The murky river water lapped at my knees. I stood frozen to the spot in terror. A grey form crashed into the water behind me, but before I could get out of the way another lumbering shape stomped its heavy foot down into the river in front of me, cutting off my escape. I was trapped in between several of the largest land animals on the planet and I wasn’t sure I’d escape with my life.

It was my first time in South East Asia and I was coming to the end of my second week of the trip which had seen me visit Hanoi and Da Nang in Vietnam, and Bangkok in Thailand. After the manic urban streets of the Thai capital it was refreshing to find myself in the Northern city of Chiang Mai. With a much slower pace of life and far cooler (in both temperature and temperament), Chiang Mai immediately became a highlight of the trip for me. 

I spent my days in Chiang Mai doing nice hikes like the Monk’s Trail to Wat Pha Lat (A lovely hillside temple), stuffing my face with every veggie option available at the food stalls at the walking street markets (can’t get enough corn cobs on sticks), and watching a light shows at the Wat Chedi Luang Temple. I eventually decided to live up to the stereotype of a a tourist in Thailand and see some elephants.

After doing some research I’d learnt that there were many options when choosing to visit an elephant sanctuary and not all of them were good options. There are many “sanctuaries” in Thailand that don’t have the animals’ interests at heart and many of these involve riding the elephants which can cause them harm. True, there is the argument that any environment where there are paying customers who want to interact with elephants could be seen as exploiting these animals but if the animals are healthy, happy and as “wild” as possible (and in my experience at the sanctuary they seemed to be) then I’m onboard.

I chose Chiang Mai Elephant Jungle Sanctuary who tout themselves as being an “ethical” sanctuary. The elephants were also rescue elephants who had been taken from tourist attractions where they had suffered adverse conditions and had been part of elephant rides. 

On arriving at the sanctuary in the countryside outside of Chiang Mai, I immediately spotted the elephants on the bank of a river, going about their day. We were given a safety briefing and a garish multicoloured striped tunic to wear because apparently the elephants like them (whatever they want I guess). 

The first activity with the elephants was feeding them bananas….and they eat a LOT of bananas. The guide instructed us on how exactly to feed them and how the elephants expected to be fed (raising your hand up in the air, shouting “BON! BON!” and then aiming the banana right into the elephant’s mouth). As we approached the feeding area the elephants knew what was happening and lined up ready for food. 

After a regrouping where the team made protein balls together and delivered the snacks to our trunked overlords, it was time for a mudbath. Elephants and humans alike climbed into the wet mud next to the river and we were instructed to slop the mud onto the ellies (It’s good for their skin apparently). I hadn’t imagined I’d be facilitating a spa treatment for the largest land animals on earth but it was oddly satisfying. Once this was done it was time for the grand finale….the water fight.  

This began with the humans washing the elephants and removing the mud using buckets filled with water. The elephants began to mess around, stomping the water, spraying one another (and the humans), and dunking each other’s heads under water. A little wary at the elephants’ behaviour I panicked when I heard the guide scream at the top of his lungs “HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME PLEASE!”. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw he was just yelling because one of the elephants didn’t have anyone splashing them with water at that point in time and the guide thought it would feel left out.

A short time later, the excited guide announced we were having a water fight and the air filled with water as joyful elephants and humans doused each other in river water. Attempting to avoid being crushed by the elephants crashing up and down in the water, I occasionally retreated to the banks to take in the mayhem from the sidelines….before being drawn back in by the shared excitement.

Besides my slight fear of being crushed by these incredible animals (and a run in with some leeches from the river), I had a blast with some very playful and clumsy creatures. 

Although a highlight of my time in Chiang Mai, after I returned from my trip  I did still have some second thoughts about how ethical these activities were. The elephants seemed happy, independent and healthy, and had apparently been rescued from much worse conditions, but I’m unsure if this level of close-up human interaction is good for what should be wild animals. I’m also now aware that some sanctuaries do not allow bathing the elephants due to the potential for causing them stress. On the other hand, if these are indeed animals which would struggle to be released back into the wild after being held captive and are already used to humans, then perhaps these sorts of sanctuaries still have some worth.