Ran-Tong Save & Rescue Elephant Centre is one of the oldest elephant protection camp in Chiang Mai. Since 2009, Ran Tong has rescued more than 40 elephants. Currently, 22 elephants live in the camp. Ran Tong and Elephant Nature Park is located in Mae Teng area, just across a hill.
In 2009, the founder of Ran Tong rescued an elephant named Boon Som and began his rescue career. Due to the high cost of cost maintenance, when the second elephant joined the family, Ran-Tong Save & Rescue Elephant Centre came into being.
After 8 years of development, Ran Tong has more than 30 employees to take care of and rescue the elephants in trouble. At the same time, the camp has gradually developed into a comprehensive experience park which is integrating sightseeing and experience. Ran-Tong Save & Rescue Elephant Centre is in the mountains, the environment is very natural and original, you can see the elephants living freely here. There is no oppression, no shackles, no elephant performance, only people and elephants get along naturally here. Visitors will come into contact with elephants up close. Unlike other elephant protection camps, Ran Tong offers a project with bareback riding elephants, and even feels that this is a way to communicate with elephants.
To be fair, the bareback elephant riding does not harm the elephant. The Ran-Tong Save & Rescue Elephant Centre project is directly named Riding Program. If you are sensitive to riding elephants, other protection camps will be more suitable for you. The experience of the camp here is divided into multiple levels according to different needs such as half-day, full-day, one-person-one-elephant, two-person-one-elephant experience, etc. The cheapest one needs only 1600 baht to experience. In addition, Ran Tong is also interspersed with surrounding ATV and rafting projects, making tourists' experience here more colorful.
Ran-Tong Save & Rescue Elephant Centre is not an elephant show camp, it is for protecting elephants. They are all battered and retired elephants. Many volunteers come to bathe and feed the elephants. It is recommended to take children to take the experience here so that they have the concept of protecting animals. Taking a child to get in close contact with an elephant should be a very good experience of nature.
Ran-Tong Save & Rescue Elephant Centre
Features: multiple packages, deep experience
Duration: There are a lot of projects, and there is half day and one day experience
Address: 92 Wua Lai Rd, Tambon Hai Ya, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50100 (providing round-trip transfers to Chiang Mai city)
Per capita cost: from 1,600 Baht