I participated in the Elephantstay in November/December last year. It may have taken a while for me to get this testimonial done, but the time lapse certainly hasn’t dimished the fond memories I have of the Elephantstay.
It certainly is a unique experience and one I will treasure for a lifetime. It was one of the best holidays I have ever had. It ‘s fantastic to be able to go and watch the elephants anytime you want. To watch the then “little” six week old Opal was a joy. She was an endless source of amusement and sooo very cute. The recent births of elephants here in Australia, has allowed me to relive some of the fond memories from Elephantstay.
There were many experiences I had in my week long stay. The days were filled with raking, feeding, watering, scrubbing, food preparation and of course…riding…  It was great to relax at the end of each day, by grabbing a beer and watching the  mahouts and bull elephants practice for the sound/light show. It was spectacular to see the mahouts and how they interacted with their eles. Spectacular sunsets too!  Oh and of course the food, now that is Thai food!
I knew that I would be sad when the time came to say goodbye to my elephant, Pisamy, but I didn’t expect it to be as emotional as it was.  Looking into her eyes, hugging her trunk, giving bananas as a special goodbye treat…
Since being back home I have had many opportunities to tell fellow travellers of the experience and hopefully have encouraged  at least one person to try this experience.
Life goes on and the next travel experience is awaiting, but the Elephantstay is truly a unique and wonderful experience.

I arrived at the Royal Kraal with my partner on Christmas Eve 2009 and from the moment we got out of the Tuk-Tuk I knew we had arrived somewhere special. The concept behind the Royal Kraal and the Elephantstay is nothing short of amazing. Everywhere you look the Village is teeming with life and love. From the children playing in the giant mounds of cornhusks, the fish in the flowerpots, the dogs taking respite in the shade and the mahouts with their families working and living with the Elephants. The harmony the Kraal has created is magical and breathtaking. The strong peaceful feelings of happiness and affection saturate the entire Village and anyone who allows them self to see the beauty, understanding and respect of the Kraal.
Staying with the Elephants had so many remarkable qualities, being able to bond with an amazing creature such as Honey was priceless. I felt deep satisfaction as I tried my best to provide for her emotionally and physically through cleaning, feeding, shoveling and caring. I was actually thrilled to shovel her rather odorless and not so messy waste on Christmas morning! I guess it’s a little odd but I wanted to show my admiration and care for Honey in anyway I could.
I feel so unbelievably lucky to have had such an amazing experience. Honey allowed me see the world from her eyes and stirred within me this electric rush of life and wonder. Sitting on top of Honey had a euphoric sensation that completely overwhelmed me. The tranquility and peace that I felt perched behind those powerful ears looking out onto the horizon is a feeling I will never forget or cease to cherish.
My time at the Kraal was short but the impression it left upon my heart was great. I will never forget this thrilling and enchanting experience. It was the best part of my trip and one of the most significant experiences I have had. I know that I will be back again hopefully sooner rather than later! Thank you so very much, Ewa, Michelle, everyone at the Kraal and Honey.
See you soon!
Much love from Canada and Japan 

The elephantstay was a most worthwhile experience and a highlight of our trip to Thailand. The bond and progress and we made with Gatin was amazing, 7 days is a must.  Special thanks to Michelle, Ewa, Toi, Neng and the other mahouts for giving us a fantastic time. Who thought shoveling poo all week could be fun?

