About - ChangChill

Changchill , located in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, started its journey in 2017. Moving away from commonly seen activities that allow tourists to ride, bathe and feed the elephants, the team took a step towards becoming a truly elephant-friendly venue. With the support of World Animal Protection, and some of the world’s leading travel companies, ChangChill (meaning “relaxed elephants” in Thai) is now ready to reopen its doors – offering a better life for elephants and a unique experience for visitors.

We have two venue in Mae Win subdistrict.

Our first venue , Chang Chill “View Doi” is set on a beautiful mountaintop with a flowing river and lush forest, providing an ideal environment for our four elephants to roam freely and enjoy a high welfare. Additionally, the area is close to a local hill tribe village, allowing visitors the unique experience of seeing the traditional terraced rice fields.

Our second venue , Chang Chill “Hillside” is situated not far from Chang Chill “View Doi”. This site is home to four female elephants and is nestled amidst beautiful mountains, surrounded by rich forests, and has natural mud pools that our elephants particularly enjoy. This environment offers them freedom and well-being in a serene setting.

The transition allows all of our elephants the freedom to roam while socializing with each other. Visitors are no longer encouraged to interact with the elephants, but are now given the chance to see how the elephants choose to spend their days in the forest. Observe elephants navigate the lush forest, learn about Karen hill tribe culture with local community members, or enjoy the breathtaking view from the elephant observation deck – it’s not only the elephants that get to “chill” here.

About Elephant Family

ChangChill View Doi Elephant Stories

Mae Korn

Mae Korn was born in Tak Province in 1987 and is about 36 years old. She comes from a Karen family.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, her owner brought her to Mae Taeng District to work at an elephant riding camp, where she carried tourists for about a year. After that, she was moved to another camp in the same district that offered activities such as bathing elephants and playing in the mud with them.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and tourism came to a halt, Mae Korn was taken to Mae Wang District to work dragging rafts. She did this for about two years.
Afterward, her owner brought her to ChangChill, where she began a new chapter of her life. During her first week, Mae Korn was still adjusting to the new environment. She remembered tourists and would sometimes approach them, expecting food. However, Mae Korn is a very intelligent elephant.
Within a month, she began learning from the other elephants and adapting to her new surroundings. She started foraging for her own food naturally, spending more time with the herd, and showing signs of becoming more relaxed and cheerful.
Mae Korn has now been at Chang Chill for a few months now. We hope she can stay here long-term, continue to thrive, and one day fully integrate with the herd — finding new friends and, hopefully, a family of her own.

Mae Too

Mae Too was born in 1984 in Mae Hong Son province, where Karen hill tribe communities have a long history of living alongside elephants. The word “too” in Karen means “gold” and after spending several years working as a logging elephant, the two men that shared ownership of her asked their sons to take over, and they found work in the tourism industry in Chiang Mai. They spent about five years living and working in various trekking camps before seeking a different life for their elephant. Mae Too was one of the first elephants to join the herd at Chang Chill, and since then, she has spent her time foraging in the thickest parts of the forested land, always on the lookout for bamboo shoots.

Mae Mayura

Mayura is the youngest, and most energetic elephant in the ChangChill herd, is often heard trumpeting and roaring with her mother, Mae Gohgae. Born in 1989, close to the Thai-Myanmar border, Mayura worked as a logging elephant in both Thailand and Myanmar for many years. While she was sometimes sent to work in different regions than her mother, the two were often able to reunite in their owners’ home town during breaks between logging jobs. Recently, she worked as a taxi elephant in Chiang Mai, carrying tourists on her back alongside her mother, at a camp that gave them very little free time to spend together. We’re proud to see how much Mayura enjoys her days at ChangChill. Whether she’s grazing in the forest, or splashing in the river, it is plain to see she’s just happy to have her mother by her side.

Mae Gohgae

Mae Gohgae lives a special life at ChangChill, because “mae” in Thai means “mother,” and that’s exactly what her role is here. Unfortunately, many elephants are separated from their mothers at a young age, but Mae Gohgae hardly ever lets her daughter, Mayura, out of her sight. Born in the early 1970s, Mae Gohgae hasn’t had the easiest life. She spent years dragging logs out of the forest in Thailand and Myanmar before working as a trekking elephant in Chiang Mai. Before giving birth to Mayura, Mae Gohgae had another calf that died only a few hours after being born. Now, she is very protective of Mayura, and this mother-daughter duo are constantly vocalizing to each other, which can be heard echoing throughout ChangChill. We wonder if this proud mother will ever adopt any of the other elephants, and eventually take on the role of the herd’s matriarch.

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ABOUT CHANGCHILL