Mae Sa Elephant Kingdom ‘Meet all those cute and smart long-nosed friends’
As you may or may not realise, elephants are national animals of Thailand. That’s why there are many elephant camps as tourist attractions in different provinces.
Elephants aren’t just strong, but they’re also charming and smart. For those who have watched ‘Chang Puan Kaew’, a Thai film from many years ago, you you will know how intelligent elephants are. The film tells the story of a country boy named Saeng, who had to escape from his homeland and separate from his father, due to the deadly chaos that happened in his village. Saeng travelled to Bangkok with his 3 elephants. You should have seen that these elephant took good care of the boy, finding him some food to eat or even getting a doctor when the boy was ill. It’s clear that elephants are actually friendly to people, beside of being able to do various things.
Anyway, you should be aware that elephants in Thailand are actually in critical situation. They have been being hunted for their ivories. They’ve been being tortured. They’ve been being ignored. These are the reason why ‘Mae Sa Elephant Kingdom’ was esteblished. That’s right. To reserve Thai elephants. To take good care of them. And, of course, to build the conscience of loving elephants.
Don’t hesitate to bring your children, your grand children, your friends or your familiy there.
Mae Sa Elephant Kingdom, or Mae Sa Elephant Camp, is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Chiangmai, especially for foreign tourists. Actually, it is the biggest elephant camp in northern Thailand.
You will find a bunch of elephants there, both adult elephants and baby elephants. They have quite complete lives, because the camp is peaceful, clean and surrounded with greenery environment.
Anyway, there are a few cautions that you should know before you go to the camp. First, you shouldn’t act aggressively to the elephants, or they may go mad and out of control. Especially if you’re with little children, you should take good care of them and tell them not to tease or bully the elephants.
Also, don’t drop any piece of litter on the ground within the camp. Mae Sa elephant camp can become dirty. The elephants can also consume that and become ill.
Lastly, always touch and stay close to the elephants when their mahouts are around only! The reason is that the elephants can be out of control if they feel panic. Therefore you need mahouts to look after them and your own safety.
Now you realise what you should and shouldn’t do. So, let’s move to see the activities at Mae Sa Elephant Kingdom. What are they?
- Elephant Show // The show emphasizes incredible abilities of the elephants, for instances, playing music instruments, dancing, playing football, drawing and throwing darts. More than 20 elephants, both adults and babies, will join the show. There are total 3 round of the show, at 8:00, 9:40 and 13:30.
- Elephant Sightseeing // This activity allows you to sit on the back of an elephant, in order to go sightseeing around the camp.
- House of Mahouts // For those who want to feel the life of mahout, this activity can help you. You will learn how to take care of elephants, how they live, how to ride them, how to do art project with them etc. The activity is available in half day, 1 day, 2 days 1 night and 3 days 2 nights.
Mae Sa Elephant Kingdoms opens daily from 7:00-14:30. Here are the admission ticket prices.
- Elephant Show // A child = 120 Baht , An adult = 200 Baht (Both Thai and foreign tourists)
- Elephant Sightseeing for 30 minutes // 800 per one elephant (Price for two people)
- Elephant Sightseeing for 1 hour // 1,200 Baht per one elephant (Price for two people)
- Elephants Riding to Baan Tong Luang, Ecological Agricultural Hill Tribes Village // 3,000 Baht per one elephant (Price for two people)
How to get there:
Mae Sa Elephant Kingdom is located in Baan Mae Sa, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province.
Get out of Chiang Mai downtown and then head north. Travel along Chiang Mai-Mae Rim Road. Soon after you pass the area of Mae Rim, turn left at the junction until you reach Mae Rim-Samoeng Road, Highway No.1096. Continue straight. Then you should find Mae Sa Elephant Kingdom on your left side.
Nearby Places:
Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden (QSBG). QSBG was the first international standard botanical garden established in Thailand. Situated on the foothills of the mist-shrouded Doi Suthep-Pui mountains of Chiang Mai, Thailand, QSBG offers a mix of natural beauty along with curated gardens and glasshouses showcasing the richness of Thai, and other flora, for visitors to explore. Moreover, QSBG is home to a great number of valuable Thai plants, with a focus on rare, endemic, and endangered species. Although the main focus is on the Northern Thai flora and surrounding regions, QSBG has an integrated program of research, education and amenity with at a global perspective.
Mae Sa Waterfall is an impressive eight level waterfall with a small plunge pool for swimming in.It is popular with both Thai’s and foreign tourists and can get especially busy on weekends with families. It is actually a series of 9 or 10 small waterfalls and cascades spaced anywhere between 100m to 500m apart from each other. Depending on your criteria, one might think there would be more than ten waterfalls while others might think there would be less.
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