Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → Myanmar → Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp

♦ Intrepid Top Pick!

Location: Western Shan State, Myanmar

Time Required: Half a day

Red Tape/Notes: Please note that this is not an elephant riding facility – they will occasionally allow visitors to ride the elephants for a short distance, but it depends on the elephant, the elephant’s mood and energy level, the temperature etc (in short, don’t come here if you just want to ride an elephant). Anti-malaria precautions have been taken by the camp, but you should use repellent anyway just in case. You want to be here in the morning (9 or 10am) or later in the day (after 4pm) to participate in elephant care activities (the elephants are relaxing and staying out of the hear during the middle of the day); see the Green Hill Valley website for more details on the facility and available programs.

What’s Nearby?: Pindaya, Kalaw, Shan Plateau, Cycling to Inle Lake, Inle Lake

I’m pretty strongly opposed to tourist elephant experiences, due to the treatment of the elephants and the horrible lives they live to provide the services they do. But this place is different. It was founded to provide care, and essentially a retirement home, for elephants who had spent years working in the logging industry and were no longer needed (or no longer wanted), while also having a focus on conservation and reforestation of the area. Visitors feed the elephants a variety of food items (squash and that sort of thing), and then – the best part – the elephants are taken down to the river, where they plop down in the cool water and you wade in and wash them! It’s seriously so fun, because the elephants look so happy. You’ll scrub their heads and they’ll close their eyes in bliss. They’re like giant, happy puppies. So cute. When you’re done washing them, you’ll return to camp where you can plant some saplings in one of the new reforestation areas and see more of the elephant care facilities. This is a wonderful way to enjoy being really close to elephants, while also feeling like your tourist dollars aren’t just going towards the torture of future elephants. I personally think making an elephant happy with a back rub is way more fun than riding around on one.

Epic Travel → Asia & the South Pacific → Myanmar → Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp