Six elephant sanctuaries around Chiang Mai, ranked by how many of seven welfare lists and ethical-sanctuary guides name them, from Elephant Nature Park's day visits to the hands-off overnight stays in Mae Chaem.
Chiang Mai has more elephant sanctuaries than anywhere else in Thailand, and most of them advertise themselves as ethical. I ranked these six by how many of seven sources name them, including World Animal Protection's 2026 elephant-friendly guide, Responsible Travel's list of sanctuaries it supports and the Chiang Mai guides that rank on Google. Each is named by at least two. Kanta and Mae Sa are on Responsible Travel's list of places it doesn't support, and neither appears here.
The choice comes down to distance and how close you want to get. Elephant Nature Park, ChangChill, Into the Wild and Big Boy are day trips with hotel pickup. BEES and Kindred Spirit are in Mae Chaem, about three hours away, and are visited on stays of two days or more. They're also the strictest, so pick them if you want to watch elephants without touching them at all.
If you're comparing these with the sanctuaries in Phuket, Samui or Kanchanaburi, my national list of the best elephant sanctuaries ranks all of Thailand by the same count.
| Sanctuary | Visit | Contact with the elephants |
|---|---|---|
| Elephant Nature Park | Half day, full day or overnight from the city | A guided walk watching the herd, with feeding on some programs |
| BEES | Stays of 2, 4 or 7 days in Mae Chaem, or a day walk if you drive | None since 2018 |
| ChangChill | Half or full day in the Mae Wang hills, about 1.5 hours out | Watching from a distance |
| Kindred Spirit | 2 to 5 days in a Karen village in Mae Chaem | Hiking out to watch the herd |
| Into the Wild | Day trip with hotel pickup | Feeding and walking alongside |
| Big Boy | Day trip | Preparing food and watching |
| Visit | Price per adult | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Elephant Nature Park, half day | ฿2,500 (children 3 to 11 half price) | Hotel pickup, morning or afternoon |
| Elephant Nature Park, full day | ฿3,500 | The SkyWalk day, back by 16:30 to 17:00 |
| Elephant Nature Park, overnight | ฿5,800 | Two days and one night at the park |
| BEES, observation walk | ฿2,500 (ages 10 to 17 ฿1,800) | Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday, own transport |
| BEES, stays | From ฿6,000 | 2, 4 or 7 days with transfers and meals |
| Kindred Spirit, 2 days | ฿5,300 each for two or more (฿10,000 alone) | Transport, a Karen homestay and meals |
| Kindred Spirit, 3 days | ฿7,500 each for two or more (฿11,500 alone) | Adds a day in the community |
On every Chiang Mai list I counted. Lek Chailert's rescue park in the Mae Taeng valley north of the city, where you walk with a guide and watch a large rescued herd. Half days cost ฿2,500 with hotel pickup, the SkyWalk full day ฿3,500 and an overnight ฿5,800. Book weeks ahead in high season.
The strictest sanctuary near Chiang Mai, a family-run refuge in Mae Chaem about three hours away where nobody has touched the elephants since 2018. Stays of 2, 4 or 7 days from ฿6,000 with transfers and meals, or a ฿2,500 day walk on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays if you drive.
A former riding camp in the Mae Wang hills, about an hour and a half from the city, rebuilt as an observation sanctuary. Half and full days at two sites, Hillside and View Doi, spent watching a small herd roam.
A Karen-village sanctuary in Mae Chaem with no day trips. You hike out to watch the elephants and stay with a Karen family, and two days cost ฿5,300 each for two or more with transport and meals.
A camp in the hills outside the city with hotel pickup, where you feed the elephants and walk with them. It's more hands-on than the four above, which is why it sits below them.
A Karen-run sanctuary where the day is built around preparing food for the elephants and watching them, with no rides and no shows. Responsible Travel lists it among the sanctuaries it supports.
Klook's best-reviewed Chiang Mai tours, with today's prices. Most cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.
Elephant Nature Park is the one every source names. For the strictest hands-off visit, BEES in Mae Chaem has allowed no touching, bathing or hand-feeding since 2018, and World Animal Protection rates BEES, Kindred Spirit and ChangChill elephant-friendly, its top category.
Yes, if you pick one of the sanctuaries that welfare lists name rather than the nearest camp with sanctuary in its name. A half day at Elephant Nature Park costs ฿2,500 with hotel pickup, and watching a rescued herd move through forest and river on its own terms is one of the best things to do in northern Thailand.
The day-trip sanctuaries pick you up from your hotel. ChangChill is about an hour and a half away in the Mae Wang hills, and Elephant Nature Park is in the Mae Taeng valley to the north. BEES and Kindred Spirit are in Mae Chaem, about three hours away, which is why they're overnight stays.
Some camps still sell it, but the sanctuaries on this list either don't offer it or keep you on the bank while the elephants bathe themselves. Responsible Travel names Kanta, which puts elephants in deep water with crowds of visitors, among the places it doesn't support.
As early as you can for November to February, when Elephant Nature Park books out weeks ahead. BEES programs need at least two people to run, and Kindred Spirit asks solo travelers on its 5-day trip to check whether a group is already going. Book on each sanctuary's own website.
