Situated high on a grassy hill surrounded by forest in Northern Thailand, this project is home to a small family of elephants, including a mother, her 4 year old daughter, and her nanny. The adult elephants at this project used to do elephant riding, and thankfully are now experiencing a life free of the saddle and other unnatural activities. They are now able to enjoy a more natural life with time to interact as a family, wander in the grassy fields, forage in the forest, and cool off in the stream. Watching this friendly elephant family hanging out together and showing affection for each other is a special experience. By joining this project as part of a small group, you are directly helping to make the transition to ethical elephant tourism possible and sustainable, and ensuring the well-being of the elephants.
The elephant-friendly activities at Karen Elephant Serenity start with preparing food and feeding it to the appreciative elephants along with their favorite fruit – bananas. After the feeding session, join the elephants for an easy stroll through the tall grasses and along the forest edge, stopping to watch them forage and take photos from the shade of a lookout tower. On returning from your walk, a vegetarian buffet lunch is served overlooking the valley. Later you will learn to make healthy treats for the elephants by combining a medicinal vine, rice, tamarind, salt, and bananas, mixed together and molded into balls. Next, walk to the stream to bathe the elephants and then watch them play in the mud pit on the way back to the project. The day ends with feeding the elephants the banana rice balls prepared earlier, as a parting gift. This elephant tour is suitable for families and provides a fascinating insight into the lives of this beautiful family of elephants.
Support the elephant family at Karen Elephant Serenity
Heng Heng & her Family on YouTube
Feed the elephants sugarcane & fruit and then take a hillside walk with the elephants, stopping to watch them forage in the tall grass
Feed the Elephants
Walk with Elephants
Observe the Elephants
Elephant Bathing
Activities
- Prepare food and feed the elephants
- Take a leisurely walk with the elephants in the field & forest
- Watch the elephants foraging and interacting from an observation tower
- Enjoy a vegetarian buffet lunch
- Prepare medicinal health balls for the elephants
- Bathe the elephants in the stream
- Watch the elephants take a mud bath
- Feed the tamarind-rice balls to the elephants
Tour Details
Number of Guests: 9
Number of Elephants: 3
Tour Type: Full Day Visit
Fitness Level: Easy
Age Suitability: Adults & Children 2+
* Minimum of 4 people required for this tour to proceed
What's Included
- Transportation from Chiang Mai city to and from project
- Food for the elephants
- Freshly prepared vegetarian buffet lunch
- Admission fee & insurance
- Qualified English speaking tour guide
Tour Price
Adults & Children 12+: 2,500 Thai Baht
Children Aged 2-11 years old: 1,250 Thai Baht
Adults & Children 2+
Easy
Buffet Lunch
Transportation
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Elephant Family at Karen Elephant Serenity
Location / Activities Karen Elephant Serenity
Ethical Elephant Tours
This is a small Saddle Off project with a limited number of guests. Our model is based on ensuring the well-being of the elephants, which means no riding or other unnatural activities.
About Your Trip
Start: 8:00am – 8:30am pick up from your Chiang Mai city hotel, or from our office at 8:00am. If staying out of town (outside the middle ring-road) additional charges apply. Please advise on your reservation form.
Travel Time: Around 90 minutes (safety talk en route to the project).
Travel Details: Transfer from an air-con minivan to a 4WD vehicle for the last 10 minutes of your journey to the project along a dirt road.
Return: Arrive back in Chiang Mai city 4:00pm – 4.30pm.
Baggage Allowance: One small day pack per person.
What to Bring: Hat, sunscreen, walking shoes, sandals/flip flops, change of clothing (as you may get muddy or wet), towel, camera & insect repellent.
Facilities: Lunch area, lookout tower, bathrooms, showers, lockers
Items Provided: Karen shirt, ponchos in the rainy season, water, tea and coffee
Age Suitability: Adults & children over 2 years old – guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Fitness Level: Easy – leisurely walk with the elephants through the tall grass along the edge of the forest.
Topography: Grasslands, forest, hills & stream.
Location: Mae Wang, South of Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.
Nearest Airport: Chiang Mai (CNX) – we recommend you stay in Chiang Mai city the night before your visit. Please note that we cannot collect you from Chiang Mai Airport – only from your Chiang Mai city hotel / guesthouse.
