Next Step Thailand will no longer offer elephant riding on our tours. We believe that elephant riding is not in line with our eco practices and wish to offer more friendly encounters with these magnificent creatures. Our guests will still have a chance to get up close and personal with the elephants in humane elephant camps where they can feed and bathe them.
Last year, we have already made visits to elephant camps optional on all our tours, except on Two-day elephant experience. Our guests were still able to ride the elephants bareback upon request. This year, we have decided for a further step in what we believe is the direction towards more humane treatment of the elephants. We will no longer offer elephant riding on any of our tours. Visits to elephant camps will still be an optional part of many of the itineraries we offer but these visits will not include elephant riding.
Our guests who wish to get up close and personal with the elephants will still be able to do so but in a manner that is much friendlier towards these gentle giants. They will get to spend the time with the elephants, learn about their habits and how to communicate with them and they will be able to offer them some yummy treats and take them to the river for a bath. Elephants are social creatures and enjoy spending time with their elephant and human friends. They also have an endless appetite and are always in a mood for a treat and their favourite activity by far is playing in the water. Therefore, such visits to elephant camps are not only a unique experience for the visitor but also a highly enjoyable pastime for the elephant. Elephants will no longer do any heavy lifting (no pun intended) on our tours and will spend time with our guests for pleasure and not for work.
Have a look at our tours with an ethical visit to an elephant camp. If you book one of these tours, you can choose to either include a visit to elephant camp at no extra cost or to skip this activity if you are not comfortable visiting an elephant camp. All visits to elephant camp remain completely optional on our tours.
If you don’t find a perfect tour on our website, you can follow this link: Chiang Mai trekking no elephant riding. Here, you can see a wide selection of tours that either include a friendly visit to an elephant camp or don’t include a visit to elephant camp at all. The link will take you to Blugecko website. Bluegecko is an elephant friendly tour operator and agent and doesn’t sell any trips that involve elephant riding, elephant shows or any practices which could harm the elephants.
