There are several elephant camps near each other to the southeast of Pai, of which Thom’s was the original one and still seems to be the best organized.
It’s also one of the few places in Thailand where they allow you to ride bareback instead of perched up on a seat. They have an office in town (on Rangsiyanon Road), so you can make a booking there and they’ll run you out to the camp, or you can just drive or ride the seven kilometers out of town.
There are no shows at these elephant camps, but they offer rides of an hour or two at 500B-700B per person or a complete day’s mahout training (washing and feeding the elephants as well as riding them) for 2,000B per person. They also have a home-stay complete with mineral springs, and will be happy if you stay a few days with the elephants. Check out their website for more details.
Getting There
Contact the office in Pai (053699286) for a pick-up.
Need to Know
- What is it? An elephant camp where you can ride bareback.
- Opening hours: by arrangement
- Entrance fee: Depends on activity—500B-2,000B.
- Website: www.thomelephant.com
- Where: 7 kilometers southeast of Pai.