Elephant Conservation Center office, Luang Prabang — Attraction in Luang Prabang

You need some motivation to get there after having shelled out a (very) substantial amount of USD for a two half days/one night package. By the time you finally get to the lake three hours after having left Luang Prabang (with a broken back and vaguely car sick) where a river boats awaits, you are well aware this is a privilege to be there. The surroundings are quite spectacular. However, do not expect to see elephants around the lake on your way over to the centre, their arrival will be carefully orchestrated later on. The centre itself is quite basic, rather comfy and tidy but not quite what you would expect to find for that kind of money. Likewise, the bungalows have seen better days (ours anyway) and the (local) food is plentiful but rather basic. The Laotian staff is delightful and aims to please (in good English). Everything is quite well organized in a somewhat rigid protocol and schedule , suggesting the discreet presence of an orchestrating Western hand backstage to maximize occupation. You will hardly see an elephant on day 1 but you will certainly be drowned in all kind of informations about the centre and its mission in a hostile social, political and historical environment. Most of the adult elephants there have been rescued from the logging business and/or from negligent owners and require costly care before they hypothetically reproduce or be released into the wild. Regretfully not a word is spoken about other (competing) centers in Laos and the benefits of a cross cooperation between them to rescue a dwindling elephant population across SE Asia. Likewise, we are told 80% of the centre's proceeds come from paying visitors but no further details are given about where the money goes and how profits, if any, are reinvested in the long term for the animals benefit. Strange, really, for an organization proposing to "sponsor an elephant" to its customers. One hour spent with a "vet" repeating himself ten times around will not give you a chance to learn much nor see an elephant attended in the hospital other than a demo pachyderm skeleton. The very same one displaid in most natural history museums across the world...disappointing indeed. Finally you will be taken to an open air "nursery" to observe at a safe distance a mother with her young closely followed by their mahout. Day two will give you a better chance to see the (chained ??) animals more closely in the forest if you're prepared to hike the muddy slippery trails around the centre to follow their mahout. Not everybody can in the rainy season. Do bring a walking stick and hiking shoes. The actual interaction with the beasts will stop after a couple of hours and you will be taken back for one last lunch at the guest house before returning to the boat and the dreaded mini-van. All in all, an interesting experience if you are truly convinced saving Asian elephants is a worthy cause for the planet and are prepared to pay for it without asking yourseIf too many questions. If you're not or if you're looking for a "safari" like experience with wild animals interaction, you will be...

This is the ONLY TRULY ethical elephant experience in Laos and it has left me forever changed for the better!

The ECC rescues elephants from harmful living situations in Laos- which we learnt is any company who allows tourists to touch, ride, feed, bathe and engage in any physical contact with elephants, as well as logging practices, entertainment etc. A lot of these programmes label themselves as “ethical”, but are not. The ECC re-socialises rescued elephants, allowing them to roam and live in their natural environment as a herd, and aims to release rehabilitated elephants into Nam Pouy National Protected Area as a part of their re-wilding programme. Wild Asian elephants are extremely threatened, and play a critical role in the ecosystem. Elephants in captivity are not permitted to breed, and often suffer isolating and abusive conditions for the entertainment of humans. The ECC has launched an effort to safeguard Asian elephants, and built the ONLY hospital for elephants in Laos, as well as the ONLY rehabilitation and re -wilding elephant programme in Laos.

We chose the two-day option and spent a lot of time observing the elephant babies and adults, eating, swimming, and socialising in their natural environment. You are not permitted to touch the elephants in any way. This is to ensure our safety, as well as comfort of the elephant. However, Mr Sue, our very knowledgeable and friendly guide, brought us very close and the two-day schedule gave us lots of elephant time.

As a guest, you also learn about elephant physiology and medicine at the elephant hospital, and the efforts the ECC puts into the education of local Veterinary students.

The scenery is breathtaking, and the sounds of the jungle lull you to sleep at night. The accomodation was comfortable, and the food was delicious.

NOTE: if you struggle with hiking in the heat/humidity, this may be a challenge for you, as both days have an active schedule hiking through nature.

If you care about truly ethical wildlife tourism and want your money going somewhere that will make a positive difference- I would highly...

We booked a four day, three night excursion to the ECC and had a very memorable experience.

The opportunity to observe the elephants is wonderful. But their commitment to teaching people about the plight of Asian elephants and of the work of the Center was the most memorable aspect of the visit. *It’s worth noting that between 60 - 80% of the Center’s revenue derives from paid visits, so just be going you help support elephant conservation.

As other reviewers have mentioned the short treks into the jungle to observe the elephants and their mahouts were excellent. Observing socializations amongst the elephants was also wonderful. The time spent learning about the veterinary care was fascinating (we also got to help prepare fruit and sticky rice “vitamin” packets for the elephants - a bit of volunteering that was part of our longer stay).

But for us the highlight of the visit was morning we spent with Jamie, one of the Center’s resident biologists. We were able to help with data gathering at a female socialization session, all the while soaking up a wealth of detailed information from Jamie. As an added bonus we were treated to some extraordinary bird watching, all narrated professionally by Jamie, a trained ornithologist.

The bungalows are lovely, with super cozy beds (some of the most comfortable we’ve slept on during our extensive SE Asia travels). And the food is plentiful, varied, healthy and delicious.

We highly...