scard1 wrote a review Oct 2020

new york, ny2 contributions

Review of: 1 DAY Mekong Cruise to Pak Ou Caves. Kuang Si Waterfalls . Local Villages

The tour was fine, but please be advised that the elephants in the "camp" where you will eat lunch are in chains. Supporting this tour means supporting animal cruelty. Respectable sanctuaries do not chain elephants to trees. Very sad, and unexpected. I also heard one of the hosts explaining at length that there was nothing inhumane about the elephants' treatment when one of the other customers expressed concern, which I'm sure he knew not to be the case.…

Date of experience: November 2019

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Response from yuk461, Manager at Manifa Travel

Responded Oct 13, 2020

We do not use chains on our elephants during the day. (Except for the time elephant keeper consider it's necessary. for example, aggressive elephants during the mating season). The use of very long chains at night is practiced in almost all the elephant camps. (The only acceptable alternative is an enclosure.) The expert opinion is quoted below. 1. Elephant Conservation Center Why do our elephants have chains? Chains: This is a very common question amongst visitors. The ECC is set in a secondary forest bordering a lake. It is also bordering villagers’ fields, and the town of Sayaboury is not too distant. Our elephants are kept chained with a 45m long chain at night to let them feed at will and to prevent: Them escaping our land and wandering in to farmers’ fields where they could be wounded by owners and where they could destroy crops and goods; Them being stolen; Them being killed for their ivory and/or body parts; Them wounding visitors at the center or other elephants. While most elephants at the ECC are of the more ‘docile’ female gender (males are significantly more aggressive), all elephants have the potential to cause sudden and serious damage to people and property. At night, when chaining is used, it allows for roaming and feeding in their natural habitat. Their mahouts always make sure that there is plenty of food for them in the area where they are chained that night for their own safety, the safety of our neighbours, staff and, of course, our guests. For the rest of the day, elephants at ECC are not chained. 2. Elephant FAQ made by Germany official team as a Luang Prabang official project (EU Switch Asia Luang Prabang Handle with Care Project, full article available on our homepage) Is it important to use chains? Yes. But following strict guidelines. Elephants should never be chained nonstop throughout the night and day. The length of the chain is crucial and the animal should be properly tethered to avoid harming his feet. It is also essential to take into account where the elephants are chained: is it on a concrete floor? In the forest? It is important to remember that elephants have to walk for their physical and mental health. The Mahouts accompany the elephants during those walks. However there are also periods of the day and most of the night (elephants sleep only a few hours per night) when the Mahouts need to chain the elephants. Failing to do so may result in the elephants walking away and potentiality destroying farm crops, coming into conflict with humans or attacking other elephants. Elephants’ social structure is very important. However, most individual elephants in camps do not have acquaintances from that social structure and it happens that they attack each other. Unfortunately there are regular cases of elephants injuring or even killing other elephants. It may even happen in camps branded as sanctuaries where elephants are free to roam with no chains and have limited Mahout supervision. When the elephants are performing rides or any other interactions with humans, they may be chained before or after participating in these activities. This chaining is also important to avoid conflicts between elephants, especially in camps where there are a lot of elephants living with a mix of males and females Chains may also be used for veterinarian care. Many camps claiming the absence of chains may actually still use chains at night. Chains may also be used for male elephants during the musth period. An alternative to chains is the building of enclosures. Results may be mixed. For one, these enclosures are very expensive to build properly. Secondly, the space available for the elephants in a 6 by 4 meter enclosure (24 square meters) is inferior to a ten meter chain (31 square meters). Thirdly, if the elephant is chained in a forest, it can be moved from one place to another, allowing access to different types of food and interaction with other elephants. “In Asia there are few enclosures outside zoos that can securely contain adult elephants, so when individuals are not under the direct control of a mahout or keeper it is normal that they are restrained by chaining, which may be for long periods.” (Asian Captive Elephant Working Group) Some signs of good usage of chains include: long chains at night (some camps use 30 meter long chains) so that the elephant can move and access food. During the day: short period of chaining, the possibility to touch other elephants would also provide an opportunity to socialize. The chain should not be too tight whereby it should be able to move around the foot and no wound related to the chain is visible (iron may be preferred to ropes as it’s less abrasive). The area where the elephants are chained should not be concrete but natural soil and should always be clean from urine and faeces to avoid foot infection. ---------- I would like to point out one more problem with your writing. It's the word "Sanctuary". Many elephant camps casually use the name "Sanctuary" to attract tourists, but those elephant camps do not have the reality that the word "Sanctuary" represents. Sanctuary means a tract of land where wildlife can breed and take refuge. Elephants in all elephant camps in Laos and Thailand are not wild elephants, but domesticated elephants. These elephants cannot be treated in the same way as wild elephants and it is difficult to reintroduce them to the wild. Many experts are beginning to take issue with the fact that elephant camps are lying and posing to tourists while neglecting sustainable elephant tourism. Please read FAQ section on our elephant camp homepage. "Asian Captive Elephant Working Group" also has a great FAQ section on their homepage. A series of articles about elephant tourism on "skift.com" is also informative. Elephant camps in Luang Prabang, including ours, mostly have vast forests that can provide natural vegetation for the elephants, and the elephants spend a lot of time in the forests and rivers. Initiatives related to elephant welfare and sustainable tourism are also being implemented in Luang Prabang. It's a shame if our tour has led to misunderstanding and prejudice. Elephants are a cultural symbol of Laos and are amazing giants that live on the earth with us. We will improve the experience to make it more meaningful for our visitors. Yuki

