Elephant Haven, Kanchanaburi,Thailand

Finding My New Favorite Animal

I arrived in Kanchanaburi, Thailand to get picked up from my guesthouse at 08:00 the following morning by some of the staff of Elephant Haven. I did not know that I would fall in love with elephants and never want to leave. 

Upon arrival to stay overnight at Elephant Haven myself and the others got to meet a few of the ladies and had a quick run down of the history, along with safety guidelines. 

From there it was time to make breakfast. Not for us of course but for the elephants. This consisted of rice banana balls and cutting watermelon. We met the rest of the herd and fed them their breakfast that they seemed very happy about. Then it was time for a stroll through the jungle where we got to observe how they lived their daily life and hangout with them. Which consists of 18 hours of eating and lots of attention from one another, the staff, and they’re ecstatic visitors. 

We then returned after quiet sometime to have a delicious vegetarian buffet and relax before the next activity. During this time I got checked into my bungalow at this time which was absolutely adorable and I could see the elephants from my window and the river from the other! Talk about one of the coolest places I’ll ever stay in my life! 

After we all got changed into swimwear/stuff we don’t mind getting dirty we were off the the mud pit with a couple of the ladies to meet up with the rest of them. We got to watch them socialize, eat some more, feed them bananas from our mouths and give them lots of love. 

Scrub a dub dub in the river for these gentle giants. They were not shy to get in and enjoy their bath. We got to swim with them and splash around. 

Everyone gave their final treats to the ladies back at base and took off leaving me to have the elephants and the peaceful haven to myself!

Sirapat one of the guides and my new friend taught me some Muay Thai which really kicked my butt, then he gave me a ride on the motorbike to get some snacks at 7 eleven and beer at the market. 

Upon returning I had time to go down to the beach where Lambo(the havens dog, my protector) sat with me to soak up the beauty and get some writing done. 

Dinner was at 18:00 and afterwards I sat around and talked with Pat and Ohm(two of the tour guides). It was awesome to learn about them and more about Thailand. Ohm loves to say “Don’t worry, be happy” which put a smile on everyone’s face. He brought his notebook out and I helped him with his English a little more which has been a rewarding part of this whole journey through Thailand. This was a great time getting to know them and to make new friends. After good conversation it was off to bed. 

My alarm in the morning was the elephants talking to each other! I wish that was every morning! When I looked out both windows I was able to see them doing their morning routine before the next group arrived. 

Breakfast was at 08:00 and when the guests arrived we did the same thing that I did yesterday except between breakfast and lunch Sirapat took me to the Death Railway and Krasea Cave to explore, and talk about various things. I really enjoyed this time with him. I got us both coconut ice cream and we headed back to the haven to join the group for the final activity before saying goodbye. 

This is when it started to really sink in that I had to leave. Being there I felt so at peace observing the elephants do what they love, make some new friends, and get so up close and personal with these gentle giants. 

When filling out my review  sitting next to Sirapat I began to cry, not only because I didn’t want to leave but because I felt as I grew so close and made such a connection there in though two days, and it being one of the most magical experiences of my life. 

I highly recommend everyone to go experience this. It puts the elephants lives in perspective and all your money goes to creating the best life for them and future elephants. This is a place I will return again without a doubt. 

Fact:

• It’s about 800,000 BAHT to buy an elephant, that’s 25,000 USD. The younger the elephant the older they cost
• The average cost to care for 1 elephant a year is 365,000 BAHT that’s about 11,406 USD a year. 
• Now you know why it’s important to visit them and help donate. It not only helps educate you but it takes a lot of money to care for these amazing creatures so they no longer have to be abused for entertainment. 

I hope you found this blog today informational and inspiring. If you are interested in possibly helping raise money to rescue an elephant please contact me. Upon returning to work I plan to start putting some savings away to do so. 

Khob Khun kha for joining me today as always. Stay tuned to find me wherever I may be next. 
Check their website out at Elephant Nature Park

Namaste 

Finding Me Wherever I Maybe

IG: hollytalksaton