MandaLao Elephant Conservation

What a wonderful initiative to rescue elephants from slavery in the tourist riding industry and similar practices. We had an unforgettable experience walking alongside two elephants, observing them in their natural environment, and listening to the stories shared by our knowledgeable Laotian guide. This was one of the absolute highlights of our time in Laos. Truly inspiring and highly recommended, especially knowing that the money from this tour goes directly toward saving more elephants and providing meaningful jobs for local caretakers.

I discovered Mandalao through a Facebook page called Two Fat Expats and decided to stop by their office to try a half-day trek. Signing up was efficient! I joined the 9:15 AM tour, and the driver picked me up on time from my hotel along with two other guests. We went on a trek with the elephants—they started eating tree bark and pushed down a teak tree! What a spectacle. We were advised to keep a safe distance of about 5 meters while walking with them. Our guides Yeng and Dao were knowledgeable and funny. I also bought an elephant poop poster for $15 as a souvenir—quirky but fun! Mandalao promotes a no-riding, no-bathing policy for elephants, which I really appreciated. The experience ended with a delicious lunch before heading back to the city. Highly recommended for anyone who loves these majestic creatures!

This was an absolute highlight of our 4 weeks in south-east Asia and a beautiful and moving experience. Everything about it was well organised and enjoyable - from the initial (heartfelt and sincere) talk about elephant welfare through the trip across the river, feeding the elephants, walking with them through the forest and right to the gorgeous meal at the end. If you are thinking about it and unsure - do it, you won't regret it. Other trips are available but it's worth paying more for this because of their ethical stance and the close attention they pay to the welfare of these beautiful creatures.

Over the last two years, I have visited on my own, with friends and with three groups of English-language learners from Big Brother Mouse. Each time I visit, I learn more. For the three (so far) group visits I have led, the learners were eager to be educated and Mr Prassop provides a wonderful, appropriate and targeted 'lesson' on the importance of looking after, and nit exploiting elephants. On meeting the elephants up close, my groups were won over by the concept of nurturing and respecting the elephants. It is clear that everyone involved in Mandalao starting with first contact in the booking office in the main street, to the drivers, the guides, the reception staff, the kitchen staff, of course Mr Prassop, the boat drivers and the cahoots cares deeply about elephant welfare. For me, a visit to MandaLao is an essential part of visiting Luang Prabang.

Must visit in Luan Prabang! An awesome project that supports local elephants and aims to save this species as being endangered by farming and pollution. We had a great guide and two Mahouts that treated the animals very well. We fed them and then walked around the jungle. Also this experience includes lunch which I really enjoyed . Thanks

Finished the half day elephant tour this morning and it was worth every penny! It was very important to us to visit an operation that treated the elephants humanely and I found Mandalao online before traveling to Laos. After reading lots of reviews and reaching out to the organization I felt confident in booking. The tour guides Dao and “Rabbit” were so knowledgeable and I loved seeing the relationship that the elephant keepers and elephants had throughout our trek. The elephants were free to graze and the keepers moved them along to walk with us with only words. We were able to feed them some pumpkins which you could tell the elephants enjoyed immensely. It was all concluded with a delicious meal in the beautiful main center. Cheers to all the staff and founders!

So good, the care and respect to these rescued elephants is to be celebrated. I was in awe as we trekked in a small group through their habitat. It’s hard to describe just how good our experience was.

Half day tour was amazing. Reserved about a month in advance. Pay the extra money as this sanctuary is walking the talk on ethical treatment of the elephants. Hike with the elephants, feed them, see them play in the river. All in all a perfect product with delicious hot lunch and a cold beer at the end. Do you really want to bath an elephant when they poop in the water?! No!! Spend your money wisely.