Moreover, Lampang is in its relaxed atmosphere and lifestyle more typically and traditionally Thai than Chiang Mai, and shows little change in spite of the growth of tourism. Blending cultural interest with nature conservation is Lampang’s remarkable Elephant Conservation Centre.
Elephants played a major role as beasts of burden during the heydays of the teak industry, and although that era has passed, a number of the elephants have been given a new home at the centre, where visitors can see demonstrations of their forestry skills, as well as the more recent accomplishments of elephants as painters and musicians.