Luang Prabang - The Rough Guide to Laos - page 206

ELEPHANT CAMPS
By far the most popular activity outside Luang Prabang is a visit to one of the numerous
elephant camps that have proliferated around town in recent years. Taking their lead
from the Elephant Conservation Centre in Sayaboury , these provide homes for selected pa-
chyderms in their retirement from the logging industry. Not all the camps are everything
they're cracked up to be: avoid anywhere advertising elephant “shows” and try to find out
how many people the elephant has to carry (more than two on its back - plus mahout - is
a no-no) and its workload, which shouldn't total more than four hours per day. The best
sanctuaries provide good veterinarian care for the animals and a strictly regulated work
load. Trips tend to include not just the chance to ride an elephant but also to help bathe
the animals, and some camps run courses teaching mahout skills. For more advice, see
elefantasia.org .
All Lao Elephant Camp Offices on Sisavangvong Rd and on the corner of Cha Fa Ngum
and Inthasone roads 071 253522 or 254548, alllaoservice.com . The largest of the
elephant camps, around 7km east of the city. Most popular are its one- to six-day mahout
courses (two days $170/person, including accommodation), though a vast range of trips are
offered combining elephant rides ($50/person for 90min) with trekking, kayaking, bamboo
rafting and so on. Guests on multi-day courses stay at the camp's Mahout Resort , on the
banks of the Nam Khan.
ElephantVillage Sisavangvong Rd 071 260012, elephantvillage-laos.com . Regarded
by many as the most ethically responsible of the elephant camps, this German-owned op-
eration currently has nine rehabilitated former logging elephants (plus one baby) which
they're careful not to overwork, and trains and employs local villagers as mahouts and
guides. The Elephant Village camp, 14km east of town, occupies a beautiful position on
the Nam Khan close to Tad Se . A half-day “Elephant Experience” costs $46/person; other
options include a full-day trip combining a five-kilometre ride with a trek along the beauti-
ful Trail of Falls ($77/person). The more expensive overnight packages involve a luxurious
stay at the Victorian-expedition-themed Shangri Lao Explorer Camp ( shangri-lao.com )
on site. Book well in advance.
The Pak Ou Buddha Caves and around
Daily 8am-sunset ∙ 20,000K
Numerous caves punctuate the dramatic limestone cliffs around Pak Ou - the confluence of
the Mekong and Nam Ou rivers, around 30km north of the city - of which the two “Buddha
Caves” of Tham Ting and Tham Phoum are the best known. These caves have been used
for centuries as a repository for old Buddha images that can no longer be venerated on an
altar, either because they are damaged to the point of disfigurement or simply because newer