Blue Elephant Thailand Tours, Blue Tao Elephant Village (Office) — Attraction in Chiang Mai Province

What a wonderful experience!! We started out the day being greeted by Lida and Mr. B in our resort lobby. Both were extremely kind and we had great conversation on the drive up the mountain. Lida Talked to us about the Thai culture, answered any questions that we had about Thailand, and educated us on the temples and the elephants. Our first stop was at the top of the highest mountain where we took in some views and stretched our legs a bit. After a short drive we then got to the National park to view the temples and they did not disappoint. The views from these temples were breathtaking and the gardens and landscaping were worth the drive by themselves. After switching to a 4 wheel drive truck, our next stop was the treehouse. We walked up a short path through the jungle to the treehouse as Lida explained what some of the plants were. Once we got to the treehouse we washed up and then climbed up the stairs to be greeted by the cook who showed us to our table. We sat on a cushion on the ground with our feet dangling off the treehouse and our food was brought to us. Not only was this an amazing meal, but the serene environment and sounds of the jungle (and waterfall) added the perfect ambiance to our lunch experience. One highlite for me was the coffee, the gentleman who grew this coffee served it to us after we ate. And then on to the part that we had been waiting months for, time to visit the elephants. As we got to the elephant camp, the first thing we saw was Mina. There are not many elephants in Texas so this was a special experience for us. We spent some time with Mina and then changed into the rubber boots, and started the hike. It was not a difficult hike at all but just enough to show you some of the country-side. We then got to the camp where we changed into our swimwear. We got very lucky and did not need bug spray or sunscreen Although we did bring them just in case. We then met the rest of the elephants and walked them down to the waterfall. We had so much fun playing with the elephants and spending time with them. Lida got behind the camera and took a bunch of pictures so that we could focus on the elephants. After a good amount of time at the waterfall we then headed back to the camp, showered and got ready for dinner. The dinner did not disappoint and once again had a wonderful jungle ambiance with elephants trumpeting in the background. We then packed up and made our way back to the truck. We did not return to the resort the same way we went to the elephant camp so this allowed us to see even more of the countryside.

If you are considering taking this tour you can rest easy that you will have a wonderful experience with Blue Elephant. Make sure you request Lida and Uncle B. When I started this review I called him Mr B, but by the end of our tour we called him Uncle B.

Things to note: It is a good idea to bring bug spray and sunscreen

Rubber boots will be provided for the muddiest part of the hike. I have large feet and they had my size. It would still be a good idea to have some tennis shoes to walk in for other parts

It is much cooler at the temples due to the high elevation so you will want to bring some warmer clothes that you can throw on for that portion

If you are going to the temples, ladies make sure you can cover your shoulders and knees. Gentlemen, make sure you have pants that go past your knees.

If you are on the fence about which tour service to use, you will not be disappointed with Blue Elephant. You will not regret it. Pi...

We showed up to Blue Tao Elephant Village to see the conditions of the elephants. In short their conditions are terrible (photo attached).

It kills me that so many people visit sanctuaries like this one and think that - just because they saw the elephants unchained when they visited - that that is the condition the elephants are normally in.

The truth is the elephants are kept on a 4 ft. chain and can barely move all day. You can see the elephants at the other “sanctuary” across the river are attached to similar short chains and have barbed wire wrapped around the columns. One of an elephants favorite things to do is scratch against tree trunks and columns - and this prevents them even that small pleasure.

All in all if you love elephants you should NOT visit this sanctuary (and frankly almost any others in the region). There are only a small handful that can justly call themselves a sanctuary.

Please don’t support these practices with your money. Your Instagram photo and a quick story to your friends just isn’t worth cruelty to one of the most majestic animals we have!

