Three days at the Elephant Conservation Center in Sayaboury, Laos (Review)

The Elephant Conservation Center is a Lao-French joint venture established in 2010. Their focus is on conservation of Asian elephants, particularly those in Laos, with an emphasis on breeding and re-wilding.

They currently have 34 resident elephants and 50 wild ones, on a 6,000 hectare section of National Protected Area in the north of Laos (and part of Thailand).

I spent three days at the Elephant Conservation Center in October 2023 and had an AMAZING time. This post is a review of my experience taking the 3 day, 2 night EXPLORATION package tour as a solo female traveler.

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Elephant Conservation Center Info

Most of the elephants in Laos were used for working, and so they never bred as they would’ve in the wild. Now there’s a big generation gap, as the former working elephants are either too old or too infertile to breed, and the younger ones are TOO young. Part of the ECC’s current focus is fixing that issue through their breeding program.

They also have a rewilding plan, where they help former domesticated elephants “rewild” themselves by forming family groups, and then releasing them into the national protected area. You can read more about that here.

Why go to the Elephant Conservation Center?

There are lots of elephant sanctuaries in Laos and Thailand, but ECC is different because guests have no interaction with the elephants at all.

You don’t touch the elephants. No bathing, no feeding. The only people who interact with the elephants directly are the mahouts and doctors.

This was VERY important to me, because touching/feeding/bathing/whatever is very disturbing to elephants. Just having that boundary set up showed me that the Elephant Conservation Center was truly ethical, and so I booked my tour with them.

Elephant Conservation Center Tour Ttinerary

They have a few different tour packages available. I booked a 3 day, 2 night package which included transportation to/from the Center from Luang Prabang, all meals, an English-speaking guide, and a private room with shared bathroom.

There’s also a 2 day, 1 night package for slightly less– but I have to say that everyone in our group who booked the smaller package wished they did the longer one!

👉Ready to book your Elephant Conservation Center tour? Check availability here at Klook!

Guests get to observe the elephants– sometimes from close up!– and learn about the history of elephants in Laos, as well as learn about the Center’s programs for breeding and re-wilding.

Day 1: Meet the elephants and Mahouts

Travel from Luang Prabang by minivan – Boat trip – Walk Through the Forest – Laotian Lunch – Nursery Visit – Hospital Visit – Observe Elephants Bathing – Encounter Elephants & Mahouts – Dinner.

We got picked up from the center of Luang Prabang and put into a large-ish passenger van. The drive out to the center went on some bad roads but our driver handled them well. We got a bathroom break about halfway through and then eventually we got to the lake!

From there we were put onto a flat-top boat, kind of like a floating platform. We were taken across the lake and arrived in time to watch some elephants bathing in a small part of the lake. While that happened we had a really good lunch served at the lake-watching hut!

Every group has an English-speaking guide who explains how the Center works, and how the Mahouts and the elephants work together. This first day covered most of the important locations. We saw important places in the Center, like the nursery, the hospital, the bathing area and the feeding area. In the evening, we “put the elephants to bed” e.g. followed the Mahouts out to the forest where the elephants go to sleep.

Day 2: Socialization Area

Breakfast – Meet the Elephants in the Forest – Observe Elephants Bathing – Socialization Area Observation – Lunch – Afternoon Bath – Positive Reinforcement Training – Vet Check – Dinner.

In the morning, after breakfast, we followed the Mahouts out to the forest and picked up an elephant from her sleeping spot. This was quite a tough hike because it’d been raining and the ground was SO muddy– of course, our Mahout was in flip flops and navigated the thick Laotian mud like a pro. 😉

This morning walk was super exciting for me because the elephant(s) got SO close to us! They were curious and wanted to see us a bit closer, but we didn’t interact or touch them– very important!

We then went to the Socialization Area, a huge (HUGE) forested area where the elephants come and meet up to play and look for food. We got to see young elephants interacting with their older aunties, which was super cute.

After lunch, the 2-day tour guests left to go back to Luang Prabang, and the 3 day tour guests continued their adventure. At the time, it was just me and one other person, so we basically had the run of the place.

In the afternoon, we went to the Hospital to see some training. Basically, the elephants need to be able to stay still and let vets give them shots or look at their feet, so they train them to be able to handle that interaction. It’s very gentle and the elephant gets treats afterward.

Dinner was exciting because a swarm of bugs started attacking the light above the table, dying, and then falling onto my plate. Besides that, though, I got to talk to a staff member about how the Center works and is funding. Very interesting stuff!

Day 3: Bull elephants!

Breakfast – Male Elephants Socialization Area – Information Center – Lunch.

On the final day, we went to the bull elephant area. This was a short visit, where we sat in a tall observation tower with our guide and a mahout. We saw an older male elephant and a younger one interact with each other within a penned area.

It was interesting hearing about the different ways male elephants are socialized compared to female elephants, and how the ECC handles juvenile male elephants transitioning into adulthood. Basically, the younger ones learn male behavior from meeting older male elephants, but because males don’t hang out with the rest of the herd they have to “find” each other.

Finally, we had lunch and then drove back to Luang Prabang to get dropped off at the center of town.

Accommodation, Food, and Staff

Cabins

The accommodation choices range from basic cabins (somewhat exposed-to-the-elements) to deluxe cabins. I picked the cheapest cabin which was a big bed, mosquito net, a private porch looking onto the lake, electricity and fan. Toilets and showers were shared, like a hostel, and there was no wifi.

I found it surprisingly comfortable, though normally I’d never pick to stay in a non-air con basic cabin. For only a few nights, it was an adventure! And it was so quiet out there that I fell asleep very quickly.

The deluxe cabins come with their own bathrooms and wifi, and the REALLY deluxe ones even have air con now! But honestly, it got cool enough at night that a fan was perfectly fine.

Food & Dining

All the guests ate together in the dining hall, sometimes with staff!

Our meals were local recipes, but tempered to Western tastes. They can accommodate if you’re vegetarian, too. I found everything to be delicious and filling. Plus, they had French bread at breakfast! Yum!

Staff

The ECC staff and mahouts were all wonderful, very kind and willing to talk about the Center and their programs. The majority of the staff are locals, including the tour guides and mahouts, and they are paid wages. Some of the admin staff are volunteers from abroad (we met a French lady who had been volunteering there for years!) and they occasionally bring in outside help, usually for veterinary purposes.

As a bonus, there were four cats running around the dining hall during our stay! 😀

What to pack for an Elephant Conservation Center Tour

There are some specific things I’d recommend bringing with you to your Elephant Conservation Center tour:

• Hiking boots or trail runners. Some parts involve following elephants and mahouts out into wilder areas, and if it’s rainy season the trails will be muddy. A friend went in Tevas and got VERY dirty.
• Swimming stuff. Guests can go swimming or kayaking in the nearby lake!
• Mosquito spray. A LOT.
• Sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat. Sun protection is important!
• Binoculars, to see elephants further away from the main trails.

I really enjoyed my stay and I highly recommend checking it out the Elephant Conservation Center if you’re staying in Luang Prabang or Sayaboury.

More Eco Tours in Laos

Looking for other amazing nature-heavy experiences? Check out these handpicked tours on Viator for some ideas on what’s possible in Laos!

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