Needs some pachyderm advice!!

I've heard great things on this board about the Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang an was planning on going there in a couple weeks during our trip to Chiang Mai.

But other travel boards seem to recommend the Elephant Nature Camp, also in the area.

I've checked out both websites, and both seem to be very conservation focused and providing unique experiences (we would only be going for a one day visit, not one of the overnight programs...)

Has anyone been to / hear anything about both that would advocate for one or the other? Any information would be greatly appreciated!!

FYI - Conservation Center: http://changthai.com/

Nature Park: http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/index.htm

We enjoyed Lampang. If you take the elephant ride, make sure you buy the souvenir portrait of your ride framed in genuine recycled elephant dung.

Also, have your driver stop at the Jungle Meat Market. Have your obligatory picture taken biting the head off a cricket. The fried silk worm, BTW, were actually tasty.

If you do this trip, you will probably drive down on the new highway. Consider taking the time to drive back on the colorful "Old Road".

Lonely Planet posters love to recommend the Nature Park. It is a different experience than the ECC from what I can gather and only having been tot he ECC.

The Nature Park has interaction and caring for elephants, but no riding them. They offer a homestay program that seems similar to the ECC's with the exception of no riding and at about double the price. The are quite secretive about where they are and require reservations even if you just want to stop in and have a look. It is privately funded. I would guess the elephants are happy.

The ECC is at least partially funded by Chang Beer and the Thai government. They allow visitors to drop in at any time during the day, and offer elephant rides. The elephants are happy as are the mahouts and their families. This place appears to support an entire community.

Lonely Planet posters seem to favor the Nature Center...interesting a bit since it is significantly more expensive. I'm not sure which would be better for a day trip. We did the 3 day mahout program at the ECC and it was a vastly enhanced program from what you might experience in a day. The one day program they sometimes offer is nice, too...but a highlight for us was after hours life in the mahout village, cooking dinner, hanging out...and also walking through the jungle at dawn to get the elephants with the mahouts. During the day, we bathed the elephants, rode a couple of times, had lunch, visited the hospital...stuff you could do on the one day program if you could get availability. The one day program can only be offered if the 3 day isn't chuck full from I understand, and the 3 day program is just about always full. Visiting on your own, sans program is also possible. You can walk around on your own, have a ride on an elephant in one of those basket chair things, watch the elephants bathe if you get there at 9:45, see a show.

I had dinner last night with someone who just returned from a week at the Elephant Nature Camp and she raved about it. Felt it was much better than the elephant conservation center and less touristy but she admitted that there is a huge rivalry between the two and advocates of each are very passionate. Her pictures made the place look fabulous and her experience there sounded really wonderful. I think the Nature Park is more concerned with having you care for the elephants with little or no riding of them.

When I was researching elephant centres before visiting Chiang Mai, the first place I found out about was the Elephant Nature Camp and it really appealed. Then I found many great reviews on this board for the ECC at Lampang. In the end I decided to go to the ECC mainly because of time restrictions and Gloria had reported that her vet had had many good things to say from her experience working there.

I enjoyed my visit there apart from the elephant show and elephant painting which I could really have done without but which was very popular among the other tourists including my partner. I suppose I wasn't looking for elephant rides and elephant tourism. Having said that the money from the tourists enables much really good work to be done there and finding out about that was what appealed most for me in the time I spent there.

Gloria, I wonder if it was your holistic vet who has now been to both centres?

I'm definitely marking the Nature Camp up for a future visit.

My vet just went to ECC. It was a totally diferent friend who wen to the Nature Park.

Thanks Gloria,

Your recs and reports of friends experience are much appreciated by me.

Kippy

Thanks so much - I really appreciate the input!! Although I'm not sure it's made my decision any easier...

Sounds like maybe we can't go wrong either way! Cheers, Carrie