Take an elephant ride
in Phuket and help an elephant earn his living, for in Thailand elephants do
have to work to eat. There are many choices in elephant rides on Phuket, and
anyone who rents their own car and drives along the beautiful west coast
will soon come across many roadside elephant camps offering forest rides.
Elephants were
formerly employed in the forest logging industry, being used to haul heavy
logs out of the forest to roads where trucks could load them. Then, in 1989,
Thailand banned virtually all logging of its fast dwindling forests,
throwing most elephants and their mahouts out of work. Hundreds descended
upon the cities and tourist destinations seeking work and food. The elephant
influx into Phuket over the past ten years has brought up to 300 of the
great beast to the island, many now in those roadside camps waiting for
passing tourists to stop.
Do take a ride.
Clinging to your howdah as the elephant negotiates steep slopes, with
amazing agility and sure-footedness, is an unforgettable experience. But do
choose carefully, for you can make a real difference in elephants’ lives.
Not all elephant keepers treat their beasts well. The Phuket-based Elephant
Help volunteer group was set up to help monitor the health of elephants on
the island, and offer treatment when their owners could not.
Some of the most
interesting places to take an elephant ride include the camp at Kalim, just
north of Patong’s main beach, and on top of the mountain south of Kata,
where there are two camps. The first is just before, the second at the
bottom of the hill after the high lookout point beyond Kata. These two take
visitors into more interesting, off-the-beaten-track routes.
