—Elephant Conservation Center
Welcome to Sayaboury, the homeland of Lao elephants
Set on the shores of Nam Tien Lake, the Elephant Conservation Center is Laos’ leading site for ethical, science-led elephant conservation. Here, elephants live in forest landscapes — not enclosures — cared for by veterinarians, biologists and Lao mahouts working side by side.
Visitors are immersed in real conservation work: observing herds in their natural habitat, discovering the country’s only elephant hospital, and seeing how rescue, research and rewilding come together. Every stay directly supports the herd and the forest.
- 530hectares of protected forest and lakefront
- 26elephants living in the forest, not in enclosures
- 1elephant hospital — the only one in Laos
- 4elephants released into the wild in 2019. A first in Laos.
—Three ways in
Stay, Support, or Study with us
Your visit
Stay by the lake
Lakeside bungalows, forest trails and the herd at your doorstep. From two days to a full week, every programme is guided by the people who care for the elephants.
Support elephants
Sponsor an elephant
Choose one of the herd and receive a certificate in your name, with the elephant’s name and photograph. A beautiful gift for a birthday or for Christmas.
ECORE
Learn in the field
School days, student expeditions, research internships and a veterinary workshop — inside Laos’ only elephant hospital and its three labs.
Twenty-six elephants.
One forest.
Every night spent at the lake pays for the hospital, the herd and the forest.
—Stay with us
Choose the way you want to stay with us
Each programme follows the rhythm of the herd. Pick the one that fits your days — the elephants set the rest.
Discovery
Your first, unforgettable step into their world
An overnight to witness the difference: no rides, no shows, just elephants living as elephants in their natural habitat.
Explore this stay
Exploration
Go deeper into the herd's world
A third day changes everything: you meet ECC’s free-roaming bull elephants, cared for nowhere else in Laos.
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Elephantology
Think like a scientist, not a tourist
Seven days of ethology, vet science and endocrine lab work, alongside the team that studies this herd.
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Back to the Wild
Off the beaten path, entirely
Eight days from the herd to the forest: health checks, camera traps and camping in Nam Pouy National Park.
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Yoga for Elephants
Stillness for you, purpose for them
Breathe deeply, stretch under open skies, and reconnect with nature, all in the company of Asia’s gentle giants.
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Student Experience
A field trip students actually remember
Three to five days of hands-on field learning for school groups, from the elephant hospital to the forest.
Explore this stay—Our work
Our mission in seven steps
From the day an elephant arrives to the day some return to the wild, the work follows the same seven steps.
- 01RescueEvery resident not born here was bought out of logging, tourism or trafficking.
- 02RehabilitateLaos’ only elephant hospital, with a lab, a pharmacy and a mobile clinic.
- 03ReproduceThe country’s only breeding programme, against two births for every ten deaths.
- 04ReherdRescued elephants relearn the company they were denied.
- 05RewildFour elephants released into Nam Pouy in 2019 — a first for Laos.
- 06ResearchEndocrinology, diagnostic and DNA labs, with the Smithsonian.
- 07RespectRangers, mahouts and villages — the people who live alongside elephants.
- The full missionSeven steps, one herd.
—The herd
Every elephant has a name
Sponsor one of them and receive a certificate in your name, made for that elephant — with their name and their photograph.
Boun PhengTall size, short tusks
Dor Kham SongMae Boun Nam's Son
Dor Khoun MeuangYoung & Free
Joum BanA Calm Gentleman
Mae Boua NgeunOur Lovely Baby Girl
Mae Boua PhanSociable and Playful
Mae Boun NamA Real Survivor
Mae BounmahPerfect Foster Mother
Mae Bounmy NoyFighting Spirit
Mae Bounmy NyaiInquisitive Stare
Mae ChampaA Present Born on Xmas Day!
Mae DaoYoung Blood
Mae DokECC #One
Mae Keo KhounSolitary & Shy
Mae Kham OhnGolden Eyes Matriarch
Mae Kham PengA Tall Mother
Mae Kham PhengBlind Soul Sister
Mae Khoun NeungLonely Soul
Mae Khoun NoyTiny Thing!
Mae Khoun SongGentle Giant
Mae Lay KhamIndependent & Greedy
Mae NoyA Big Sweetheart
Mae SengShy and Independent
Mae Van DeeA Joyful Beast
Phai Kham SingPlayful Tusky Buddy
SuriyaPowerful Little Tusker
Thong KhounMaverick Bull—In the press
What others say
“The 4th best place to observe elephants worldwide.”
“ECC is a bright light in an increasingly dark landscape for wildlife conservation in the region.”
“Through a partnership with the Smithsonian Institute, the ECC has established a successful breeding program.”
“Meet and interact with elephants the ethical way at the Elephant Conservation Center.”
“ECC mahouts genuinely care for their elephants’ survival.”
“The ECC team works to protect the Asian elephant from extinction.”
—Come and see
The herd is waiting at the lake
On the shores of Nam Tien Lake, in Sayaboury Province — forest, water and twenty-six elephants.