Elephantstay is like a "retirement village" for Elephants ,it's located at the Royal Elephant Kraal & Village at Ayutthaya in the central region of Thailand. The venture is a "not for profit" organisation that offers a TOTALLY UNIQUE and exciting way for visitors to spend a vacation.
The Royal Elephant Kraal is listed as a World Heritage Site and comes under the preserve of the Thai Government Fine Art Department. For nearly four centuries the country formerly known as Siam was ruled from Ayutthaya ,which was the home to the monarchy & to the Royal White Elephants that were so highly revered by the whole Theravada Buddhist nation.
What makes Elephantstay different from other elephant camps & tours available all over Thailand is that the guests upon arrival are given THEIR VERY OWN ELEPHANT to care for and accompany in a variety of activities during their stay!.
Elephantstay was founded in 2005 as a result of Michelle Reedy & Ewa Narkiewicz fascination with the pachiderms and their frequent visits to the Royal Elephant Kraal and Village over the previous 5 years.
This lead them to meet Laithongrein Meepan, the owner of the Royal Elephant Kraal elephants. Together, they built Elephantstay, with Michelle & Ewa managing all the daily aspects of the venture & committing everything they had to the project.
Elephantstay is a program under the Prackochabaan Foundation, a non-profit organization. Their main focus is on the conservation of the species and the humane treatment of aging elephants.
All the proceeds from both the guest accommodation fees & any donations received go towards the care and nurture of the elephants in their charge.
The program provides quality maintenance for old elephants which are considered "retired", training and handling for the active elephants which perform in various shows, and birthing and nursing for newborn elephants.
Give us a Kiss!!
Guests are assigned their own elephant once they arrive, and engage in the activities that their charges go through. They participate in the feeding, bathing and watering of their elephants as well as getting to ride them as well!.This whole process creates a great bond between the elephants & their guests.
Elephantstay also has expert mahouts onhand to teach the guests the basic commands and the good treatment of the elephants. They also provide an instructional handbook that contains all the elephant information needed, from their history, basic facts and nature to the basic commands and riding techniques.
The Accommodation Area is located within the Elephant Village. Elephantstay offers comfortable, air-conditioned Thai bungalows with bathrooms that have hot showers. However, as they only have six rooms, which are uniform twin sharing.
They advise booking well ahead in advance since the space is limited. The location of the living quarters, though, gives a great opportunity for the guests to experience real life in the village in an intimate manner.
"July 2009, my 3rd time back at Elephantstay, it's such a unique program Michelle & Ewa run here, uplifting & energising, I want to visit every year, I just can't get enough!" - Jane Ford, Sydney,Australia
I Wish I was A........?
Getting to Elephantstay is easy, it's about an hour away from Bangkok by car, and is also accessible by bus, taxi or train. Personal collection from Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok) Airport by the staff of Elephantstay is possible, but will need requesting when you make your booking.
For further information about this experience of a lifetime please visit the Elephantstay website.
Welcome! I'm Kevin - This site is packed with really useful information not only about Chiang Mai but also about the other major tourist destinations in Thailand, we really hope you enjoy your visit, and please remember to bookmark our site for later reference!.
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I'm Kevin - This site is packed with really useful information not only about Chiang Mai but also about the other major tourist destinations in Thailand, we really hope you enjoy your visit, and please remember to bookmark our site for later reference!.