I spent a week at Elephantstay with a friend October 29 through November 4, 2009. The experience was wonderful and unforgettable. I recommend it without reservation to anyone who doesn’t mind getting hot and sweaty and dirty.
Elephantstay is located in a small village just a mile or two outside of Ayutthaya. (We visited Ayutthaya for two days before going out to the village. It is a nice old city with wonderful ruins from the time when Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam. We stayed at the Luang Chumnii Village which I recommend highly.) The elephant village. . is made up of 55 mahouts and their families, maybe three or four hundred people, ninety elephants, dogs and cats, chickens, an african lung fish with a turtle in a very large tank, and a monkey with just one arm and his very own. . pet rabbit. Oops, there are parrots, too. There is a covered open-air meeting area, a small restaurant (also covered and open-air), several small houses for guests, a main house where the owner lives, a large elephant spirit house, and houses throughout the village where the mahouts. . and their families live. There is also a small store down the road where you can buy snacks and bananas for your elephant or for yourself. There are orchids and beautiful flowers and foliage growing all around, and, of course, there are elephants everywhere! The housing for Elephantstay guests is simple double rooms, very clean, and well air-conditioned. Each room has a bathroom that is outside and downstairs, not at all hard to get to, and also clean and nice.
A lovely old female elephant Seenuwang was assigned to us for our care. First thing in the morning we cleaned the stall where she stays with eight other elephants, fed her, and then had breakfast. Sometimes in the morning we washed an elephant, and each day there was a walk to the river in the morning to cool Seenuwang and the other elephants,, because it is hot and elephants don’t sweat. The walk to the river involves riding on the elephant which for me was not completely comfortable, but not so bad that I didn’t do it. (Elephants are very tall and you’re way up there when you’re on their backs.) A very friendly mahout was with me on the elephant. Walking into the river was fine. I was very comfortable with that. After lunch there was a little break and later we helped make food for the older elephants. Making the food was a dirty and hot job. I was glad I had brought an old pair of gardening gloves to wear during that operation. After the food project, there is a second ride to the river. I started feeling a nice connection with Seenuwang by the second day. She is just very nice. I got comfortable right away with being around those big animals. I was surprised.
Lunch is served in the open-air restaurant. There are ten or twelve items to choose from and they were all very good. Dinner was served buffet style in the open-air meeting area. Several different dishes were brought, usually some coconut milk kind of soup, vegetables, vegetables with tofu, chicken or fish and lots of rice. For dessert there were slices of watermelon, papaya, and pineapple. All very tasty.
For me being with the elephants was very special. Also very special was just being a part of the village. I felt very welcome and I appreciated how friendly all the people are. It was wonderful to participate in an activity, caring for the elephants, to which everyone was dedicated. The spirit of the place is very special, and it was great being surrounded by elephants all the time. During my visit there were two special events, a visit from the Japanese ambassador and a group of travel agents and a visit from the Harley Davidson club. In each case the elephants were dressed up and paraded around in all their regalia. When the Japanese ambassador was there they held a demonstration of the ways elephants were used in ancient times fighting in wars. The Harley Davidson club supports the elephant rescue efforts. There were also demonstrations of elephant painting.
So if you like animals and you like people, go for it! Elephantstay is a wonderful experience. Ewa and Michelle are very special.
PS You don’t have to be young to do this. I am sixty-four.

Five weeks after my wonderful stay at the Elephant Kraal and I still think about it everyday! I had been really excited about looking after elephants and it turned out to be so much more than I could have imagined. I looked after one of the ‘young girls’, Nampueng (in my head, it’s ‘Nampoon’), and I still smile when I think of all the fun we had playing in the river, marching through the trees and teaching her mahout,. . . . . Tia, the elephant song from the jungle book! When you get to the Kraal, it’s obvious how much everyone who works there loves and cares for the elephants and you feel very privileged to be part of that, even if it’s only for a few days. Following my stay I read a book by Mark Shand called ‘Travels on my elephant’, I highly recommend this ‘elephant love story’ and think anyone who has stayed at the Kraal would appreciate how Mark feels!

I wanted to share with you and the others a letter that Chris wrote to Toi the day after we left you all last week. We had been on a long car drive to our next destination and Chris was being really quiet and quite somber. Finally, when I asked what was wrong, he burst into tears and said he really missed the elephants and Toi. He sat quietly crying, trying to keep us from noticing, for quite a while, and finally decided it might make him feel a little better to write a letter to Toi, so here is what he had us put down, in his words:.
Dear Toi, I really miss the elephants, especially Dok Mak and your elephant that does the tricks. I hope I can come back soon and really want to see you again. Next time, I really want to stay for two weeks and get trained to be a Mahout.
Love,

