I Went for an Elephant Ride in Thailand - Don't Make My Mistake
I thought it would be one of the most exciting experiences of my life. Instead, it became one of the travel decisions I regret the most.
This article is not written to judge anyone who has ridden an elephant. I did it myself. It is written for travellers who believed they were booking something special, only to realise afterwards that the reality was very different.
There are travel memories that stay with you because they were wonderful. There are others that stay with you because, knowing what you know now, you wish you had made a different choice.
My elephant ride in Thailand belongs firmly in the second category.
When I travelled to Chiang Mai in 2019, I was genuinely excited. Riding an elephant sounded like one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that would become one of the highlights of my trip.
I imagined slowly moving through the beautiful Thai countryside on the back of one of the most impressive animals in the world. I imagined adventure, incredible photographs and a story I would be telling for years.
It certainly became a story I would remember for years, but not for the reasons I had expected.
The three-day tour that sounded amazing online
I had booked one of those cheap three-day, two-night adventure tours that were widely sold around Chiang Mai.
On paper, the itinerary sounded fantastic. It included a visit to a local village, trekking through the countryside, rafting and an elephant ride.
Several memorable experiences were combined into one convenient package, and everything appeared to be organised for us.
It sounded adventurous. It sounded authentic. It sounded like incredible value.
The online reviews were also surprisingly positive. At the time, that gave me confidence. I assumed that if so many previous customers had enjoyed the experience, it had to be safe, responsible and worth booking.
Looking back, I relied far too heavily on the star rating and not enough on what the activities actually involved.
What I remember thinking before the tour
I was not searching for an unethical attraction. I was simply a traveller who saw a highly rated package filled with activities that sounded exciting.
I believed the elephants were accustomed to tourists and that the business would not be allowed to operate if the animals were being mistreated.
I now understand how dangerous that assumption can be.
I was genuinely excited - and that is difficult to admit
Nobody forced me to take part. I was excited to do it.
I think it is important to admit that honestly.
Sometimes, when people talk about regrettable wildlife experiences, they rewrite the story as though they had always understood that something was wrong.
That was not the case for me.
I saw beautiful photographs of elephants. I saw smiling travellers. I saw very positive reviews. I saw an activity that appeared to be completely normal.
What I did not see was what happened behind the photographs.
I did not properly consider how a huge and powerful animal had been trained to accept people climbing onto its back.
I did not ask what happened when tourists were not present. I did not ask whether the elephant had any choice in the experience.
I only saw the version of the activity that had been created for people like me.
The reality felt completely different
Once I was there, my excitement disappeared quickly.
Instead of feeling that I was sharing a special moment with an elephant, I felt that the elephant was being used to deliver a service.
The animal had to walk where it was directed, stop when instructed and carry tourists because that was what the package promised.
Everything was designed around us.
The tourists had paid for an elephant ride, so an elephant ride had to be provided.
Whether the animal wanted to walk, rest, eat or move away did not appear to matter.
I kept looking down and wondering what the elephant was feeling.
Was it tired? Was it frightened? Had it repeated the same route many times that day?
What had been done to make such a powerful animal obey people continuously?
I did not know all the answers at that moment. But I could see enough to understand that this was not the magical wildlife encounter I had imagined.
It felt like exploitation presented as entertainment.
The entire tour started to feel wrong
The elephant ride was the part that affected me the most, but it also changed the way I viewed the entire tour.
What had been sold as an authentic adventure began to feel like a production line moving groups of tourists from one activity to another.
The village visit did not feel like the meaningful cultural exchange I had imagined.
The rafting became another scheduled item to complete. The elephant ride was the headline attraction used to make the package appear irresistible.
Everything had sounded amazing online.
Once I was there, my main reaction was simply: What have I booked?
Cheap multi-day tours are not automatically bad. Many responsible businesses provide excellent experiences and valuable local employment.
But when a package promises several extraordinary experiences for a very low price, it is worth asking who or what may be paying the real cost.
In this case, I felt that the elephant was.
But the tour had excellent reviews
This is the part that continued to confuse me afterwards.
I had booked the tour online, and the reviews were far more positive than my personal experience would have suggested.
It is possible that many reviewers genuinely enjoyed the tour. They may have focused on the friendly guide, the activities, the food, the photographs or the excitement of standing close to an elephant.
They may not have recognised the same warning signs that made me uncomfortable.