Pijus wrote a review Sep 2020

Vilnius, Lithuania3 contributions

Superb place and incredible experience

We are Wander Spot Explore and we came to Manifa Elephant Camp and Lodge for couple days only but instead spent almost a week there. The place is fantastic! Staff was super helpful all the time, food they provided exceeded our expectations and I could not even talk about how great the view from our lodge was. Meeting the elephants walking through your lawn near the pool in the morning was something insane. Never expected to see so many and so well taken care of animals in whole Southeast Asia. On top of staying in one of the nicest resorts in Luang Prabang, we got to bath elephants in Mekong, visit their camp where Mahout family is taking care of them, also, a chance to go into nearby Pak Ou Caves after which we just chose a random Mekong island and got an insane BBQ there with a fire and even table brought from the resort. There are more activities, but in order to do them all you need more time, for instance during dry season you can also go kayaking. The only hard thing I encountered was that not everyone speaks English well and sometimes you need to wait or double check if they understand you correctly. But the staff is very helpful and always treats the visitors with so much care. You can always use translator if you really need to. Apart from that I hated only mosquito who were bothering me just after sunset, but it is a superb resort in middle of beautiful and green nature by the river of Mekong, what can you do about them.. For more photos and stories visit our instagram or facebook. We will also include this place in to our bucketlist on our page as this is definitely a must visit place if you are in Luang Prabang!…

Date of experience: September 2020

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Malcolm H wrote a review Jun 2020

Hoi An, Vietnam7 contributions1 helpful vote

Sunset on the Mekong

Review of: 1 DAY Mekong Cruise to Pak Ou Caves. Kuang Si Waterfalls . Local Villages

Emailed night before to confirm pick up time . Picked up from hotel at stated time in relatively new air conditioned mini bus. Cold water bottles on hand. Guide gave potted history of area as we drove to falls. The falls looked as they do in the pictures, absolutely amazing. We were there in dry season but there was still enough water flowing to get those excellent pictures. We hiked right up to the top of the main falls. It was very steep in places with a mud track. Very few people at the top. Back down for more photos and a cool in one of the many pools. After 2 hours picked up from local market area and taken to elephant camp. We were a little worried about this stage of the trip and had nearly not booked because of this. The elephants appeared well looked after. There were no rides. You could feed one if you really felt you had to. Most of the elephants were actually down on the banks of Mekong lazily going in and out of the water. They were not chained and I did not see any of the handlers hit or mistreat the animals. Our lunch was of a buffet style with plenty of everything to suit most tastes. You could have as many servings as you wished. Alcoholic beverages were extra but relatively cheap. Next slow boat up and down Mekong just watching the world slide by. Called in at small bay for a swim, travelled down to the caves were all the small statues are and then glided back to Luang as the sun was setting. What and absolutely excellent finish to a brilliant day.…

Date of experience: February 2020

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judewk wrote a review Mar 2020

32 contributions15 helpful votes

Well planned activities

Review of: Day Tour Mekong Cruise, Pak Ou Caves, Kuang Si Waterfalls, Local Village

Nicely planned itinerary with just enough time for all the activities. Mr Pan Sengsarang took care of our group and he did a great job. Will most certainly engage him again should we visit Laos in the future.

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Johnny wrote a review Mar 2020

4 contributions2 helpful votes

Very nice experience

Review of: 1 Day Pak Ou Caves & Kuang Si Waterfalls, Local Villages

I booked a kayaking+ guangxi fall tour with Manifa, it was an excellent experience. Mr Deang was my tour guide, he was kind and thoughtful. I had a buffet lunch at a cozy hotel with stunning Mekong River view, the food was delicious, and the hotel offered free drinks. I recommend you to book your adventure with Manifa.…

Date of experience: March 2020

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