EDIT: Since posting this review the management team has responded saying they treat the animals as if they were human beings. That is surprising given that their elephants are chained on 4 ft. chains for the vast majority of the day. I will share photos once I return to the city. Please also note the business accused me of working for a foundation. I am just a traveler who traveled to Thailand for one month. I have no connections to a foundation and have made only one other comment on Google reviews about a “sanctuary” we saw in Krabi with an tiny elephant chained all day next to a busy road and in a deplorable condition. As if it wasn’t enough that Blue Elephant Tours treats its elephants terribly it now goes about making terrible accusations about reviewers.

UPDATE: I wrote this review six years ago. I came across my own review today and realized that Blue Elephant Thailand Tours had responded. They included false claims that I was an animal rights activist and had posted reviews on other elephant sanctuaries. You can see for yourself that I’ve never reviewed any other animal sanctuary. And I certainly am not an animal rights activist (I’m a lowly corporate attorney from Dallas). In fact, it was seeing the horrors of Blue Elephant Thailand Tours facilities during the off-season that actually made me start to consider animal rights more. It’s a shame they’re not only treat their animal so poorly, but go out of their way to critique those people who see how they are really treated behind the scenes. I visited their facility without notice during an off-season. What I witnessed was horrendous. Elephants were chained on short 4 to 5 foot chain links. The columns they were attached to were wrapped by bared wire. They were thirsty and conditions were poor. For the half day I was there. No one stopped to see the animals.

I have a couple of photos from that day, which I’ve now attached. I truly encourage you to think twice about visiting so-called animal sanctuary in Thailand. There are a few decent ones, but there are a few and four between. Do your research and don’t rely solely on Google reviews you think you’re helping the animals but in the end, you may very well be harming the very creatures who beauty inspires you. Yes—seeing what I saw at the horrific place impacted even solace corporate...

This is a bit more of a luxury tour if you get the full 2 days and 1 night package. You are mostly paying for the amazing accommodations of staying in a luxury tree house in the middle of the wilderness because I’ve seen tours with the same amount of activities for a fraction of the price. I can’t compare how worthwhile those are though because I’ve only gone on this one. I quite enjoyed the experience as a whole, although it was a tad overpriced. The photos were worth it to me and the feel of sleeping in nature with the full mountain views while still having the comforts of a hotel. The place was very clean and comfortable, although when we went, it was newly built. So I’m not sure how the infrastructure would hold up over time. The tour guide and owner was very nice and accommodating, they provided everything that we needed and I had hands down the best meal in Thailand here. As well as the fact of eating it outside with the mountains right next to us was amazing. Sadly, we did not see any stars but I still had some amazing photos. Accommodations aside, the rest of the activities involved were decent. The highlight is definitely the elephant sanctuary where they do not allow riding since a few years back and the elephants are well taken care of and happy. I would recommend bringing boots to this if you’re going during the rainy season because it was super muddy and slippery for us. Washing the elephants was definitely a fun experience, very hands and and you get right into the fray of things as well as feeding them. Our tour guide Bob was great, he was very friendly and tried his best to answer all our questions, he was very knowledgeable about herbs and plants that we saw, telling us random facts, joking around, and entertaining us with some magic tricks, as well as things regarding the Karen tribe. I really enjoyed visiting them and learning about their culture. The tiger kingdom was interesting, I was happy to visit them and see the tigers. The zip lining was decent, I would’ve liked to stay there longer and participate in some of the other activities that the park had to offer because the zip line was over pretty quick. I enjoyed the hike up to the temple and seeing the gigantic statue along the way. The bamboo rafting sounds a lot better in theory than the actual activity as the water is completely brown and you’re sitting on the raft where your bum gets soaked and the rest of your body gets splashed every few mins. I was a tad concerned about something scratching me from under the raft if it coincidentally fits between the slits of the bamboo. The butterfly orchid was a let down as there were no butterflies this time of year and we essentially went to see a few rows of plants and flowers. The waterfall was a disappointment because there was no view, the water was brown as it rained that day and mud mixed in, it was a very long drive to get there and a 10min walk through a muddy, wet, and insect filled path. Overall, this tour was worth it to me, although I wouldn’t mind if some of the activities were switched out for...