Living Green Elephant Sanctuary Chiang Mai
Entity page · Chiang Mai
This is the profile for Living Green Elephant Sanctuary Chiang Mai. It is a separate camp from Big Boy. The one-paragraph difference is on Living Green or Big Boy elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai.
Address, pickup area and map
Google Map: Living Green Elephant Sanctuary Office on Google Maps.
Pickup range: most programs are designed for travelers staying in Chiang Mai city and the main hotel areas. Exact pickup time and meeting details are confirmed after booking because routes depend on the day, traffic and guest hotels.
Animal welfare policy
No riding
Living Green does not offer elephant riding or shows. Guests feed the elephants by hand and bathe with them in the river when the elephants choose to go in. Bathing is never forced.
No shows
The sanctuary does not present elephant performances or circus-style shows. Elephants are not used as entertainers.
No force as a principle
The official sanctuary position is that activities should be based on animal welfare and that elephants should not be forced.
Booking window
Online checkout on ThaiEleHub closes 10 hours before that program’s departure. After the cutoff, the date is no longer bookable on the site.
Real bookable tours, full price and online deposit
Payment note: ThaiEleHub product pages collect a 25% online deposit. The table below shows the estimated full adult price and the online deposit shown on each product page. Remaining balance is normally paid locally according to the booking instructions.
| Program | Typical duration | Best for | Full adult price / deposit | Booking link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half-Day Morning Ethical Elephant Sanctuary Encounter | Half day, about 4–5 hours | First-time visitors, families, short Chiang Mai stays | THB 1,400 adult · THB 350 deposit | Book morning half-day |
| Half-Day Afternoon Ethical Elephant Sanctuary Encounter | Half day, about 4–5 hours | Travelers who prefer a later start | THB 1,400 adult · THB 350 deposit | Book afternoon half-day |
| Full-Day Sanctuary Tour & Pad Thai Cooking Class | Full day, about 7–8 hours | Guests wanting more time with elephants and a local meal activity | THB 2,000 adult · THB 500 deposit | Book full-day program |
| Elephants, Wang River Bamboo Rafting & Pad Thai Cooking | Full day | Nature, river scenery and ethical elephant care | THB 1,700 adult · THB 425 deposit | Book rafting program |
| Ethical Elephant Sanctuary & Doi Inthanon Expedition | Full day | Travelers combining elephants with Doi Inthanon, hiking and mountain scenery | THB 1,700 adult · THB 425 deposit | Book Doi Inthanon program |
Who Living Green is best for
Best for
Families, couples, first-time Chiang Mai travelers, guests who want a no-riding sanctuary, and visitors who want clear pickup and booking information.
Not best for
Travelers looking for elephant riding, elephant shows, circus-style photos, or a purely hands-off sanctuary with no feeding or close care moments.
Official and third-party verification links
- Official Living Green Elephant Sanctuary website
- Google Maps listing
- Official Facebook page
- Official Instagram
- TripAdvisor profile: reviews, traveler photos, Q&A and award badges shown by TripAdvisor
- TripAdvisor product page: Inthanon Heaven Trail / Living Green product-level reviews and photos
Living Green TripAdvisor source summary
ThaiEleHub links to TripAdvisor as a verification source only. We do not copy full third-party reviews onto this website. Use the original TripAdvisor profile and product pages to check the current rating, review count, traveler photos, Q&A and any award badges shown by TripAdvisor.
Frequently asked questions
Is Living Green Elephant Sanctuary Chiang Mai ethical?
Living Green Elephant Sanctuary Chiang Mai is a no-riding, no-show sanctuary. Guests feed and bathe with the elephants; bathing is elephant-led and never forced. If the herd skips the water, the tour still runs at the same price.
Does Living Green offer elephant riding or shows?
No. Living Green Chiang Mai offers no elephant riding and no elephant shows on any of its programs.
Is hotel pickup included at Living Green Chiang Mai?
Yes. Round-trip hotel pickup is included within 5 km of Chiang Mai Old City, including Nimman and Riverside. Morning programs pick up from 07:00 and the afternoon half-day from 12:00; message ThaiEleHub before paying the deposit if you stay outside that zone.
What is the difference between Living Green half-day and full-day programs?
A Living Green half-day costs ฿1,400 per adult and returns around 14:00 (morning) or 19:00 (afternoon). Full-day programs cost ฿1,700–฿2,000 per adult and add bamboo rafting, Pad Thai cooking or Doi Inthanon.
Can families with children join Living Green?
Yes. Children aged 4–8 pay ฿1,000 on a Living Green half-day, and each booking page shows its child fare. Younger children can join, but check the transfer time and the heat before booking.
How do I book Living Green through ThaiEleHub?
Choose a program above and pay a 25% online deposit (฿350 per adult on a half-day); the rest is paid on the tour day. ThaiEleHub then confirms your pickup time.
Book Living Green Chiang Mai programs
View Chiang Mai elephant sanctuary toursBook the half-day morning program
✓ Ethical Standards Checklist
How each camp runs the day: no riding, no shows, and the published guest activities on the product page.
- ✓No riding, ever
River-valley setting; elephants decide all interaction. Confirmed in live itinerary.
