Go face to trunk with Thailand’s magnificent elephants at Ayutthaya, an historical village 86km north of Bangkok. Living alongside traditional Thai mahouts (elephant trainers) and their families, guests are assigned to older retired elephants for the duration of their stay and are responsible for all of those elephants’ needs.

Turning into the driveway of the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal for the second time in 10 months, I feel an excitement rising that is now well beyond butterflies. Will she remember me? They say that elephants never forget, but dear old Loong Sap has met so many people in her 68 years. I don’t mind either way, but I just can’t wait to see her beautiful face, her proud and dignified forehead. To caress her gorgeous wrinkly trunk and flappy ears. To peer and wink into her all-seeing, all-knowing eyes.

Elephantstay visitors work together to feed a baby

The tuk-tuk stops. Eva Narkiewicz is there to greet us. She and her partner Michelle Reedy left Australia three years ago to dedicate themselves to running the wonderful Elephantstay program, giving visitors an incredible opportunity to immerse themselves in a Thai elephant village. All around I see the familiar yet incredible sight of dozens of elephants – old retired ones, middle-aged workers and the cheeky youngsters – all going about their daily routines with their mahouts (traditional elephant trainers) and the guests who are here to help.

“Where is she?” I blurt out.

“Over there, second from the end,” Eva replies with a huge smile, pointing to the group of eight elderly grandmas.

It is quite usual for guests to become attached to the elephants they care for at Elephantstay and I was no different. At home in Sydney, I have photos of Loong Sap on my walls and often thought of her, wondered what she was doing at different times of the day.

Thai mahouts, their families and elephants welcome the help of Elephantstay guests

I start walking the 40-odd metres toward her. Halfway there I can contain myself no longer. “Loong Sap!” I yell. Breaking into a run, I am shocked to find myself overcome with tears of pure joy. As I reach out to hug her, calling her name again, she raises her mighty trunk and lets out a huge trumpet… and again… the most melodious sound my ears have ever heard.

“She remembers you!!” calls Eva from behind me.

How can I possibly explain the feeling? Love, honour, respect, gratitude… awe. So many wonderful emotions. And that is what is so special about this place.

Elephants have been domesticated in Thailand for over 4000 years, and it is blatantly obvious that, just like our beloved pet dogs and cats, these incredible animals need and desire human contact.

Prakochaban Foundation and the Royal Kraal

Thailand banned commercial logging from its rapidly shrinking forests in the late 1980s. While this was an environmental win, one unfortunate consequence was the traditional Thai mahouts, their families and their elephants put out of productive work. An ever-increasing human population has also meant that there is less and less forest in which elephants can roam as freely as we would like them to in an ideal world.

Without work, the mahouts found it difficult to feed their elephants and were eventually forced to resort to unsatisfactory ways of earning money. Walking busy city streets and begging was often the only option. As the elephants’ natural habitats and traditional way of life were all but gone, their future looked dire.

Enter the Prakochaban Foundation, set up in 1995 by Laithongrien Meepan, an amazing, kind and generous man affectionately known as Pi-Om. He has made it his life ambition to restore the Asian elephant to its rightful place in Thai society as a much loved and respected symbol of Thailand’s incredible history… and future.

With support from the Prakochaban Foundation, the former Royal Elephant Kraal in Ayutthaya was turned into safe haven for sick, abused, injured and killer bull elephants in need of rehabilitation. Today, the Royal Kraal, once a compound where the king of Thailand kept captured elephants, is home to 90 such animals, all living happy and comfortable lives and feeling productive. It is also the site of one of the largest elephant breeding programs in the world.

The author bonding with Loong Sap

Elephantstay

A fundamental part of the elephant village is the Elephantstay program. Not only has it been instrumental in helping to increase awareness of the elephants’ plight, but all proceeds go directly to the care of the elephants, who, as vegetarians, require up to 200kg of food per day taken from crops specially grown for them on adjoining farmland. Fortunately, many local Thai farmers donate food; as Buddhists they believe ‘making merit’ in this life will carry over into a good reincarnation.

Through Elephantstay, no more than 12 guests at any one time are allocated older retired elephants for the length of their stay. They accept responsibility (with the help of trained mahouts) for all of the elephants’ needs. Feeding, watering, exercising by walking down to the river and swimming with, cleaning and, most importantly, giving affection to the elephants is all in a day’s work.

To feel the affection and gratitude returned from these wonderful elephants is an experience that no animal lover or anyone should miss.

Guest packages with Elephantstay start from 3 days/2 nights. Accommodation is modest but very comfortable, all rooms with air-conditioning and private bathrooms. Three Thai meals a day are provided.

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