Elephants have always been an important part of Thai culture and the Thai way of life. They are a traditional symbol of Royal power and an essential feature of Buddhist art and architecture. They are a spiritual mentor for people from all walks of life.

In the early part of this century, elephants roamed freely and in mass throughout Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Prior to the 18th century they were the main vehicle of war in Southeast Asia. A Thai King of the late 17th century had 20,000 war elephants trained for battle.

Elephant Trekking in Thailand is a growing industry as more and more logging elephants are becoming redundant in the northern logging camps. For the past 5 years mahouts and their elephants have been drifting to the tourist centres to start a new life by providing trekking tours through the jungle foliage.

Ban Kwan Elephant Camp is located at Klong Son in the north western part of Chang Island. The camp opens from 08:30 and offers a half-day tour including elephant bathing, feeding and a 90 minutes elephant trek into the forest. The camp is supported by the Asian Elephant Foundation and provides a natural environment for elephants and their mahouts. Therefore, the elephant's living conditions today, are far better than they have ever been in the logging camps up in the north of Thailand. If you want to help Thai elephants to survive, take a ride on one of the majestic beasts.