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An elephant rescue and rehabilitation center in Northern Thailand
Elephant Nature Park (ENP) is an elephant rescue and rehabilitation center in Northern Thailand, founded by renowned elephant rights advocate, Saengduean Chailert, known by her nickname Lek.
It is the first ethical elephant sanctuary of its kind established in Asia and currently provides a caring home to many elephants from street begging, elephant riding, and circus shows, where they often sustained both physical and psychological injuries.
The park’s herds include blind, crippled, orphaned, and senior elephants who are now free to live a peaceful life in natural surroundings, where they are loved and respected.
Day trips, stay overnight or a weekly stay program
Starts: 07:30-08:00am from Hotel or 07:30am from Office
2,500 THB (Child 3-11 @ 50%, Baby 0-2 @ 25%)
Starts: 12:00pm-12:30pm from Hotel or 11:45am from Office
Return: 4:30 - 5:00pm
3,500 THB (Child 3-11 @ 50%, Baby 0-2 @ 25%)
Starts: 08:00-08:30am from Hotel or 08:00am from Office
Return: 5:30 pm
5,800 THB (Child 3-11 @ 50%, Baby 0-2 @ 25%)
Return: 4-4:30 pm
3,500 THB (Child 4 - 11 yrs -50%)
Starts: 08:00-08:45am from Hotel or 08:00am from Office
Return: 6:00pm
6,000 THB (no children)
3,500 THB (no children)
Starts: 09:00-09:30am from Hotel or 09:00am from Office
15,000 THB (no children)
Elephant Nature Park offers ethical half day tours, full day tours as well as overnight with full board accommodation, to stay close to the elephants at the park. Weekly stay Participants learn about elephant care and behavior, cut grass and cornstalks for the elephants, wash and prepare fruit and other food for our herds, learn to make an elephant fruit cake, clean their shelters, help with maintenance tasks around the park, as well as with other projects designed to support the elephants.
This program offers participants an enriching experience with time to observe elephants living a more natural life in an environment of respect, trust, and kindness.
Elephants are deeply social animals, and the herd is at the heart of their lives. When elephants are free to live as elephants, connected to nature and to each other, their deep family relationships naturally unfold. Within these family groups, every member is connected through touch, sound, scent, and even subtle vibrations, creating a strong sense of belonging, security, and calm.
For elephants, water is far more than a simple drink. It is a lifeline that supports their health, comfort, and happiness every single day. An adult elephant can drink 150 to 200 liters of water daily, but water plays an even greater role than hydration alone. Bathing and swimming are essential parts of an elephant’s natural routine. When elephants have the opportunity to bathe regularly, their skin stays hydrated, healthy, and smooth rather than dry and cracked.
At Elephant Nature Park, Thong Ae is known as a true social butterfly—an elephant whose warmth and curiosity allow her to float effortlessly from one herd to another. Each day, she moves across the fields with purpose and joy, checking in on friends, lifting spirits, and bringing a sense of connection wherever she goes.
Each year on March 13, Thailand observes Thai Elephant Day, a special occasion dedicated to honoring elephants, the country’s most iconic symbol, and raising awareness of the importance of protecting them for future generations. Elephants hold a deep place in Thailand’s history and culture. Intelligent, sensitive, and deeply social, they form strong family bonds and express remarkable empathy and affection within their herds. Their presence has long been woven into the story of the nation.
Mae Lanna and Sao Yai wander side by side through the forested hills, moving at their own unhurried pace. Years ago, this land behind Elephant Nature Park was leased from the local community and carefully restored into a flourishing natural forest where these elephants can roam and forage.
An elephant’s trunk is one of the most extraordinary structures in the animal kingdom. Far more than just a nose, it is a fusion of the upper lip and nose, composed of more than 40,000 muscle bundles that give it immense strength and astonishing precision.
Faa Mai is the guiding light of the Thong Ae family. Each morning brings a fresh spectacle of joy and excitement as they gather to greet the day. Trumpeting, trunk thumping, squeaks, and low rumbling echo across the valley. Some mornings, she breaks into an eager dash toward a mahout and on others, she races straight for the river—all in excitement for the day ahead.
Butterfly girl, Thong Ae, did a wonderful job as nanny, overseeing the little ones during playtime on the sand hill. They look so adorable as they control their slide down the loose earth, letting gravity do its thing.
Grandma Jarunee walks with a style that’s uniquely her own, each step filled with joyful purpose.
Warunee was born around 1959. Her life followed the tragic path of so many captive elephant before her. She was separated from her mother at a very young age and trained to work in the hauling logs in the forest. Warunee was then moved to the elephant trekking camp providing rides day in, day out with no rest. In June 2015, Warunee was rescued from the elephant trekking camp in Kanchanaburi and came to Elephant Nature Park. She quickly settled into her new life, retired from work and able to socialize with her own kind. Warunee has developed many strong bonds within the Kham La herd and her best friend is Dao Ruang.
