (2020), Chiang Mai University and SmithsonianWelfare Assessment and Activities of Captive Elephants in Thailand
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  10. 10
    Bansiddhi, Brown and Thitaram, Animals (2020), Chiang Mai University and SmithsonianWelfare Assessment and Activities of Captive Elephants in Thailand
    ↩
  11. 11
    Bansiddhi, Brown and Thitaram, Animals (2020), Chiang Mai University and SmithsonianWelfare Assessment and Activities of Captive Elephants in Thailand
    ↩
  12. 12
    Bansiddhi, Brown and Thitaram, Animals (2020), Chiang Mai University and SmithsonianWelfare Assessment and Activities of Captive Elephants in Thailand
    ↩
  13. 13
    Bansiddhi, Brown and Thitaram, Animals (2020), Chiang Mai University and SmithsonianWelfare Assessment and Activities of Captive Elephants in Thailand
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  32. 32
    Bansiddhi, Brown and Thitaram, Animals (2020), Chiang Mai University and SmithsonianWelfare Assessment and Activities of Captive Elephants in Thailand
    ↩
  33. 33
    Bansiddhi, Brown and Thitaram, Animals (2020), Chiang Mai University and SmithsonianWelfare Assessment and Activities of Captive Elephants in Thailand
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    Bansiddhi, Brown and Thitaram, Animals (2020), Chiang Mai University and SmithsonianWelfare Assessment and Activities of Captive Elephants in Thailand
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