Mae Sa Elephant Camp in Chiang Mai

Mae Sa Elephant Camp Highlights

Surrounded by lush forest canopies, tucked away in the picturesque valley some 30km north of Chiang Mai, Mae Sa Elephant Camp is home to more than 70 domesticated elephants and their mahouts. Each day, the elephants undergo a routine of bathing in the river, feeding and performing a string of talent shows. You can also ride an elephant around the camp’s verdant grounds or learn about their nature from a permanent exhibit housed inside one of the elephant’s living quarters.

Apart from day visits, you can try out the basic mahout training course if you feel compelled to learn more deeply into the elephant’s nature. The course will teach you all about the animal’s biology, health requirements, body language, as well as basic training commands, painting, bathing, riding and general handling.

Mae Sa Elephant Camp had been training its elephants to paint long before the Guinness World Records arrived on the scene. In fact, the idea of training domesticated elephants to paint was a novel concept, unheard of anywhere. In 2004, the camp made headline news after Ripley’s Believe It or Not (Thailand) awarded its prize “The Largest Painting by a Group of Elephants” to Mae Sa Elephant Camp for its 2.4m wide by 12m long painting by a herd of eight elephants. Entitled “Cold Wind, Swirling Mist, Charming Lanna,” the painting depicts Chiang Mai’s picturesque rural scenery in eight panels of canvas.

This painting was sold for 1.5 million baht to a Thai-born US businessman, who then donated it to the Thai government for safe keeping as national treasure, setting a new Guinness World Record for “The Most Expensive Painting by a Group of Elephants” in 2005

Mae Sa Elephant Camp

Opening Hours: 8:00 – 16:00 daily (shows three times daily, at 8:30, 9:40 and 13:30)
Location: Mae Rim-Samoeng Road (km. 18)
Tel: +66 (0)53 206 247, +66 (0)53 206 248