Asian Elephant Projects supports ethical elephant projects around Chiang Mai, Thailand where visitors can spend a day walking with elephants in the jungle, observing them foraging, taking a mud bath, swimming in the river and living a more natural life.
24/06/2025
Mae KaPha has been at Karen Elephant Home for a few weeks now and is gradually adjusting to her new surroundings. She’s spending more time around the boys and growing more at ease each day as her confidence builds. She seems comfortable around Kham Meun, who is eager to befriend her, and spend time together. With Dodo, however, she remains more cautious and isn’t quite ready to fully trust him yet.
After enjoying a cake recently, the boys joined KaPha by the stream. She welcomed Kham Meun’s approach, but when Dodo backed up toward her, she quietly wandered off down the path. Kham Meun and Dodo then shared a heartwarming moment of brotherly affection.
Spend an enchanting day at Karen Elephant Home, observing these beautiful elephants as they wander through the forest, interact with one another, and express natural behaviors @ www.asianelephantprojects.com/karen-elephant-home
17/06/2025
Welcome Cake for Mae KaPha! 🐘🩷🎂
Recently, lovely Mae KaPha enjoyed a delicious welcome fruit cake, thanks to our amazing supporter Liz, who first met Mae KaPha in early 2020, just a few months after her adorable baby, Bella, was born. During the difficult Covid years, when there were no visitors, Liz’s dedicated support enabled us to deliver fruit to Mae KaPha and Bella every month. The last photo shows Mae KaPha and Bella in March 2022, when Liz visited them again. Tragically, Bella passed away from the herpes virus EEHV in December 2022.
Mae KaPha is settling in well to her new life at Karen Elephant Home. She savored her cake peacefully, eating at a leisurely pace in a grassy field on a rainy day. Mae KaPha is blind in her left eye and has only partial vision in her right, so toward the end, project owner Krieng Krai helped her out by placing balls of the banana base mixture into her trunk.
Little Luna wanders through the rain-soaked jungle with her mother, taking in the sights, smells, and sounds on the way to the stream. Every day is a learning experience for Luna who is brimming with enthusiasm and curiosity.
We are looking for 2 more people to join the half-week or one-week program at Journey to Freedom next week starting Monday, June 16. If you are in Chiang Mai and would like to meet baby Luna and the rest of the herd book your trip at www.asianelephantprojects.com/journey-to-freedom or email us at [email protected]
05/06/2025
Today is World Environment Day—a time to recognize the importance of conserving nature and protecting the biodiversity and health of our planet, which supports an intricate web of life.
With the early arrival of the rainy season, the elephants at the Saddle Off projects are enjoying an abundance of fresh vegetation, including young bamboo leaves, vines, banana trees, and grass. Witnessing elephants wandering in their jungle habitat, expressing natural behaviors, is a powerful reminder of why protecting Mother Nature is essential—not only for elephants, but for all living beings. 🌏🐘🌳
02/06/2025
Happy Birthday to our amazing supporter, Kim Costa! 🎂🎊✨And thanks to her son, Anthony, for giving Dodo and Kham Meun a delicious fruit cake in celebration of Kim’s birthday today.
Recently, Krieng Krai and the team at Karen Elephant Home made a beautiful cake for Dodo and Kham Meun, which included watermelon, bananas, corn, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, carrots, and pumpkin. The boys ran excitedly toward the cake, waiting for them on the ground, and shared it peacefully, standing side by side, enjoying every mouthful.
Exciting News: Soon the brothers at Karen Elephant Home will be joined by a beautiful senior elephant, Mae KaPha, who will likely take on a motherly role. Before Covid, Mae KaPha lived at Karen Elephant Retirement, where Kim first met her and her adorable baby, Bella, born in October 2019. When Covid hit, the elephants moved to live near the Karen family’s village and we delivered many pickup trucks of fruit and made lots of cakes for Bella and her mother during this time, thanks to the dedicated support of Kim and Liz. After Covid, they moved to another project in Mae Wang, where tragically Bella passed away from the herpes virus, EEHV, in December 2022.
For the past couple of years, Mae KaPha has lived at a nearby ethical elephant sanctuary, however it was recently decided that she would have a better life at Karen Elephant Home. Thanks to Kim for always supporting and caring for Mae KaPha and also to Karen Elephant Connections for enabling this new chapter in her life to unfold. We will provide more updates soon about Mae KaPha’s journey to her new home. 💚🐘🩵
24/05/2025
At Karen Elephant Serenity, Heng Heng and Kham Noi forage peacefully in the forest to the gentle patter of raindrops falling on leaves.
The rainy season has come early this year, transforming their jungle home into a lush, vibrant landscape bursting with fresh growth to nourish the elephants.
Recently, two new activities have been added to the single day program at Karen Elephant Serenity. In the afternoon, visitors can opt to do bamboo rafting down the Mae Wang River or if you would prefer, you can make a fruit cake for the elephants and enjoy watching them savor your creation. Find more information and book your visit at: www.asianelephantprojects.com/karen-elephant-serenity
22/05/2025
Lucky Dodo recently enjoyed an entire fruit cake to himself! His older brother, Kham Meun, is in musth—a natural period when a male elephant’s hormone levels spike, often making them aggressive and unpredictable. Sweet Dodo made the most of this opportunity and, at his own pace, savored the feast prepared by Krieng Krai and the team at Karen Elephant Home.