Booking Details: Bookings close at 4pm (GMT+7) on the day before the date of your tour if made in person at our office or 24 hours in advance if booking online. A 30% non-refundable deposit is required to secure your booking. The balance should be paid at our Chiang Mai office by 5pm on the day before your tour or by cash to the tour guide when they collect you from your hotel..
Karen Elephant Serenity Reviews
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Life During Covid at Karen Elephant Serenity
Heng Heng, her mother, Mae Kham Suk and nanny, Kham Noi, spend their days wandering in the grassy field, foraging in the forest, playing in the mud, and cooling off in the stream. Heng Heng, who was born in March 2019, is growing up fast and is learning new skills all the time by watching her mother and nanny. She stills runs to her mother or nanny if she is scared or wants to drink milk and loves sucking on her nanny’s ear for comfort. Even so, she is becoming more independent day by day.
Since the collapse of tourism resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic there have been almost no visitors to Karen Elephant Serenity in almost one year now. We are coming into the dry season in Thailand now, so much of the natural vegetation growing at the project and in the nearby forest, including a field of grass is disappearing. As a result, more food needs to be brought in for the elephants to stop them from becoming too thin. The project is doing the best they can under difficult circumstances to care for this beautiful elephant family, but without guests, it is difficult to provide for them sufficiently. Elephants need to consume vast quantities of food each day, and so during these challenging times, any support you can give would be much appreciated.
Fruit Cakes & Banana Ball Treats at Karen Elephant Serenity
Thanks to some kind supporters, Heng Heng and her family have been treated to banana balls and several cakes over the past few months, which they all love so much. It’s a beautiful sight to watch the elephants appear from the valley where they were playing in the mud or pool and rush excitedly towards their cakes. Heng Heng has developed a strategy of using her feet to break up the porridge-like base to make it easier to then scoop up with her trunk. Mae Kham Suk and Kham Noi who are close friends, work together to effortlessly rip apart the sugarcane frame before munching on the pieces.
Support the Herd at Karen Elephant Serenity
The Covid-19 pandemic caused severe challenges around the world and has placed extreme limitations on travel. As a result, Karen Elephant Serenity closed in March 2020 and only reopened to visitors in early 2022. We appreciate all of the kind people who helped to buy food for Heng Heng & her family during this difficult times. Thanks to Trunks Up and Save Elephant Foundation for supporting the herd at Karen Elephant Serenity during the Covid crisis.
Support Heng Heng & her family with an elephant food gift
Treat Heng Heng and her family to a fruit cake
Elephant Fruit Cakes made at Karen Elephant Serenity
Project Background
This project is owned by Nikon, who used to work at Elephant Nature Park in the past and Pa Udon, who inherited a large area of land from his grandfather, and used to run a nearby elephant trekking camp. They joined the Saddle Off project in February 2018 and Karen Elephant Serenity is now home to a family of elephants enjoying a better life in their retirement from elephant riding. The herd includes Mae Kham Suk, a 40 year female who gave birth in March 2019 to a healthy baby girl, named Heng Heng as well as Kham Noi, a 35 year old female, who has become her nanny. Since joining the project the two adult elephants have formed a close bond and together they are enjoying raising Heng Heng who is so playful and full of life. To provide for the elephants, tall grass is grown at the project, banana trees on nearby land and they also buy fruit from local farmers.
How Karen Elephant Serenity is Eco Friendly & Sustainable
- Food is grown at the project for the elephants to forage on throughout the day including tall grass and bananas.
- All crops grown for the elephants and guests are organic – no chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used.
- They buy bananas and sugarcane from local farmers for the elephants as well and vegetables and fruit for the guests.
- Guests help protect the forest by tying protective orange Buddhist sashes around the trunks of trees. This project also asks local villagers in the nearby area to plant trees and supports them in these efforts.
- Elephant dung is used to fertilize the gardens and is also given to local farmers to fertilize their crops.
- Rubbish is recycled and leftover food given to local villagers for their animals.
- This project was constructed using natural materials including bamboo and reclaimed wood. Recently a lookout tower was built using reclaimed wood so that guests can obverse the elephants from a high vantage point.
- Water dispenser provided to reduce the use of plastic. Guests are offered one plastic water bottle at the beginning of the day which they can then refill and higher quality refillable water bottles are also available for purchase.