Trekking the Elephant Highlands

Two and a half years ago, on their very first visit to Thailand, my family spent a few days at an elephant camp in Ayutthaya. Years later, they still talk about it as one of the best things they've ever done. I hadn't really had much interaction with elephants. But now, with my family once again in Thailand, it was my turn to experience these amazing animals.

I searched long and hard to try to find the best, most ethical elephant experience in Chinag Mai. I finally settled on a program called "Elephant Highlands" run by the Elephant Nature Park.

A van picked us up at 8:30 on our first full day in Chinag Mai, and we drove about an hour-and-a-half through the northern hills and highlands, through jungles and villages, to a special camp way up in the mountains.

beautiful jungle scenery on the drive

We arrived at a small camp in the Chiang Mai highlands that consisted of a few wooden huts, a small vegetable garden, and some amazing views of the northern mountains.

Our guide, Smile, then introduced us to Kampaeng, MaePon, and NongPop, affectionately called Pang, Pon, and Pop by their handlers. Pang, Pon, and Pop were our elephants, and we would be spending the whole day hanging out with them.

meeting our elephants (from left to right) Pang, Pon, and Pop

Fifty year-old Pang was the oldest, and the leader of the little heard. Pon was twenty-five, and Pop, at twenty years-old, was the "baby" of the family. All three had worked for an unlicensed logging operation in the Kanchanaburi jungle, until it was raided by the Thai government and the elephants were rescued and sent to live at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai.

beginning our trek

Our program began with feeding, an activity that takes up much of an elephant's day. We started by washing and chopping watermelons into quarters. One large watermelon rolled off the table before it could be chopped, and Pang ambled up to it and happily popped the whole thing into her mouth!

We fed the elephants the watermelons by hand, to build trust with them, before beginning our ninety-minute trek through the highlands.

beautiful animals

Elephant Nature Park has rescued seventy elephants. These three in particular live in the highlands, away from the main park, where they have freedom and are well cared for. After so many years working as entertainers, street beggars, or loggers, this program tries to teach the elephants how to be elephants again, and to trust humans.

"elfie", an elephant selfie...

We each took a satchel stuffed with sugarcane and cucumbers, snacks for the road, and started off on our trek through high mountain passes, past cliffs and steep hills with incredible vistas.

happy elephant

Mom, Kyle, and I shared an elephant. Although her mahouts were nearby, we were mostly responsible for caring for the elephant ourselves. As we walked, we had to constantly feed her snacks from our sacks, but after the food ran out, she was content to helping herself from trees and bushes along the way.

enjoying a cucumber snack

stopping for a snack

family with our elephant

Eventually we came to a second camp, further up in the mountains, surrounded by papaya, orange, and lychee orchards and rolling hills. This is where the elephants and their mahouts live.

playing in the dirt

We had lunch at the camp, then took our elephants out for another hike, even higher up in the mountains. It had been quite cool in the morning, but by the afternoon, the elephants were starting to feel a little hot. Lucky for them, there was a nice muddy puddle for a cooling "spa"! They splashed mud all over themselves with their trunks, and one even laid down in the cool mud. They must have loved it; they looked so happy!

time for a mud bath

enjoying the beautiful day

The scenery up in the highlands was magnificent! Photos cannot really do justice to the dramatic cliffs and rolling hills.

elephant highlands

A while later, we hiked back down to the camp. The elephants were all muddy from their spa day, so it was time to take a bath!

eating again

The elephants knew what to do; I guess they like to stick to their daily routine. They had a big pool of fresh, clear water for bathing in. The pool had three levels, knee-height, waist-height, and shoulder-height (for a human). The elephant we were taking care of preferred to stay in the first tier, munching on grass while being washed.

time for a bath

At first, I didn't plan on getting in the water, since I had brought new clothes with me, but I slipped while taking photos of Mom and Kyle, and ended up falling in anyway!

still eating

By the time the elephants were clean, that clear water had become muddy. Smile told us that they have to drain it and refill it every day, because the elephants get so dirty from their mud bath!

big bathtub

In the late afternoon, we made banana rice balls for the Pang, Pon, and Pop's afternoon snack, and then it was time to go. The day had been a lot of fun, and had gone by really quickly. Instead of hiking back out, the camp sent a pickup truck to collect us, and we all piled in the back to drive back to the first camp where our bus was waiting to take us back to Chiang Mai.

amazing scenery in the highlands

Spending the day with the elephants was a very special experience. Now I understand why my mother loves them so much! I've always heard how intelligent they are, but being so close to them in person, and watching them go about their day, I really got to see what that means.

I'm thankful for places like the Elephant Nature Park and their "saddle-off" programs, which help rescue elephants from the logging industry or from unethical tourist sites. It was wonderful to see the elephants spend their day up in the highlands, being spoiled by us humans, and getting to live their lives as they wish.

I hope to go back someday and see Pan, Pon, and Pop again!