Honeymoon Thailand: Patara Elephant Farm

On of our main reasons for picking Thailand for our honeymoon is that we wanted to visit Patara Elephant Farm in Chiang Mai. We got to be elephant owners for a full day! 

Interacting and taking care of them. We met the owner of the farm, who talked about the history. He informed us of the alarming rate the Thai elephant population have decreased over the past decade – they nearly halved their population in just ten years. However, on the more positive side, 23 baby elephants were born in the last 10 years with no deaths…Conservation at it’s finest! Each person was paired up to their elephant by matching their personalities. My Elephant was called Manooy, “pretty and playful “ and she had a little baby called Pasai, who just loved me! Jake was paired up with Boon, “wise and strong,” haha!

We were taught how to examine our elephants to make sure they were healthy. We were also taught the best way to approach our elephant, as well as feed them and clean them. Elephants are really intelligent animals! We were taught several commands to get them to crouch down or lay on their sides for cleaning! I was amazed at how quick and responsive they were! Once we learnt how to ride our elephants, we took them down to the river for a swim and bathed with the elephants. It was truly an awesome experience and one that we can tick off the bucket list. I fully recommend this elephant farm to anyone that goes to Thailand!

After bathing our elephants in the river we were presented with a wonderful spread for lunch with traditional Thailand food and fruit. 

How cute are the baby elephants?! This one especially loved me.

It was an adventure we will never forget!