It is also possible that some online reviews were unreliable.
I cannot prove that any particular review was fake, and I would never present that suspicion as a confirmed fact.
What I learned is that a high star rating does not automatically make an animal experience responsible.
A verified booking is not an ethical certification
A person can genuinely book an activity, enjoy it and leave a five-star review without understanding how the animals are treated behind the scenes.
Reviews can tell you whether the minibus arrived on time. They cannot always tell you whether an elephant is living a good life.
Why I understand people who made the same mistake
I am not writing this article to attack other travellers.
It would be hypocritical for me to shame someone for making the same decision I made.
Most people who book an elephant ride do not want to hurt an animal.
They believe the attraction is regulated. They assume the elephants are used to carrying people. They may believe that their ticket helps pay for food, care and local jobs.
Some people only begin questioning the experience when they are already sitting on the elephant.
Others understand the problem months or years later, after reading more about elephant tourism.
When that happens, it can be upsetting.
You may look at your old photographs and feel embarrassed. You may wish that you had understood more at the time.
You may feel guilty for participating in something that now conflicts with your values.
I understand that feeling because I have felt it myself.
What I wish I had known before booking
The word "sanctuary" proves nothing
A business can use comforting words such as sanctuary, rescue, ethical or conservation without offering a genuinely responsible experience.
Excellent reviews are not enough
Reviews normally focus on customer enjoyment. Animal welfare may not be visible to the people writing them.
Guaranteed contact is a warning sign
When every visitor is promised touching, bathing, posing or close interaction, the animals must follow a schedule created for tourists.
Observation can be more meaningful
Watching elephants move, eat and socialise naturally may appear less dramatic, but it respects the animals far more.
What a more responsible elephant experience should look like
Travellers should research every venue individually. The name of the business is less important than what visitors are actually permitted to do.
I would now look for an experience based primarily on observation rather than guaranteed physical contact.
- No elephant riding.
- No circus-style tricks or performances.
- No elephants painting, playing football or entertaining crowds.
- No guaranteed bathing, hugging or posing sessions.
- Enough space for elephants to move away from visitors.
- Opportunities for elephants to rest, forage and socialise naturally.
- Clear information about where the elephants came from.
- A programme built around the animals rather than tourist photographs.
Sometimes the most respectful wildlife experience is also the least dramatic.
You may stand at a distance. The elephant may not come close to you. You may not return with a photograph of yourself touching its trunk.
But you may return with something more valuable: the knowledge that the animal was allowed to behave like an elephant rather than being forced to complete another item on somebody's bucket list.
Has the situation improved since 2019?
Awareness has certainly improved.
More travellers now understand why elephant riding is problematic, and many tour operators no longer advertise it as openly as they once did.
However, that does not mean the practice has completely disappeared.
Smaller local agencies may still offer elephant rides, especially to visitors booking after arriving in Thailand.
Some attractions have also changed their marketing without completely changing the experience.
The word "riding" may disappear and be replaced by feeding, bathing, caring, walking or interacting.
The photographs may look softer and more compassionate, but the elephants may still be expected to repeat the same close-contact routine for every group.
This is why it is important to look beyond the headline and examine the actual itinerary.
Elephant Nature Park showed me what elephant tourism could become
My experience made me uncomfortable because the elephant existed to serve our itinerary. Elephant Nature Park represents a very different idea: visitors should adapt to the elephants rather than elephants being forced to adapt to visitors.
When researching what I should have done differently, one name repeatedly appeared: Elephant Nature Park, near Chiang Mai.
The park was established by Thai elephant-welfare advocate Saengduean "Lek" Chailert.
Its work has focused on rescuing and caring for elephants that previously experienced riding camps, logging, street begging, performances and other difficult conditions.
Some of the elephants arriving there have carried visible injuries. Others have experienced years of stress or have struggled to adjust after spending much of their lives working for people.
The organisation also provides care for many other rescued animals, including dogs, cats, horses, buffalo and animals that have been abandoned or injured.
The contrast with my tour could not be greater
During my elephant ride, the animal had to follow the route chosen for us. The experience existed because tourists had paid to sit on its back.
At an observation-led project, the most important question should not be: "What can the elephant do for the visitor?"
It should be: "How can visitors observe without taking away the elephant's freedom?"
Elephant Nature Park offers programmes where visitors can observe rescued elephants living with their chosen herds, moving through their surroundings, socialising, foraging, entering the river or covering themselves with mud and sand.
