Thailand has wonderful weather year-round. March to June is the hottest, and those who may not be able to cope with extreme heat and humidity should visit at another time. July to October is the rainy season, but it’s still perfectly possible to enjoy a vacation due to the fact that it doesn’t rain for long periods or stay wet for long because of the heat. The best months, though, are November to February, which is the ‘winter.’ The weather is just like a European summer and very pleasant.

The infrastructure there is also very good. There are plenty of comfortable and convenient forms of transport and good places to stay. In addition, the prices can meet a wide range of budgets. The best camps to visit Thailand elephants are in and around the large Kanchanaburi province, just two hours from Bangkok. The elephants in Thailand are obviously the Asian species, and therefore smaller than their African cousins. It’s commonly believed that it is far easier and more pleasant to ride an Asian elephant compared to an African one, possibly due to their temperament, but probably more because of their size. As mentioned before, an elephant handler is known as its mahout. Each mahout is responsible for his own elephant and each elephant has, knows and trusts its one mahout.

Thailand also has plenty of other things to do which attract a diversity of tourists. There are white sandy beaches, large hills and small mountains for treks, and lots of excellent shopping. To visit a country for such a specific attraction as visiting an elephant camp would be rather unusual. One needs to enjoy the other delights, and of course meet the people. Thais are kind, friendly and calm, and this goes a long way to helping them interact with and train these wonderful creatures.

If you are interested in having a vacation in a beautiful country with a warm climate and visiting an elephant camp and spending time with, or watching, an Asian elephant’s mahout Thailand is difficult to beat. The proximity to so many other things, the year-round climate, the people, and of course the animals themselves all make it a wonderful experience indeed.

There are many thousands of square kilometres of natural habitat in Thailand for elephants to roam in the wild or be cared for in captivity. It is cruel to take them to cities or beach resorts and force them to work, so tourists should avoid giving money to those who abuse these wonderful creatures for their own monetary gain. One of the most convenient natural habitats for an elephant camp is just north-west of Bangkok. These places give tourists the opportunity to feed and pet pachyderms, ride them within the elephant camp if they’re feeling brave enough, and offer day trips into the jungle for the best experience. For these day trips riding an elephant Thailand really is a fantastic destination. They are hard-working animals, have gentle temperaments and good memory capacity. They appear to be aware of which humans care for them, control them, are scared of them and may harm them. It is perfectly safe to walk around them and touch their trunks, ears or flanks. Some people even take part in elephant shows and lie on the ground for the animals to step over, and sometimes on, them. From personal experience, I can recommend this as a wonderful, safe and humbling experience.

For those who are considering or planning a visit to an elephant camp Thailand should be the first place they think about. The animals are well treated, and the people are friendly, helpful and competent. African elephants are significantly larger than those in Asia and also used to wide open spaces as their natural habitat. This means that riding them in real-world surrounding that they’re used to must involve savannah safari-type trips more than jungle treks. Moreover, with constant political conflicts and extreme poverty, Africa is often seen as a less desirable holiday destination mainly due to the feeling of safety and security.

In contrast and conclusion, Thailand has so much to offer visitors. Such as good shopping, delicious food, wonderful people, waterfalls, jungle treks, soft white sandy beaches, and clear turquoise seas full of marine life. In addition, for some of the world’s best elephant camps Thailand is fast becoming the top destination in the world. Go there and see for yourself before word gets out and it is spoilt by too many tourists or greedy businesses charging more than is fair.