Becoming a mahout in Thailand

We’ve been to Thailand before. Many, many years ago. Our trip was your standard tour the capital and then relax on an island type adventure. But in our latest edition of You’ve Been Where, Jenny Dickens shows us a different side to this beautiful country. A side focused on elephants and conservation and enlightenment.

And it’s definitely got us wanting to go back to have our own elephant adventure.

Who wants to join us in Thailand? 

We love hearing about the travel experiences of our friends, family and readers of AllAbroad. We pick up so many tips and find new places to travel. We thought you might like to hear about their adventures too. So in this section we turn the website over to you, our travel family.

Read on for travel tips from the people that help inspire our adventures.

Who are you and what do you do for a living?

Hi, I’m Jenny. Professionally, I work for Zoos Victoria as a Presenter, talking all things wildlife and conservation…things I am passionate and curious about. 

Where is home?

I live in Melbourne, Australia but grew up on a farm on the mighty Murray river and spent 20 years in Tasmania.

Where have you been? When did you go?

Many years ago I was blessed with meeting an elephant in Thailand who changed my life…and I’ve been returning to her community ever since.

Who did you travel with?

The first trip, I convinced a friend who was frightened of cows  🙄  to join me on my quest to become a mahout (an elephant keeper/carer).

What were the highlights of your trip?

So many! 

The food  😉

I loved the experience of being welcomed by the elephant community. The village had been set up to provide a safe haven for elephants and mahouts who had lost their livelihoods when Thailand banned logging of their native forests back in 1989. Enlightened thinking! 

There was flooding which meant many people were unable to access their homes and some camped on the walls of the ancient Kraal (enclosure) looking after the elephants safely within, cows with dependent calves and our old girls who provided stability and reassurance to the younger mums. 

It created quite a festive atmosphere. The founder of the elephant village had bought a new ice cream maker for a man who’d lost his livelihood in the chaos. He in turn gave the community free coconut ice cream all day. Yum!

Being introduced to such a large animal, the very first elephant I’d ever touched, could have been daunting but my elephant was calm and interested and proved keen to help me learn. 

In no time I was on her back, learning her rhythms and her food preferences. She clamped my legs to her neck whenever she thought I might fall which was reassuring! She gave rumbles to indicate that she particularly loved watermelon and sweet corn. She gave me greeting rumbles when I arrived each morning and urinated in excitement that we would spend the day together. I learned so much in those 10 days…I’m pretty sure she was a teacher in her past life.

I was hooked. I knew I would be returning as soon and as often as possible. 

What did you least like about your trip?

Leaving Elephantstay! I wanted to stay, learn and support the elephants community more. 

Also, unhealthy dogs without owners took some getting used to. The Buddhist way of life is a little different to how I was brought up.

Do you have any funny stories from your travels?

Too many! 

I laugh to myself every time I think of my first tuk tuk ride. My friend and I wanted to go to the Palace in Bangkok but our driver insisted we include a visit to a Jam Factory which we weren’t interested in at all…until he explained he would get a petrol voucher if we went, so we did. It turned out to be a gem factory and my friend bought a lovely souvenir. 

On a subsequent visit to Elephantstay.com as a tour leader, one of our elephants didn’t show up for the morning ride. She was eventually spotted in the distance so I suggested our group of eight ride over to collect her for her rider. When we caught up with her she was having a lovely mud wallow and my friend was somewhat reluctant to jump on her filthy but happy elephant.

What was the food like?

Delicious! Fresh ingredients, beautifully cooked and presented. I quickly learnt the phrase for ‘not too spicy’.

Did you learn anything about yourself or the world on this trip

I’m always learning! Miming was an excellent tool and a sense of humour is essential. Being aware of unconscious bias and keeping an open mind will give you the opportunity to see the beauty in all cultures and situations.

We’re all trying to survive and thrive…Thai people seem more relaxed about life in general. I didn’t witness any road rage in Thailand!

Would you recommend others travel here? Why/Why not

Yes! Thailand offers so much. The elephants and their community have my heart. If you don’t mind getting hot and sweaty and have wanted a personal experience with elephants, this culture has a wonderful depth of knowledge and insight. They’ve been working together for more than 5000 years.

Do you have any tips for people thinking of travelling here?

For starters, I would recommend checking out the Elephant Stay website here

…and don’t forget your travel vaccinations.  😉

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Read more reader adventures in our  You’ve Been Where? series here.

Read more about our adventures in  Asia here.

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