July 19, 2007

Asia | Thailand

Vogue Elephants

By Newley Purnell

Trunk up in the jungled wilderness of the Golden Triangle.

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Pachyderm lovers with an adventurous streak, take note: Thailand’s Four Seasons Tented Camp was made just for you. Located in the Golden Triangle area that the Kingdom shares with Myanmar and Laos, the seriously sumptuous lodge is surrounded by steamy bamboo jungles and has 15 tented rooms that are as comfy as the setting is rugged (think hand-hammered copper bathtubs). Outside, trained mahouts teach guests how to bathe and ride indigenous elephants. The gentle giants can take you on mountain trails, or along the banks of the Mekong — and you can expect a top-notch jungle picnic to boot.

Elephants and Thailand go way back — they were once used in combat and, until recently, powered the logging industry. These days you’re more likely to see them abused by touts leading them through Bangkok’s chaotic streets in search of tourist handouts. Such a sight so distressed one Napa Valley vintner couple that, after a recent trip to the Four Seasons lodge, they launched a program to save other elephants from a similar fate. Now, the entire proceeds of their specially-created wine, Rescue, go to the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation — which has also enlisted Cesare Casadei. The Italian shoe designer’s exclusive new animal print pumps funnel funds to the rescue mission, too. So now you can expect to see even more elephants roaming the grounds at Four Seasons Tented Camp.