Elephant Study Center Surin

📍 Location of Elephant Study Center Surin 🚘 Directions to Elephant Study Center Surin

About Elephant Study Center Surin

The Surin Elephant study centre, located just 50km north of Surin city centre near Route 214 and Route 3027, is a remarkable destination for elephant enthusiasts. The park is expansive, offering a variety of activities for all visitors. The elephants are healthy, relaxed, and seem to enjoy interacting with visitors, playing games, eating food, and even offering short rides. The park provides ample shade, food, and water, ensuring that the elephants are well cared for and cherished.

The journey to the centre is a pleasant one, taking visitors through the typical Isaan countryside, adorned with rice fields, sugar cane, and rubber plantations. There are some good restaurants across the street from the centre, although the centre itself only has a few shops selling snacks. The entrance fee and rides are slightly higher for foreigners, but still only 100 baht to enter. However, it's worth noting that English is not widely spoken by the staff, and most of the signs and notices are written in Thai.

The centre itself could use some improvements. It is a bit run down, dusty, and in need of a fresh coat of paint. There are no green areas, gardens, or park areas to sit and relax, and the whole place can feel a bit like a dust bowl. The toilets were not in the best condition during the visit, so it might be a good idea to use the facilities in the restaurants across the street before entering the centre.

The elephants at the centre are often chained up and can appear bored. There is an hour-long show where the elephants perform tricks for tourists and school children. Some visitors might find this aspect of the centre a bit sad, as it can feel more like a circus than a study centre. The elephants are made to do tricks like dancing, playing football, and even massaging someone's back.

Despite these concerns, many visitors have a great time at the centre. The elephant show can be entertaining, especially for children. Visitors can also take a tour on an elephant and speak to the trainer or carer, who often have a genuine affectionate relationship with their elephants and are very knowledgeable. Visitors can also feed the elephants and take part in the show.

However, it's important to remember that these are trained elephants, and they are often prodded to perform tricks. The music during the show can be quite loud, and some visitors might find it uncomfortable. Some visitors might also be concerned about the way the elephants are kept and trained, as they are often kept in chained captivity.

Despite these concerns, the elephants are beautiful and intelligent creatures. The Elephant Village is about a 40km drive from Surin city, but the drive is worth it as you get to see the beautiful countryside. The elephants are all around the village, and visitors can see them in the main car park and the back of the main village area where the elephant show is held each day. Many of the local people have their houses and their elephants in this area, which is worth exploring.

While the elephant show can feel a bit like a circus, it's important to remember that this is a different country with different customs. The people here are not making a fortune, and this is their way of making money and surviving. Despite its flaws, the Surin Elephant study centre is well worth a visit for those who love elephants and want to learn more about them.