Elephant Conservation Center Exploration

Upon arrival at Nam Tien Lake, we will transfer you to the Center by boat. You will have time to settle into your accommodation before your guide takes you to the forest. Along the way, you will walk past the different enclosures where our main activities take place. After enjoying a family-style traditional Laotian lunch on a lakeside platform, you will observe bath time at the nursery, an area in the forest reserved for our youngest (and cutest!) elephants and their others.

When the elephants have drunk enough and returned to the forest, you will take the boat back to the Center for the hospital visit. Our Laotian vet team or our biologist will introduce you to their world, sharing information about common and uncommon injuries and treatments. This is the perfect time to ask questions about the biology and physiology of elephants.

Elephants love water! You’ll get a chance to see this first hand. Elephants use bath time to socialize and strengthen ties within the herd. You will watch their bathing routines and interactions up close, observing their ears flapping and tails swatting while they use their trunks and trees to satisfy a nagging itch. All of the elephants at the ECC had difficult lives before we rescued them, and the pleasures of bath time are important to their recovery. Our guides will share stories and information, helping you get to know and understand our elephants better.

Now it’s time for elephants to walk back to the forest. After a short trek the mahouts will decide on a place where the elephants can graze for the night. Before dinner, you’ll have some free time to enjoy one of our many scenic viewpoints or paddle in a canoe or kayak on the lake, absorbing the magnificent world that surrounds you.

At 6:00 pm, you will attend a video presentation highlighting our conservation work. You’ll have the opportunity to interact with our elephant specialists, probing lingering questions from your day’s adventures. Then, it’s dinner time, where authentic Lao cuisine is served family-style.

After dinner you can relax or enjoy some games or delicious Lao style cocktails at the bar!

On the second day, you will meet up with the elephants in the forest. After spending the night in the jungle, it is time for another bath. Enjoy strolling together with these magnificent animals in their natural habitat. Watch them walk, forage, scratch, and socialize. If you’re lucky, you’ll hear them trumpet with excitement! What are they saying?

After bath time, it’s on to the Socialization Area. This is an area where our elephants can freely interact during much of the day. Here, we have created a seminatural living environment where our elephants can enjoy being elephants. Follow our guide around the perimeter to learn more about the elephant group’s fascinating dynamics. Spend time on the different raised platforms to see how a new herd is being formed. This rare opportunity will bring you closer to understanding elephants’ natural lives, a special learning experience rarely found in Asia.

Lunch is served at the Center. In the afternoon, you can observe the elephants having their afternoon bath.

You will then meet our mahouts and vet team again as they will conduct a “Target Training” session. All our elephants are being trained using ‘positive reinforcement’ techniques to facilitate any necessary treatments and to reduce the stress that these treatments or routine checks can give to them. We offer you the chance to follow their work from a safe distance.

You will meet   our mahouts or our vet technician again as they will conduct a Target Training Session. All our elephants are being trained using ‘positive reinforcement’ techniques to facilitate any necessary treatments and to reduce the stress that these treatments or routine checks can give to them. We offer you the chance to follow their work from a safe distance

On the third day, you will follow your guide to observe free-roaming male elephants. The ECC is the only facility in Laos caring for and socializing male elephants, as they are typically considered more challenging to manage and are rarely presented in tourist camps. You’ll have the opportunity to observe some of our bull elephants, learn about their unique characteristics, and gain insight into the progress of our male elephant socialization programme.

Once back to the Center, you will have the opportunity to improve your elephant knowledge at our Information Center, where we have created a series of displays about the Asian elephant’s biology, social life, ecology, and cultural significance. You’ll also learn about elephants’ vital role in Asian history and their symbolic associations. Time spent at the Information Center with our guide or on your own will help you better understand both the importance of elephants as a keystone species within their ecosystem and the intimate relationship they have shared with humans in Asia for thousands of years.

Lunch is served at the restaurant. You have some time to relax before we bring you back to Luang Prabang by minivan. You can say your goodbyes to the staff or walk around the Center one last time.