Way of Elephant! Way of life! The World’s Largest Domestic Elephant Home

Ban Ta Klang Elephant Study Centre

Experience a wonderful bond between the elephant and the Kui people “where the elephant is like one of their family” not just an animal kept for work. The elephants here can amazingly be trained to be domesticated constituting the way of life between human and elephants which has eventually become the interesting belief, tradition and culture expressing a most precious relationship.

The Kui have had their own way of keeping elephants since the old times. They believe that “the elephant’s happiness is our family’s happiness”. The older elephants will be respected as their grandparents, while the younger elephants will be loved as their children.

Visitors here can learn the simple life of the Ban Ta Klang villagers by riding the elephant around the village, seeing the elephant’s talent, learning the Kui’s tricks to be the elephant keeper and walking the elephant across the river to clean up. These activities can count as once in a lifetime activities. There are also the traditions and other festival activities; such as, the Elephant Ordination which has been carried on for over 200 years, the Alms Giving on Elephants festival during the Buddhist Lent day of each year, the Surin Elephant Round-up around November where all elephants in Thailand get together, the Kui Marriage on Elephants in February, and the Songkran Festival in April.