3 June
AN elephant camp near Nant Pan Tet Village, Kalaw Township was frequently packed with holiday makers and is becoming a popular tourist attraction spot in Southern Shan State.
Nant Pan Tet Village, on the border of Mandalay Region and Shan State is 70 miles east of Meikhtila. Visitors to the camp were enjoying elephant rides and posing for selfies in the natural sur-rounding that are considered as great photographic sites. They were also relaxing under the shady trees together with families and friends. The purpose of opening the camp was to create a tranquil area where people can enjoy the natural beauty, ride elephant and learn about these majestic animals.
“There were only a few visitors during the early day of the camp but as words of its beauty spread from the few visitors that were there, more and more came and it was now thronging with visitors. Entrance fee is Ks. 1,000 for a local and kids can go in free. An elephant ride is set at Ks 3,000. The entrance fee for foreigners is Ks 20,000 and this includes one elephant ride,” said a camp official.
“We are preparing some more activities for the visitors. For now, apart from the elephant ride, visitors can hike along a two miles trail to a small waterfall and bath in the pond there. Public lounges were being extended while souvenir shops were built,” he added.
The additional activities and services arranged will enable visitors to relax and relieve whatever stresses they may have expe-rienced before visiting the camp. Ten full grown elephants and two baby elephants will be at hand to entertain the visitors. The camp opening hours were from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and the camp was launched on 13 February 2018.
The camp was created by Myanmar Timber Enterprise to house elephants retired from timber extraction. As the elephant live out their well earned retirement, the public can also enjoy the natural habitat of the elephant and learn about their natural way of live.
By Kyaw Htike Soe
