Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai by Elephant Dream Project

My first trip to Chiang Mai on May 8, 2026, left me with unforgettable memories. From JJ's initial introduction and explanation, I could feel the park's dedication to this project. It wasn't a commercial performance tour, but rather one that truly prioritized the elephants' lives and care. The itinerary included a fruit feeding experience, but more time was spent quietly observing the elephants living freely, walking, playing in the water, and interacting. There were no forced performances or rides; instead, we accompanied and got to know them in the most natural way. I also want to tell everyone that if you come to Chiang Mai, an experience like this is truly worthwhile. Even though the journey is a bit long, I hope everyone can understand that it's precisely because they are far from the city that they have more spacious land to roam freely. Watching them live so freely, it felt as if I could sense the elephants' genuine happiness and the feeling of being well-treated.

I really like the approach of this sanctuary. When I first started looking for a tour, I specifically wanted one where I could just walk with the elephants, as I didn't want to overly disturb these gentle giants. After all, with only half a day or a full day, it's impossible to get truly familiar with them, and I didn't want to get myself dirty. My ideal scenario was simply taking photos, walking, and being near them. Despite that, it was still a very pleasant experience, holding watermelon, sugarcane, and some grass for them to enjoy as snacks. Elephants are so massive, and each one has a different personality. There's still a slight element of danger, so it's crucial to follow the staff's instructions. This sanctuary is home to an elephant family, and we saw three of them. One, Yaya, was a bit mischievous. The other two, older elephants, were more stable. Surprisingly, elephants seem to be a little afraid of cats and dogs, or perhaps they just dislike them; I'm not entirely sure.

We had the best day visiting the elephant dream project. the guide and owner of the elephants was fantastic. It truly is a real ethical sanctuary as the elephants are treated like family members and are well cared for. Lunch was great and the long van ride was well worth it in the comfy van! highly recommend!

★★★★★ Truly Ethical & Heartwarming Experience The Elephant Dream Project in Chiang Mai was an incredible experience. The service was excellent, the van was comfortable, and there was a short snack break on the way. This is a genuinely ethical sanctuary – the elephants live with local families and are all rescued. There is no riding or bathing, just respectful feeding and time spent observing them peacefully. We even met a 60-year-old grandmother elephant who has slowly regained trust in people. You help prepare their food, enjoy a delicious lunch, and visit beautiful waterfalls afterwards. The guide was funny and passionate, and your visit truly supports a real sanctuary working to rescue more elephants. Highly recommended.

The elephant tour is absolutely worth it. The elephants are clearly well cared for, and you can see the respect and love the locals have for them. If you want to directly support the families who own and care for these elephants, booking your tour here truly makes a difference. Your money goes straight toward helping this community and sustaining this meaningful project.

You can tell that the people that run the sanctuary really care for the elephants under their care. During the trip, the caretaker show you how to interact and feed them. Also, it is important to note that some days the elephants don't want to do some things and the caretakers do not force the elephants to do said things for tge tourists' entertainment. Also, if you book the full tour, you get to make supplements for the elephants and get to see a beautiful waterfall(just be carefule walking by the waterfall as it can be quite slippery) If you are ever in Chiang Mai, I highly recommend going on this tour as it is both fun and educational.

A super nice experience! The guide is super friendly, the elephants are beautiful. Walking with them in the mountains and feeding them was a wonderful experience, highly recommended. Just a heads up, the road has a lot of curves, so bring Dramamine.

super enjoyed our experience with the elephants, they are very gentle and likes to play with people. I love that the elephants here are given free will to do whatever they want and are not forced to entertain people, elephant dream project takes care of these gentle giants in a very ethical way and always reminds tourists that we should never force them and just let them do what they want. just simply take care of them.

💯 ethical elephant sanctuary! When visiting Chiang Mai, itineraries almost always include a day trip to an elephant sanctuary. As tourists/humans, it is absolutely our obligation to do our research in finding ethical elephant sanctuaries that don’t force the elephants to interact with visitors in exchange for profit. Elephant Dream Project fits the bill—visibly happy and healthy elephants, no forced interactions such as bathing or riding, owned and maintained by local Karen Tribe villagers, and visitors follow the elephants (versus other “sanctuaries” where elephants follow the visitors or Mahouts/guides). Compared to other sanctuaries, Elephant Dream Project is more lowkey and less commercial, which gave me a good impression because it appears that profit goes to elephant food and welfare. Please, support Elephant Dream Project to continue giving their elephants happy and safe lives! 🐘

The most amazing part of my stay here in Thailand. I was able to see elephants doing there own thing. They weren't forced to entertain us like many places in Thailand. I would go back to see these amazing creatures.