Chiang Dao Elephant Camp

Chiang Dao is in the mountains about an hour from Chiang Mai by car. The Chiang Dao Elephant Center is one of several elephant training camps in the region. The largest and most well known is the Thai Elephant Conservation Center at Lampang, but this would be a close second. The elephants are captive and they are working elephants but they appear to be healthy and well treated. Not all training centers can say that but Lampang or Chiang Dao are probably the most well run. The babies in particular seem to enjoy showing off. The typical tour includes a show, elephant ride to a Lisu village and a float trip down the Ping River on a bamboo raft. I would have to say that riding the elephants was one of the highlights of the trip.

While the African elephant still has relatively large numbers worldwide, there are only about 30,000 Asian elephants left. 3,000-4,000 of these are in Thailand and about half of these are domesticated. Apparently there are different subspecies of Asian elephant and Thai elephants belong to a particular subspecies. The Chiang Dao website is here. The website for Lampang is http://www.changthai.com/. You can book an excursion from many hotels in the region. If you don't wish to ride, there is a conservation project just outside of Chiang Mai that rescues elephants: http://www.elephantnaturepark.org.


	Selling agricultural goods and handicrafts is the primary source of income for the northern hill tribes. You have many opportunities to purchase hand made items during the excursion. Kara feeding the babies. All the elephants seemed to enjoy getting a bath.

	Bowing at the end of the show. Kara nicknamed the little one raising the flag "Trouble" because he was such a showoff.

	This is Kara & Daren on an elephant.