Mission Statement

“Our goal is to create a world where humans and elephants coexist in harmony, through care, respect, tradition, and sustainability.”

The Karen Tribe’s mission is to be a model sustainable sanctuary where humans and elephants coexist in harmony, caring for one another with respect and compassion. By visiting, you become a part of this mission, supporting a way of life that allows these magnificent creatures to thrive in their natural environment.

Chiang Mai Elephant Life Experience

The Most Unique, Personal, Educational and Memorable time of your life. You will experience the true heart and compassion of real elephant caretakers who do not view the elephants as a job but value them as part of the family. At the Karen Tribe Native Elephant Village in Chiang Mai, you get quality time with the elephants in their natural environment with their personal caretakers. The elephants you will meet are domesticated and have been raised alongside the members of our village their entire lives which means they are accustomed to kind human interaction unlike wild elephants who must be strictly controlled and are often mistreated.

Eco-Tourism and Sustainable Living

Sameong Tai is a small village with 300 residents, 75 homes, and a self-sufficient community that is dedicated to giving them the best quality of life possible through our ongoing 8 generations of traditions. There are many tribal groups, but the Karen Tribe has traditionally been the sole caretakers of elephants in Northern Thailand. 

As elephants ceased to be used in farming and logging, many families could no longer afford to keep or feed them, so several villages sold their elephants to commercial tourist camps where they were overworked and treated poorly. To keep our beloved elephants in our village, we had to adopt a new strategy. Instead of being working farm animals or circus performers, our elephants are at the center of our eco-tourism project. This project allows us to raise awareness on the traditional and ethical customs of the Karen Tribe, provide the best care for our elephants, and support conservation efforts.

One Elephant, One Connection

We aim to provide a “One Elephant, One Connection” experience for our visitors. During your time at the sanctuary, you will choose one elephant to bond with as you learn to care for them during your stay.

We value the quality time our visitors can spend with the elephants more than maximizing the capacity of visitors in a day. That is why we have a limited capacity of 8 people per day so you can get the most out of this unforgettable experience.

Each visitor will leave the experience with priceless knowledge of how to care for elephants. For example, you will learn the five methods to check for elephant health, make traditional medicine, continue the practice of ethical riding, bathe the elephants to maintain skin health, provide them with nutritious food, and so much more.

We believe what is more important is the quality of time and experience you will get with the elephants as well as seeing the difference in the character of our trainers. It’s not about the quantity of people coming into our facility at a time. We do not see the elephants as business; we see them as part of the family.

Elephants in Thai Culture

Elephants have always been revered and have played an integral part in Thai culture and history. They have incredible ceremonial significance as they protected our nation and our King. Elephants have also played a vital role in our eco-system for the past 96 generations as the engines of the agriculture and timber industries. But we do not see these elephants as a source of income or as part of a business. For us it’s personal, they are a central part of our lives and our family.