The Elephant Valley Project in Mondulkiri, Cambodia

Spending time with elephants is high up the to-do list for most backpackers in Asia. But choosing how and where to see them was tricky for us, because I wanted any experience we did to be as ethical as possible.

The first thing I established is that I absolutely did not want to ride them, and I urge everyone to avoid rides, especially those using a seat on the elephant’s back. Many elephants are treated terribly in training to provide these rides, or they are overworked, or both. In all cases, these lovely animals are not designed to carry heavy loads on their back and the weight of the seats provide spinal and rib problems, as well as rubbing that causes blisters and abscesses.

There are lots of sanctuaries across Thailand and South East Asia, which you’d think would be a safe bet. But it isn’t! Lots of places rescue the elephants from the logging industry or abusive tourist work, only to provide the rides themselves, albeit for less hours a day. Some get glowing reviews and are recommended by travel agents, but when you look deeper the elephants are still living their lives to please the tourists that visit them. Even ones where you just bathe them can be an issue for the elephants as it can make them nervous. Imagine how you would feel if someone jumped in the bath with you! Lots of people have been injured or killed swimming with elephants. I’m sure not all bathing experiences are bad, but just do your research. 🙂

During my research I found that, as with many things, the more expensive an experience, the better the sanctuary tended to be. This put a lot of them out of our budget but I had resolved that I would rather not see them than be part of their exploitation. Then we heard about Cambodia’s Elephant Valley Project and were completely won over!

This place is nestled in the forest near Sen Monorom in Mondulkiri – a beautifully rural province in the north-east of Cambodia near to the Vietnam border. We did a day trip here, but you can also do a half day or stay in their accommodation for various lengths of stay if you are willing to do some volunteer work. And it is an absolutely wonderful place! The elephants are encouraged and helped to live a life that resembles that of the wild as much as possible. They have all been rescued/retired from some form of work and would now never survive in the wild, so they have mahouts watching them to make sure they are bathing and feeding properly. But for us tourists there was no riding, no bathing and no feeding. The mahouts helped the elephants bathe, but other than that they were completely left to their own devices and could munch their way through the forest at their own pace. What we did get did get to do, was follow them!

At times we were merely a few feet from these beautiful, gentle giants as they shuffled around looking for the tastiest leaves, scratched themselves on trees and chucked mud over themselves as sun protection. We got to meet six elephants during the day – five in the forest and one near the base camp who was having her feet cleaned with a hose pipe. She seemed to be very much enjoying the experience haha!

In the forest we watched the elephants bathe and then followed them around while our guides told us their stories. All had suffered in some way at the hands of humans, but some a lot less than others.

The eldest was 66-year-old Mae Nang and her story was heartbreaking. She worked 12 hour days for 60 years, and whenever she wasn’t working she was chained to a tree with a two meter chain. Her head was covered in scars and she was blind in one eye from bull hook abuse. Her rib cage had also dropped from the weight of carrying heavy loads on her back. When she first arrived at this sanctuary she was overwhelmed and her mahout had to teach her how to live as an elephant – how to feed herself, bathe and how to generally enjoy her natural habitat. It was so sad to hear how much her life has been wasted, but it was amazing to see her flapping her ears in happiness and roaming freely through the forest! A happy ending is definitely what she deserved. 🙂

The experience was truly amazing! It was almost like watching wild elephants and it just warmed the heart to see them living free and living for themselves. I admit that I would have loved the chance to touch them, and the guides said this is often possible but only if the elephant clearly approaches you looking for that sort of thing. We weren’t allowed to approach them and on seeing how happy they are living in this natural way, I can fully understand why. I was just so excited to absorb the magic of watching elephants being elephants and to stand close to them! It was a fantastic experience and we had huge smiles on our faces all day! I can’t recommend this place enough.

We were very lucky to have this as an engagement present (thanks parents!) but the cost of the day trip is US$85 per person. This includes transport to and from the Sen Monorom pick up point and a very delicious Khmer lunch. When you consider the quality of care that the elephants get, this really is good value for money! The project also cares for its Cambodian staff by providing them with funds for health care and education. It’s such a worthwhile cause! They only allow small groups around the elephants so they do get booked up quickly, so try to book well in advance to avoid disappointment. 🙂

Here’s their website: www.elephantvalleyproject.org

For more on the beautifully rural Mondulkiri, head to my post here.