Ban Ta Klang, about 58km north of Surin, is the heartland of the Suay people — the ethnic group whose identity has been intertwined with elephant keeping for generations. The village is home to the Surin Elephant Study Centre, which was established to care for elephants that had been working in Bangkok's illegal street-begging trade when that practice was finally banned.
A visit to Ban Ta Klang feels different from tourist elephant camps. The animals live with their mahout families in traditional fashion rather than in a zoo-style enclosure. You can watch daily washing and feeding routines, and the centre runs ethical interaction programmes. The November Elephant Round-Up that puts Surin on the tourist map takes place here, drawing over 200 elephants for processions, displays of historical war re-enactments, and a tug-of-war between humans and elephants.