Today was FABULOUS! We spent the day at Patara Elephant Farm. There are so many elephant tours to choose from, and I’m so glad we chose this one.
The day started very early with an 8am pickup from the hotel. The 30 minute drive to the farm was beautiful, through the city, fields, and forest. I was in awe the minute we turned into the drive – there were elephants everywhere!
We were met by Pat, the owner, who told us about the farm’s mission. The elephant is revered in Thailand and is very important to the culture. The farm has 27 elephants that they have adopted from circuses, road-side attractions, and those mistreated in the logging industry. Their breeding program has been successful – we met their new twin girls!
Our group was really small – there were 4 couples. We were paired with an elephant based on their temperment and our personality. Our personal guide showed us how to check their health and then we fed them sugar cane, corn, and bananas. We walked them to the river and gave them a bath. They showed us how to climb up and trekked through the jungle to a waterfall. We swam with them and had a fantastic lunch. We trekked through rice paddies before returning to the farm.
Meeting Payow, my elephant for the day
Swimming with elephants in the waterfall
Twin baby girls
Massive footprint