My Trip to Elephantstay.
There probably aren’ta lot of people who have seen elephants before, and even less people who have petted or touched an elephant, nevertheless ridden them or bathed them. But at Elephantstay, you can experience these hands-on activities and more with the gentle-but-giant creatures.
Elephantstay is a sanctuary made for the young, adult, or elderly elephants, even elephants that have killed 3-4 people. The non-profit organization located in Thailand is about 1 hour and 20 minutes away from the Bangkok airport. The main mission of Elephantstay is to help retire, breed, and save elephants. Over the last 10 years, the World Wild Funds released 80 elephants back into the wild, and none of them survived. Once elephants are domesticated, they cannot live in the wild on their own.
Elephants are vital to Thai culture because of its religious influence. Elephant lovers are allured from all over the world to participate in this program, eager to contribute their time and effort in Elephantstay.
This summer, I was lucky enough to spend 7 days with my father in this elephant heaven. A typical day at Elephantstay started like this: 7 am-Scoop the elephant poop and clean up stalls. After 2 hours of hard work, we take our break. 11:30 am-Riding time! We head out to ride to the river and I prepare to get soaked! Elephants love to spray water everywhere! After that, lunch is served at noon. (For both hungry human and elephants!) At 1:30 pm, it’s elephant spa time! The lucky elephants get a scrub and a refreshing shower! (So do the people!) Dinner preparations for the elephants starts at 4 pm. The elephants’ diet is always a mixture of hay, molasses, and rice cereal powder. Dinner is followed by another quick ride to the river. A busy day (for the humans) is ended by a fresh shower, delicious dinner, some social time, and a “good-night” to everyone.
Besides getting to interact with the elephants, I also got chances to intermingle with other animals and people. During my stay, I noticed that there were lots of friendly dogs. They would trot up to the baby elephants. Then, baby elephants would be frightened of the dogs, but nevertheless, they saw an opportunity for a game of chase. Another interesting animal was a one-armed monkey who owned pet rabbit. Sometimes an orange cat would show up around the kitchen and meow for food. In a full-size cement tank with bars and wires around it (for the guest and staff safety), there was a giant, six-foot long, mud-colored lung fish that came up to breath every twenty or thirty minutes. On top of all those animals, there were two colorful cockatoos who would imitate human words. I also made friends with two local Thai kids who invited me to play games with them. Basically, Elephantstay is a place where you can never have a dull moment.
Elephantstay is a sanctuary for not only elephants but for humans who care for nature. I strongly recommend Elephantstay to anyone who wants to have a spectacular and memorable vacation. The cost of your trip helps support the organization financially. While you are having a safe, fun, and enjoyable time on the site, the elephants benefit from your hard work. Essentially, it’s a win-win situation for all. When someone asks me what I did this summer, I can proudly answer, “I went to Elephantstay, which is a sanctuary for the elephants, and I did …”. and show them the pictures that I took. If you ever go to Thailand, be sure to drop by Elephantstay. Once you have spent time in this fantastic place, I guarantee that you will look forward to another visit to this elephant paradise.

I just came back from my visit to Thailand last week which included a 3 day, 2 night stay at The Royal Kraal Elephant Stay. I was the only guest at the time so I was able to get lots of attention. If I had been able. to change my plane ticket, I would definitely have stayed at least a week.
Michelle and her partner Ewa run the “guest” side of the elephant camp (as well as manage the camp) and they are amazing.
It was an experience I will always remember and would definitely recommend and do again, opportunity willing.
The guest houses are basic, clean and comfortable. Being surrounded by elephants is amazing. There are 6 babies at the moment who roam freely about totally enchanting you with their funny behaviours.
My elephant was an old retired lady of 65 who was gentle and beautiful. The Mahouts are great, especially one of their head Mahouts (Toi) who can speak English and watching him with his bull elephants is awe inspiring.
You wake up early, go out to the area where your elephant has been for the night and clean up the poop and food remains with a rake and broom. You feed your elephant, bathe your elephant and scrub her down each day. There are two. daily rides to the river (it is scary at first getting on an elephant let alone riding her but again your Mahout who rides with you shows you what to do).
The food is basic Thai food, plentiful and nutritious. Breakfast you make yourself, coffee / tea, toast, yoghurt, cereal – again plentiful. You will be asked what you would like for your lunch and dinner meals.
Go Go Go is what I say. I wouldn’t hesitate. You will see what a wonderful job they are doing with their elephants.

Cheers.

“I meant what I said and I said what I meant, an elephant’s faithful one hundred per cent.”. Dr Seuss.
Not sure if it was my obsession with ‘Horton Hatches the Egg’ as a kid or just the fact that I wanted to do something different that drew me to Elephant Stay-but wow, what an experience! After stumbling on the site looking for something to do as a day trip from Bangkok, I discovered you could go stay and work with the elephants and after reading testimonials online, I decided to lash out and spend 7 days at the kraal. It was one. of the best decisions I made! By day three there was no way on earth that I was ready to leave; I was just getting into it! It really is hard to put into words what the experience is like. But I think the fact that I dreamt of elephants for two nights after I left and was convinced I kept hearing people say my elephant’s name as I travelled around Thailand afterwards, is anything to go by, then you can imagine how much of a memorable and. . . . . . . . . . life experience this was. Like many others on day one and ride one, I was wondering how I was going to survive the week, more importantly, how were my inner thighs going to cope? But with each moment and with each ride, you begin to feel more comfortable and at ease and begin to truly appreciate the majestic, kind and alluring nature of these mighty animals. I was sad to leave the place that had been my ‘home’ for a week and of course my elephant, Dak Maak, who I fell in love with.

We would like to thank you for giving us the oppertunity to have such a wonderful and unforgettable experience. We both had the time of our lives and were amazed at how attatched we became to the place, people and elephants so quickly. We would highly reccommend. everyone to visit and will be telling all our friends. We cant imagine a trip to Thailand without visiting elephantstay.

We would like to wish you continuing success for this programme as it is such a worthwhile cause and well as being such a fun experience for everyone. We look forward to coming back someday and we are already missing the place dearly.