In the lush tropical jungle of Chiang Mai’s Mae sa Valley , a big family of elephants lives side by side with their mahout caretakers. “Maesa Elephant Camp” is home to one of the largest assembly of elephants in the north of Thailand .
Mae Sa Elephant Camp” flanks a rushing river in a beautiful lush tropical valley a mere twenty minutes scenic drive from downtown Chiang Mai. Having been open for nearly thirty years and currently home to seventy eight elephants, we have become leaders and experts in the field of elephant breeding, training, healthcare and sustainable tourism. Asian elephants have long been used as beasts of burden by man – transportation, timber logging or in war.
In the early days of elephant camps these were the main abilities showcased, but it was the camp’s founder, Choochart Kalmapijit’s understanding of the deep intelligence of elephants that inspired him to establish Maesa Elephant Camp in 1976. Over the years Choochart purchased elephants from all over the country, and with their mahouts and other experts, worked and fell in love with the elephants, revealing one skill or fact after another about these pachyderms that have not only
helped to develop Maesa’s reputations over the years, but help further the cause of the conservation and future of the Asian elephant.
The wellbeing and nourishment of our elephants are of prime importance and the total of six tons of grass, bananas and sugarcane that go to feed our elephants daily are self grown. We also grow special grasses and herbs which all combine to assure the health and well being of all our elephants. Being the first elephant camp certified by ISO 9001 version 2000, we are determined to offer visitors a new-age elephant camp which gives our visitors a real glimpse into the lives and facts about elephants.
What they eat, how they live, their biology, their future or plight as well as the continued development and promotion of their skills, intelligence and abilities are of utmost importance to our long term goals.
Of great significance is Choochart’s founding of the Association for the Thai Elephant Procreation to encourage the breeding so that the future of the Asian elephants is assured. At the turn of the twentieth century there were over one hundred thousand elephants in Thailand, today there are less than five. Through research, years of trial and error and a determination to succeed, Maesa now has a very successful breeding programme. Only the best bulls and cows are selected for the procreation programme which has lead to the birth of many healthy baby elephants. One thing you can always be assured of is that elephants at Maesa Elephant Camp are, and always will be, mentally and physically healthy.
Elephant Show
There are three shows a day, at 08:00 am, 09:40 am and 13:30. To visit the showground , you enjoy a variety of fabulous shows of elephants who love to show off their skills and have a good time.
Once you enter the show ground, 20 elephants will parade to welcome you to their show. Don’t miss a chance to observe the elephants bathing at the two bathing areas on Maesa River before each elephant show. The shows are – Demonstration of how to get on and off an elephant by experienced mahouts – Musical performance and dancing by the talented elephants – How the elephants sleep at night (lying on their side) – Football matches consisting of many talented elephant players like Play Lankam, Kongkam and Khamsan – Painting of many abstract and realistic pictures by the eight elephants – Kongkum, Wanpen, Kamsan, Lankam, Duanpen, Songpun, Punpetch and Pu Ood. Maesa Elephant Camp is the only place in the world showing the painting of realistic pictures by elephant artists – Demonstration of how the elephants massage their mahouts by using their trunks – Elephant stick picking competition – Dart Game show by little elephants – Logging and lumber dragging show by Play Kung and Play Ood.