So much gratitude and recognition for Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary 🐘 Where we spent the last 3 days, observing elephants that have been freed and re-introduced to their native environment, the forest! Semi-wild elephants. These elephants were either working in tourist camps (dreadful working conditions and diet) and previously in the logging industry. Thank you to all those that love these animals and give us hope for a better future and more humane ways to co-exist with our animal brothers and sisters. Also we witnessed an authentic and respectful collaboration with the local village, support at the local daycare, love for the dogs and great home stays ❤️

After looking into different elephant sanctuaries in Thailand, I finally settled on Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary (KSES). And am I glad I ever did! My week there was an amazing one I’ll never forget. What most attracted me to this sanctuary was that the elephants get to roam in a large area of forest and that I would get to see elephants in their natural habitat. Every day, we would hike to where the elephants were and observe them as they went about their day eating, mud or dust bathing and socializing with each other. The staff at the sanctuary taught us about Asian elephants, patiently answered our many questions and did everything they could to make our week there an enjoyable one. Having the chance to stay at a homestay with one of the families in the Karen Hill Tribe village was also a unique experience. The villagers are friendly and welcoming. Meals are home cooked and delicious. Being picked up from and dropped off in Chiang Mai made getting to and from KSES easy and hassle-free. I would highly recommend a visit to KSES to anyone who is interested in seeing elephants at an ethical sanctuary. It’s a fantastic experience and I would love to one day go back!

After nearly a year of researching Thailand and combing through elephant “sanctuaries”, I found Kindred Spirit! I wanted to make sure that I was contributing to an ethical and community-driven program and that’s exactly what I found at KSES. I spent 2 incredible months collecting social behavior data, researching flora and fauna native to the area, hiking to see the most beautiful family of elephants, and gaining an appreciation for the work that KSES has done for their community and the well-being of Asian elephants all over SE Asia. Outside of the internship responsibilities, I had plenty of down time to explore the village, read, and hang out with fellow volunteers and interns. I must say, besides seeing elephants every day, the best part of my experience was my host family. I have never felt so welcomed and loved by a group of people. We spent most nights by the fire, laughing, and telling stories of home. I would accompany them to church and other affairs and truly felt that I was a part of their family. I will always be grateful for my time at KSES!

I visited the sanctuary shortly after its opening and I loved every minute of it. The village is so welcoming and supportive of volunteers coming to not only spend time with the elephants, but to learn about their lives and culture. Kerri, Sombat and the rest of Kindred Spirit are committed to returning elephants into the jungle, where they belong. I highly recommend volunteering with them. I look forward to returning as often as I can.

Where do I start? Want to experience an authentic Thai village? Want to interact with Elephants in an ethical way? Want to contribute to these gorgeous Elephants being treated with respect, and help them return home? ALSO... want to meet some amazing, unique people... sit around under the stars, chat, sing and chill? Needing a life changing experience? I'll never forget this place and I will return. If you're a nature person, you'll be walking through the jungle, an animal person? Seeing and hearing birds, hanging out with puppies, observing elephants and checking out insects... Interested in anthropology? You'll experience authentic village life, and get to learn some almost-extinct language... Budding photographer? Its hard not to move without seeing something you feel the need to capture... My one week was extraordinary, made some life long friends, and life long memories. Cannot recommend this enough!

I spent 3 days with Kindred Spirit Elephant Sanctuary and it was by far the most fun that I had on my trip. A few months back, I booked a stay at this “elephant sanctuary” that had been recommended to me by a friend and I had no idea what to really expect. I signed up as a solo traveler, but there was also a couple and a group of 4, so they are flexible with the amount of people in a group. Kerri, a founder and programme director, is very communicative and gives great instructions in terms of what to expect from this experience, pick up locations/time, and a list of recommended things to pack. The sanctuary is located about 5 hours north of Chiang Mai and they provide the transportation from Chiang Mai to the village. That being said, do be prepared for a bit of a drive (plenty of time to get to know your fellow travelers or people from the KSES team). Upon arrival, Kerri greeted the group, gave us a quick rundown of the plan for the day, and explained how the homestay programme works (you get to stay with the villagers in their homes and experience their day to day lives and cook with them etc.). My family had a home in the middle of the village, and they were very welcoming despite the language barrier. Something you must know, in order to see the elephants, you will have to do a bit of light hiking. You don't have to be fast or an extreme hiker, but don't just expect the elephants to be at your doorstep in the morning. KSES does not chain their elephants to one location, so you get to adventure every day to a new location in order to locate the elephants. One day it took us 2 hours to find the elephants, however the next morning it only took 45 minutes! The elephants are stunning, it's hard to actually even explain. Because KSES gives backgrounds on all their elephants, it's even better to see them roaming freely somewhere that they truly belong. *definitely bring along a camera!* In addition to getting to interact with the elephants, there are also activities set up with the villagers (such as basket weaving, a small "shopping" experience where you can buy handmade goods from the villagers, and teaching lessons with the children from the village). During my time at KSES, the children were on holiday, but we were able to do a fun game day with the kids and played all afternoon. I can't begin to express how much I enjoyed my time with this sanctuary. They really do strive to educate people and they provide a top notch experience.

I researched ethical sanctuaries for months before my trip to Thailand. I was terrified of getting there and it turning out to be not a sanctaury at all. I can confidently say that this was NOT the case at Kindred Spirit. The elephants are free to roam, forage and socialise in the forest with their mahouts making sure they are safe at all times by keeping an eye on things from a distance. The The elephants are truly happy here in their natural enviroment and if you are looking for an ethical place with zero bathing, zero riding , zero bullhooks, zero exploitation and total love and care for elephants then this is the place for you. In this sanctuary, it is you as the volunteer who goes hiking in the forest to find the elephants and you can feed them bananas if they want (they always do) , it is not forced in any way and then you can witness elephants being elephants which is memorizing. I stayed here for 6 weeks and cherished every moment with the elephants. Not only do you get to experience elephants being natural but you also get the privilege of staying in a traditional Karen hill tribe village. The villagers are super friendly and all the animals around the village will please any animal lover. The food cooked by my homestay family is something I still miss as it was amazing and I was very easily catered to as a vegan. This is a must do experience for those wanting a truly ethical experience.