After seeing several of my friends pictures of it, particularly the pictures of them laughing as the elephants made their way through a river, I would stop at nothing to do it as well. I finally got my chance to do just that in Phuket.
What I experienced was great and at the same time disappointing. I booked a tour, like you do with everything else in Thailand, and was picked up for my elephant ride. They consider the tours as half-day tours, as you are picked up at 2pm, but you really only get to ride an elephant for 45 minutes (or 30 or 60 depending on how much you paid and what you booked). The rest of the tour is a show or two and a walk through a garden and the dining upon seasonal fresh fruits (which if you think about it, everything is always in season, so they just give you what is cheapest for them...bananas - since they feed them to almost all their animals). Again all this depends on what tour you booked. Since elephant riding was my highlight, I didn't care so much for the shows and booked a minimal tour, whose highlight was elephant riding.
The ride itself was a balancing act as my partner and I orchestrated ourselves along the two seater bench trying to not tip the elephant too far in any direction. The bench upon which we sat was a metal contraption strapped with much padding to the elephant and with a bar across our laps securing us in. Our conductor was a Burmese man who sat atop the elephants head without any seat or support. He had with him a small wooden rod with which he would tap the elephant to give it signals. Riding the elephant was not exactly exhilarating, but it was definitely fun and interesting. The trail itself was what was displeasing. You walked along a well worn path through the park. At one point we could even see the car park. There was not jungle atmosphere in the slightest, no river, and it was all very controlled and bland. Pathetic. We wandered down and up and into a little forested area with a stream ( but you can still see the park from where we stood at all times). At the stream the elephant drank up water and sprayed its underside, wetting our feet. It seems that this is a common action between all elephant that seems more discouraged by the guides than anything. The elephants will also take up snacking while on their little tour and will uproot plants and begin munching.
One thing that you are not allowed at this particular park is to take pictures on the elephant. Yes it seems ridiculous. Yes they should mention this before. It is all part of their money making scheme to sell you things after the ride. If you have a nice guide then maybe he and the guide behind him will allow you to sway cameras with the people aboard that elephant and you can take pictures. Of course it would be less than generous of you if you were not to tip him after your ride. Again money making.
After the ride, we got in an extremely congested line to drop us off. 45 minutes never went by so quickly. We walked perhaps half a kilometer to a kilometer max in the entire time. And throughout the ride it really seemed like a State Fair act where you get on a pony that is tied to a wheel with a bunch of other kids and walk in a circle for 5 minutes. It was that kind of feeling. You could always view the other circus goers at all times walking in their little circle.
I still think that riding an elephant in Thailand must be worth it. I still look at that picture of my friends swear I will return with a different outcome. My advice is to just not do it in Phuket. Or well with a particular company called Island Safari. That just wasn't what I wanted. For me, the place was too controlled. It was too safe. It is great for kids and less adventuresome tourists. Just not me. Though I would still say that the overall experience was fun and worthwhile. However, next time I am going to try my luck up in Chang Mai. For whatever reason I believe that elephant trekking up there, in a less touristed area will be exactly what I am looking for.
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