Its more observation-focused options allow visitors to watch the elephants rather than expecting them to provide rides, performances or continuous physical interaction.
The animals are not there to transport visitors or repeat a trekking route throughout the day.
The most responsible programmes focus on watching elephants interact naturally rather than guaranteeing physical contact.
Visitors can learn about individual animals, their past experiences and the particular care they may require.
Rescue, rehabilitation, veterinary care and education form part of the wider organisation's work.
Why the reviews affected me
Reading visitors describe Elephant Nature Park was very different from reading reviews of the tour I had booked.
People did not only talk about getting photographs or completing an exciting activity.
They spoke about learning the stories of rescued elephants, seeing them spend time with their herds and understanding why animal tourism needs to change.
Some visitors described the experience as one of the best decisions they made in Chiang Mai.
Others wrote about seeing elephants walking among trees, preparing food for them and watching while the animals chose how to spend their time.
Those reviews made me think about my own experience again.
I had also wanted to feel close to elephants. I had also wanted a memorable day.
The difference was that I had been sold closeness through control, while a responsible experience should teach us to appreciate an animal without demanding that it perform for us.
Lek Chailert's work deserves recognition
Lek Chailert has spent decades campaigning for better treatment of Asian elephants and challenging practices that were once treated as a normal part of tourism.
Her work has helped more travellers understand that elephants do not need to carry people, paint pictures, perform tricks or spend every day posing for photographs in order to justify their care.
Projects such as this also demonstrate that changing elephant tourism is not only about criticising travellers.
It involves helping mahouts, elephant owners and local communities move towards models that can still provide employment without relying on riding or performances.
That transition is not simple, but it is necessary.
No attraction should receive an automatic ethical seal simply because it uses the word "sanctuary." Programmes and independent assessments can change. Look for the most observation-led option available, check exactly what interaction the itinerary includes and review recent independent animal-welfare guidance before booking.
The experience I wish I had chosen
I wish that instead of sitting on an elephant, I had spent the day learning about animals rescued from the very industry I was supporting.
I wish I had watched elephants choosing where to walk rather than watching a handler decide their route.
I wish my memory from Chiang Mai had been of seeing an elephant living peacefully with its herd - not of wondering whether the animal carrying me was exhausted or afraid.
I cannot replace that memory, but future travellers can make a different decision.
You do not need to sit on an elephant to have an unforgettable experience.
You do not need to bathe one, hug one or pose beside one.
Sometimes standing back, listening to its story and allowing it to make its own choices is the most meaningful encounter of all.
Information about the park, its work and its available programmes should always be checked directly before visiting. Travellers should also review recent independent animal-welfare guidance before reserving any wildlife experience.
Elephant Nature Park - About the rescue and rehabilitation centre
Elephant Nature Park - Current visitor programmes
Save Elephant Foundation - About Lek Chailert
World Animal Protection - Elephant-friendly tourist guidance
Travel sometimes teaches us through our mistakes
Travel is often presented as a collection of perfect moments.
Beautiful beaches. Incredible food. Friendly local people. Spectacular sunsets.
But travel can also force us to confront our own poor decisions.
My elephant ride in Thailand was one of those moments.
I began the experience feeling excited to complete something that had been on my travel wish list.
I finished it feeling that I had participated in something I did not believe in.
I cannot go back to 2019 and make a different choice.
What I can do is be honest about it.
I can explain why it made me uncomfortable. I can encourage other travellers to research animal attractions more carefully.
I can also make sure that I never promote or profit from an elephant activity simply because it is popular.
That does not erase my mistake.
But perhaps it can prevent somebody else from making the same one.
Do not ride elephants in Thailand - or anywhere else
The fact that an activity is traditional, popular, affordable or highly rated does not automatically make it responsible.
Observation-led programmes show that tourists can still encounter these incredible animals without sitting on their backs or demanding continuous physical interaction.
I rode an elephant in Chiang Mai because I was excited, uninformed and too willing to trust the way the experience had been advertised.
Today, I would choose an observation-led experience where elephants are not ridden, forced to perform or required to interact with every arriving group.
Elephants do not exist to complete our bucket lists.
Seeing them move freely, socialise and make their own choices may feel less dramatic than sitting on their backs, but it is infinitely more rewarding.
Admire elephants. Support their protection. But please, do not ride them.