We’d like to wish our amazing supporter, Nirmala, a very Happy Birthday and thank her for treating Dodo to this delicious cake and for her generosity in giving many cakes to the elephants at the Saddle Off projects over the years. 🙏❤️🐘🍍🍉🍌🎂
Brimming with curiosity, Luna explores her natural world with her devoted mother, Nong Pon, by her side—constantly imparting knowledge, providing protection, and gently guiding her every step. On this day, after enjoying a drink, Nong Pon softly touches baby Luna’s head with her trunk, to signal that it’s time to go on their way.
It’s profoundly moving to witness the bond between a mother elephant and her baby, and the way they interact—a symbiosis of pure innocence and unconditional love. 💕🐘
Happy International Mother’s Day! 💐
🎥 by Asian Elephant Projects at Journey to Freedom
05/05/2025
On a stunning day in the northern hills, Dodo and Kham Maun eagerly approach their platter of fruit and vegetables, leisurely plucking their favorites pieces in total harmony. Thank you to our amazing supporter, Arron, for providing these majestic brothers with this feast, which was a highlight of their day. 🙏🐘❤️🍉🍌🍍
Meet Kham Meun and his brother Dodo by spending a day at Karen Elephant Home, observing these beautiful boys foraging, interacting, and enjoying a more natural life together. Book your visit at: www.asianelephantprojects.com/karen-elephant-home
30/04/2025
Heng Heng stomps through the stream with excitement and a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Kham Meun grabs some tufts of grass before by the stream as a pallet cleanser before returning to his fruit platter. Satisfied, he casually strolls off to relax by the water’s edge. Kham Meun is a very handsome elephant with a friendly, gentle nature.
It is fascinating to witness the special bond shared by Kham Meun and his brother, Dodo, as they go about their daily rituals, enjoying a peaceful life in nature where they have the space and freedom to just be elephants. Visitors also have the chance to dress in Karen clothing, learn about their weaving tradition and make elephant dung statues. Book your visit to Karen Elephant Home at: www.asianelephantprojects.com/karen-elephant-home
22/04/2025
Happy Earth Day! 🐘🌏🌳
Today, we celebrate the beauty of our planet and the diverse life it sustains. Among its guardians are elephants, vital architects of thriving ecosystems. Far beyond their cultural significance, these gentle giants nurture jungles, forests, savannas, and wetlands, fostering biodiversity wherever they tread.
At our Saddle Off projects the elephants are fortunate to enjoy a peaceful life, wandering and foraging in their forest home, expressing natural behaviors and socializing with each other.
On Earth Day, may we all unite to preserve and protect elephants and the natural world for generations to come.
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3/2 Ratchamanka Road Phra Sing Muang Chiang Mai 50200
Asian Elephant Projects was created out of a desire to improve the living conditions for Asian elephants involved in the tourist industry. We are dedicated to helping small, independent elephant tourism operators transition to ethical and sustainable programs which provide a better life for their elephants. By joining these projects, elephant owners agree to adhere to a comprehensive set of guidelines designed to ensure the welfare of the elephants in their care. In return, we provide knowledge and resources in support of these projects so that they generate a reliable income for elephant owners and benefit local communities.
We offer a range of ethical elephant tours in Thailand as well as in Cambodia. Guests join a small group for an unforgettable, intimate adventure observing elephants in beautiful natural surroundings. Watch elephants play, socialize, and forage in the jungle. The activities offered are sympathetic to natural elephant behavior - feed the elephants, walk with them in nature, bathe them, and watch them play in the mud. Our projects provide a home for elephants where they are well cared for and freed from an arduous life of elephant riding, performing tricks, and other unnatural behavior. Over 25 independent ‘Saddle Off’ projects are now providing a better life for these gentle giants.
The geographical locations of the projects include jungles, mountains and plains that change throughout the seasons. Available tours vary from challenging mountain jungle treks on foot with the elephants with white water rafting, to picturesque walks with the elephants at a comfortable pace, stopping along the way to watch the elephants forage on native plants.
Most of the projects offered have herds of 3 to 7 elephants, and limit guest numbers to 3 or 4 people per elephant. This helps to create a non-stressful environment for the elephants as well as a more intimate experience for our guests. The owners and staff at our projects share a commitment to the well-being of the elephants and to providing visitors with a safe and memorable experience.
We offer full day and half day tours as well as projects where visitors can volunteer for a week or more. Tours include local transportation, meals, qualified English-speaking guides, and rafting where available.
By joining our projects you are helping to create a demand for elephant tours that take into account the quality of the lives of the elephants and are based on compassion and empathy. To observe elephants doing what comes naturally, without fear of punishment, is an amazing experience.
Elephants are intelligent, highly social animals, and like us, experience a wide range of emotions. They deserve our respect, care, and appreciation of their right to live free of unnecessary suffering. Over 80 elephants are now enjoying a life worth living thanks to responsible, kind-hearted travelers choosing Asian Elephant Projects. Your support is essential to making this evolution in elephant tourism sustainable. Visit our website and book one of our ‘Saddle Off’ projects today to discover the amazing world of elephants.
