I have seen a lot of agencies in Laos offering elephant riding which is sad because their backs are not designed for riding. It's great to know that there's this real sanctuary in Vang Vieng where it's us who can work for them. They deserve to be cared for after all they've been through. I visited Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai which is also similar to that place and it was a lot of fun. Would love to visit that too if budget permits :)