Chiang Mai, Thailand
A peaceful home built around dignity, choice, nature and long-term care.
Our Philosophy
We encourage visitors to watch, listen, learn and connect — without expecting physical contact. Touching or close physical intervention is reserved for situations necessary for elephant management, health, or veterinary care.
Because you do not need to touch an elephant to feel connected to one. Sometimes the greatest form of respect is simply to give them space, and take the time to observe, understand, and learn.
Visit
Your day follows the elephants — walking, foraging, dust bathing, resting, or simply doing nothing at all. And that is okay. Ethical observation means accepting that the elephant decides what happens next.
Morning + afternoon
Elephant observation in the morning, enrichment in the afternoon, and a hands-on workshop or bamboo rafting to finish.
Morning
Guided observation of the elephants with an instructor, and lunch at the sanctuary.
Afternoon
Help prepare enrichment, watch the elephants discover it, then choose a workshop or bamboo rafting.
Hotel pick-up from our Chiang Mai City service area is part of each program. Celebrating something? Ask about an Elephant Birthday Cake.
Meet the Elephants
Their stories began long before Trunk Heaven existed. Mo Ngae Po, Mali, and Chicha are cared for under a three-year lease agreement with the family who has known them for generations; Naw Keer joined under her own three-year agreement — verified histories, not sensational rescue copy.
Mo Ngae Po, Mali & Chicha — together, exactly as their family asked.
Mo Ngae Po
The Mother · ~18 years
Mali's mother. Lively and gentle — enjoys mud, dust bathing, and staying close to her daughter and Chicha.
Mali
The Daughter · ~5 years
Mo Ngae Po's daughter, never separated from her mother. The youngest, smallest, and most playful of the family.
Chicha
The Gentle Companion · ~17 years
Cared for by the same family for years — her caretaker, Mr. Chura, now works alongside her at Trunk Heaven.
Naw Keer
The Fourth Elephant · ~30 years
Born with bow-legged hind legs and once destined for a logging camp — now here to rest, at her own pace.
Trunk Heaven CARE
Community. Animal Welfare. Respect for People. Environment.
C
Community
Supporting local employment, farmers, producers, and community initiatives around the sanctuary.
A
Animal Welfare
Mo Ngae Po, Mali, Chicha, and Naw Keer choose where they walk, whether they forage, bathe or rest — throughout the day.
R
Respect for People
Chicha's own caretaker for years, now employed by Trunk Heaven — with plans to support his family, and other caretaker families, too.
E
Environment
Habitat restoration, native species, and responsible resource use — because healthy elephants need a healthy planet.
Your Visit Funds CARE
Your visit helps make CARE possible — for the community, the elephants, the people who care for them, and the environment they share.
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