Thai Elephants

The elephant is Thailand's national symbol and, for centuries, its logging workforce. When commercial logging was banned in 1989, thousands of working elephants and their mahouts lost their livelihoods overnight.

The camps we visit are care sanctuaries: no riding, no shows, no bull hooks. Guests feed, walk with and bathe the herd, and the fees pay for food, veterinary care and the Karen mahout families who look after them.