An Elephant Sanctuary Sleepover in Chiang Mai, Thailand

If you were to ask any person who has an interest in traveling to Thailand what are the top five activities that they want to do while there, I guarantee you that one of them would be an elephant encounter. While elephant encounters can be found all throughout Thailand, not all of them are ethical and treat elephants humanely.

Many elephant encounters abuse and train elephants to do tricks on command, restrict them from roaming freely, and allow tourists to ride them. It is very important to be careful which elephant encounter you choose to enjoy. Don’t worry! I’m here to give you the inside scoop on one of Thailand’s best kept elephant encounters, which can be found at Chai Lai Orchid Eco Lodge & Cafe. Save that name, because after reading this post you will definitely want to add this place to your bucket list!

Nestled in the jungle outside of the city of Chiang Mai, Chai Lai Orchid is the perfect place to enjoy ethical elephant encounters, as well as embrace your wild side and “camp out” in the Thai jungle. The lodge consists of seven wooden bungalows that allow visitors to stay overnight at the sanctuary and enjoy not only the elephants, but also various other on site cultural and outdoor activities. While the sanctuary has its’ boundaries, it is so large that the elephants can roam free and just “be elephants.” At Chai Lai Orchid Eco Lodge, you can truly enjoy observing elephants in their natural habitat.

I had the pleasure of enjoying Chai Lai Orchid back in 2019, before the Instagram and TikTok influencers overshared this gem. My best friend and I began our Thailand tour in Chiang Mai just for this! A driver from the lodge picked us up from our hotel in the city center and drove us out to the lodge, which was about one hour away. Upon arrival, we crossed over a river on foot via a wooden bridge and entered the sanctuary, the world of the elephants.

We booked a one-night stay for 3,200 Thai Baht (~$100 USD) at the lodge. We chose the Orchid bungalow, which featured a balcony that the elephants could walk up too. We also booked the Elephant Care 1/2 Day Experience for 2,500 Thai Baht (~$75 USD). The experience included a guided walk with the elephants through the jungle, a wooden raft cruise down the sanctuary’s main river, and a bath in the river with baby elephants.

I think I have said this in every blog post…I am not an animal person BUT when we travel, we always try new things! Despite my fear, I mustered up the courage to interact with the elephants, and as many people say these creatures truly are “gentle giants.” We began our guided walk with our mahout – an elephant handler. Our guided walk ended up being private! The mahout educated us on the history of the Thai elephants and some important facts about their life in the sanctuary:

Bananas are basically candy for elephants. Their noses are so good they can smell them on you, so don’t be surprised if there is a nose in your back pocket.
Do not ride elephants, especially rides offered with a metal chair. The chair puts pressure on a very sensitive area of the elephants spine. Ouch!
Do not make loud noises or sudden movements around elephants. Always stand to the side so they can see you. They have a blindspot right in front of them – their large noses!
Elephants use trees to scratch their backs!

After our lesson in Elephant 101, we were able to walk through the jungle with one of them, leading it with bananas, until we arrived at the river for our raft cruise. Now, when I say raft… it was really a raft. Six to eight bamboo rods were strung together to form a raft and a local was positioned at the front of the raft with a paddle and ready to take us down the river. We climbed aboard and enjoyed our cruise, observing the nature as we drifted downstream – the entire time I kept thinking, does Thailand have crocodiles?

Our river cruise ended in the river beneath the sanctuary’s main bridge near the entrance. There, two baby elephants were playing in the water with their mahout. He splashed them and they splashed back, spraying water on their backs and on him. He invited us to join in and there we played with and bathed our new friends.

My elephant’s name was Chai Lai, and she loved to give kisses with her nose. The tip of an elephant’s nose is similar to a dog’s, but bigger and wetter. The picture above is me after receiving my first elephant kiss. After getting use to it, I was all smiles. Bath time ended and we washed up and headed to the cafe to enjoy dinner. Dinner ended and a quiet, restful night was spent in our bungalow. It was truly an amazing day!

If you find yourself in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Chai Lai Orchid Eco Lodge & Cafe is a place and experience that you do not want to miss. Book early!