Rattana Kham is one of the lucky ones. She was helped by Pra Arjarn Moche, who provided the donation allowing her freedom, and by Warattada “Meow” Pattarodom who organised funds for her shelter so she could be cared for in the sanctuary of Elephant Nature Park for the rest of her life. Located near Elephant Nature Park, her 4.5 KM walk which took 4 hours was a quite a journey to freedom in itself. It was the first time she didn’t have a chain around her neck or ankle. Shortly into the walk, Lek, Meow and the ENP team noticed something very wrong in her gait and movements – walking so so slowly and stopping only after three to five steps. She was also famished and foraging on everything in her path, even foliage elephants don’t normally eat.
Kaavan is a male Asian elephant who was known as the ‘world’s loneliest elephant’ after his companion Saheli died in 2012.
Mae Baitoey (แม่ใบเตย) was born around 1976. She spent most of her life working in the trekking industry, catering to tourists who desired to ride her. During her time at the trekking camp in Kanchanburi, the owners also exploited her for forced breeding. In 2011, she gave birth to a baby girl named Kham La. Despite the profound bond between mother and baby, they were forcibly separated, and the owner subjected Kham La to cruel training for performing in an elephant show. Fortunately, we were able to rescue Kham La and reunite her with her mother, Baitoey, bringing them both to Elephant Nature Park for a fresh start.
Chang Yim was born at Elephant Nature Park on July 12, 2009. His name means Smiling Elephant. His mother is Dok Ngern and he has a little sister named Dok Mai. He is the second baby ever to be born and conceived at Elephant Nature Park from resident elephants. Chang Yim has not had his spirit broken and is trained using positive reinforcement target training so that we can perform any medical or husbandry care necessary. Chang Yim is a very lucky bull elephant as he will never have to do any kind of work. We hope that in the future we will be able to release him into a semi-wild forested area where he can reach his full potential.
Hope was born in August 2000. Hope’s mother was a trekking elephant who was forced to stop working due to illness. Hope and his mother were moving to stay in forest near the owner’s home in the hope that the return to her natural environment would aid her recovery. Sadly, this was not the case and she died. Hope was weak and needed special care. His owner could not afford to buy the milk formula needed to sustain him at such a young age. They contacted our founder, Lek, and asked if she would take care of him.
He was rescued at 18 months old. His mother was allowed to stay with him at Elephant Nature Park for one year, so he could continue nursing. Sadly, they did not want to let go of Mae Boon Na and she was eventually taken back to work. Jungle Boy, or otherwise and now known as Thong Suk, acquired a few nannies in his early years, but as he grew older he developed a more serious interest in the females. He is the father of both Dok Mai and Yindee.
She was born at an elephant riding and show camp as a result of forced breeding. At a very young age she was tied to her mother whilst she gave rides to tourists. Manao and her mother were then separated so the mahout (keeper) could start the process of breaking her spirit to force her to perform demeaning tricks and carry people on her back. Manao was rescued along with 19 other elephants in early June 2015. She has an adopted nanny named Mae Malee.
Pookie worked in the logging industry until this was banned by the Thai government in 1989. Her owner at that time tried to find a means of deriving an income from Pookie and she was forced back into illegal logging. Following her work in the logging industry she was moved to an elephant trekking camp. Pookie was rescued in June 2015 and came to live at Elephant Nature Park.
Elephant Nature Park has been recognised as the Wildlife Sanctuary of the Year at the Prestige Awards ceremony held at Hazlewood Castle, near Leeds, UK. The award celebrates excellence and dedication in our field
Lek Chailert started with a humble goal: rescue one abused bull. Now, she's the head of an international non-profit with a mission to end the mistreatment of elephants.
Elephant Nature Park is one of the best-known elephant conservation projects in Thailand. Set on the edge of a rainforest near Chiang Mai, in Thailand’s north, the sanctuary was founded by award-winning conservationist Lek Chailert in 1995. More than 75 elephants roam free here and each has a heart-breaking story: many have been saved from torturous camps that exploit elephants for tourism or logging purposes or other abusive situations.
Judges’ comments: Apart from all the usual elephant activities they also do rainforest restoration, have educational programmes, they set up Eleflix during the pandemic, they have 4 vets on site, they have their Elephant Food Bank, they have their Farm to Herd initiative, and they set up their Jumbo Express mobile clinic. A clear winner!
En marge de son déplacement à Bangkok pour le sommet de l’APEC, Emmanuel Macron a remis les insignes de chevalier de la Légion d’honneur à Mme Saengduean Chailert.
This year’s World Elephant Day on 12 August marked the first anniversary of 137 Pillars Hotels & Resorts Thailand’s CSR partnership with the Elephant Nature Park (ENP) in Chiang Mai. This long-term collaboration raises much-needed funds and global awareness for elephant conservation and reforestation in Thailand.
Lek Saengduean Chailert, founder and director of Elephant Nature Park, stands with two rescued elephants at her sanctuary. It has many supporters, especially on social media, so during the pandemic she and her team have been fundraising to provide food and resources to dozens of camps around Thailand.
Conservationist Sangdeaun Lek Chailert, known simply as Lek, who has been dubbed the “elephant whisperer” because of her ability to connect with the animals, has made it her life’s work to protect and save the species in her home country of Thailand.
Thailand's work elephants often lead a miserable existence. Animal welfare activist Lek Chailert has set up a sanctuary for rescued elephants in northern Thailand. There the animals can enjoy their retirement.
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