- ✓The herd decides
Feed the elephants and bathe with them in the water when they choose to go in (elephant-led, never forced).
- ✓Free-roaming habitat
25+ hectares; open grazing with natural family grouping. No night enclosure.
- ✓Limited contact
Hand feeding and elephant-led river bathing; no bathing tubs or staged photos.
- ✓Retirement sanctuary
All elephants from ex-logging or ex-riding backgrounds. Retirement care, not procurement.
Data verified 2026-09-14. Questions? Ask on WhatsApp ↗
Tomorrow ·
Online booking closes 10 hours before departure. A departure inside that window is not offered here. Availability after the cutoff is not shown live.
- MorningAdult ฿1,400 · Child ฿1,000
Pickup 07:00 · Return 14:00 · Chiang Mai hotel pickup · Cancel at least 24 h before tour start (deposit refund minus Stripe 6.5% fee)
- AfternoonAdult ฿1,400 · Child ฿1,000
Pickup 12:00 · Return 19:00 · Chiang Mai hotel pickup · Cancel at least 24 h before tour start (deposit refund minus Stripe 6.5% fee)
Photography from the sanctuary
First-party photos from the ThaiEleHub sanctuary network — the same camps that operate the tours booked on this page.
Real itinerary
Times below are pulled from the current product pages — the same pickup and return windows guests see when they book, not estimates.
| Program | Pickup | Return | Duration | Full price / adult | Full price / child | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning — Living Green Chiang Mai: Ethical Elephant Sanctuary Half-Day Encounter (Morning) | 07:00 | 14:00 | 7 hours | ฿1,400 | ฿1,000 | Travelers with limited time who want to finish early and use the afternoon for temples, markets, or rest. |
| Afternoon — Living Green Chiang Mai: Ethical Elephant Sanctuary Half-Day Encounter (Afternoon) | 12:00 | 19:00 | 7 hours | ฿1,400 | ฿1,000 | Travelers whose morning is already booked (temple sunrise, workshops) or who arrived in Chiang Mai late the night before. |
| Full-day — Living Green Chiang Mai: Full-Day Sanctuary Tour & Pad Thai Cooking Class | 08:00 | 17:00 | 9 hours | ฿2,000 | ฿1,300 | Travelers who want a deeper day — feeding, forest observation, meal preparation, and time to slow down. |
| Full-day — Living Green Chiang Mai: Elephants, Wang River Bamboo Rafting & Pad Thai Cooking | 08:00 | 17:00 | 9 hours | ฿1,700 | ฿1,200 | Travelers who want a deeper day — feeding, forest observation, meal preparation, and time to slow down. |
| Full-day — Living Green Chiang Mai: Ethical Elephant Sanctuary & Doi Inthanon Expedition | 07:00 | — | — | ฿1,700 | ฿1,500 | Travelers who want a deeper day — feeding, forest observation, meal preparation, and time to slow down. |
Family and weather planning
Minimum child age and family suitability
Living Green Elephant Sanctuary Chiang Mai welcomes families. A child fare for ages 4–8 is shown on each booking page. Younger children can join, but the transfer, standing time and heat in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand can feel long for very small children. A half-day route is the calmer first choice for families with young kids; older children usually handle the full-day combinations without issue. Information last verified: 9 Oct 2026.
Wet season, rainy day and green season arrangements
Living Green Elephant Sanctuary Chiang Mai runs sanctuary days through the wet months in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. Thailand's green season is roughly May to October, when light rain often makes the landscape cooler and the elephants more active.Programs adjust footwear, forest walks and elephant time to conditions on the day rather than cancelling — heavy weather can shift the itinerary, and the sanctuary confirms details on the tour morning. See our rainy-season guide and why May–June can be a better time to visit. Information last verified: 9 Oct 2026.
Entity fact block
- Entity
- Living Green Elephant Sanctuary
- Location
- Chiang Mai, northern Thailand — a river-valley camp outside the city. Transfer time depends on traffic and your hotel
- Entity relationship
- A sanctuary bookable through ThaiEleHub
- Experience type
- No-riding, no-show ethical elephant programs with observation, feeding, forest walking and river time
- Animal policy
- Feed and bathe with the elephants · No riding · No shows
- Available programs
- Morning (7 hours) · Afternoon (7 hours) · Full-day (9 hours) · Full-day (duration on booking page)
- Pickup
- Chiang Mai city hotels — round-trip transfer. Time depends on traffic and your hotel. Pickup times start at 07:00 or 12:00 or 08:00 depending on program.
- Current price
- ฿1,400 – ฿2,000 per adult depending on program
- Payment
- 25% per-guest deposit today on ThaiEleHub; remaining balance paid locally on the tour day per the booking terms
- Booking support
- ThaiEleHub
- Contact
- info@thaielehub.com
- +66 98 858 9666
- Last verified
- 9 Oct 2026
- Independent sources
- Live ratings, current reviews, traveler photos and award status are maintained on the third-party platforms below. Open the source to verify current status before booking — ThaiEleHub does not republish rating numbers on this page.
Official website · Google Maps · TripAdvisor · Facebook
Last verified: