Joy Elephant Sanctuary Chiang Mai Observation and Activity Combo

what a surreal experience being sooooo close to these beautiful animals. Elephants well treated by the trainers. they get fed and walked several times a day. to anyone considering booking: it’s about a 75 minute drive from the hotels areas in Chiang Mai. there is one coffee and rest room break shortly after the van is filled up. once you get to the destination you’ll jump into some 4x4s and off road for about 10-15 minutes to the actual cam which is about a 10-15 minute walk down some terrain. if you are older or have bad knees this may not be the thing for you. you can still do it, just take your time. we had feeding time with the elephants and went on a 30-45 minute walk with them. then had the provided pad Thai and fruit lunch. then went home. pick up was about 615am and we got dropped off around 130pm. but what a GREAT experience.

The experience was amazing. A truly ethical santuary. No touching, bathing, riding the elephants. Just feeding and observing. Note that there is also a hike trail with the elephants so you must be ready with the right shoes. Also enjoyed doing the inhaler personal souvenir. :)

What a great way to start our trip seeing the lovely and cute elephants especially Ellie 🙂the entire group enjoyed the encounter especially the feeding time. it’s extremely hot and humid during the hike and it’s nice that we can soak afterwards to a nearby small waterfall.

This was by far one of the greatest experiences of my life!!! My wife and I thought the sanctuary was very ethical. We didn’t ride the elephants or touch them. We did, however, get to feed them and walk with them through the jungle. I highly recommend bringing shoes that you don’t care about because you will be walking up and down steep hills. We also got a chance to go to a lake where the elephants grazed while we were able to hang out in the water. They fed us, let us make our own inhalers and took a wonderful water raft. I highly suggest bringing your phone while on the raft. There are other elephant sanctuaries in the area, and there is a large possibility that one of the elephants from their sanctuary may be going to hang out in the water at the same time as your water raft.

The elephant sanctuary was so nice!! The staff was very respectful and really emphasized their mission. Currently all female domesticated elephants live at their sanctuary. There are no touching, swimming, or touch based interactions with the elephants, which is what my friends and I were looking for. 100% ethical. The only interaction you really have with them is feeding them fruit and taking a walk with them. We always stayed a safe distance away from the animals as well. 100% would recommend this tour!

We love our tour with Joy Elephant Sanctuary. We could really feel that the people who worked there truly cared for the elephants. We did not ride, bathe or touch the elephants, we simply observed them as they go about their day. We also joined the elephants as they take their morning hike after their morninh snacks. The elephants looked happy and very well looked after. We really enjoyed this sanctuary and would recommend it to anyone looking for an ethical sanctuary.

A heartwarming day. I highly recommend the Joy Elephant Sanctuary. It's an elephant sanctuary where you can't touch the elephants and need to maintain a 5m distance. Just quietly and mutually taking care of each other while trekking through the jungle, resting, and enjoying nature with the elephants~ Elephants are reliable and brave. Just spending half a day with them, I experienced such distinct qualities and power. The staff are very humorous and friendly. They and the elephants healed me~ Well, well, well... I also want to stay and be an elephant!

the besttt!!! the besttt!!! the besttt!!! the besttt!!! the besttt!!! the besttt!!! the besttt!!! the besttt!!!the besttt!!! the besttt!!! the besttt!!! the besttt!!!

loved it. Every part! The elephant tour guide Shy, was super knowledgable and passionate about the elephants. The peak was great; could have used a bit more time there. The hike and the hill tribe village was mind blowing. so beautiful. Really truly a perfect way to see a part of Chiang Mai✌️👋🎉Enjoy!

It’s quite difficult to find a decent, genuinely ethically ran elephant sanctuary these days but after much searching, Joy is the real deal. Hotel pick up was swift and on time and once there the guides were clear and professional. The elephants were not forced to interact with us. They had their designated snack time (they are fed regular meals by their keepers) which we gave them, and we were invited to walk with them afterwards, several metre distance, no touching. Afterwards we could clean off in the sanctuary’s stream, the elephants were not made to come, but they are given free reign to come and go as they please, and they came. It was a wonderful sight. The rafting add on was well worth it, and we were lucky enough to do so in a storm! The torrential rain added to the atmosphere. (I’ll add that the guides ensured that the route was safe first before sending us down!)