Elephant polo

In the seaside town of Hua Hin, Thailand, the annual King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament will be held in 2009 on March 23-30 on the grounds of the Anantara Golden Triangle Resort (phone +66 53 784 084 or e-mail goldentriangle@anantara.com). The event raises money for the National Elephant Institute.

Sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (New York office, 212/432-0433, www.tourismthailand.org), the tournament is part of the World Elephant Polo Association World Series, with games also in Nepal (December 2008) and Sri Lanka (February 2009).

Entry is free. The week-long extravaganza in 2008 featured 12 teams from 15 countries. Hua Hin is south of Bangkok, about an hour’s drive from Chiang Rai International Airport.