Elephant Handling License: So incredible, it gets you goose bumps

Day 2

Training in our elephant camp:

We introduce you to the life and behavior of elephants. Accompanied by your English-speaking elephant trainer, you will be introduced to our herd and will get to know your “own” elephant in a very calm and intense way. You then will experience your first elephant ride in the neck of your new friend. After lunch in the camp you will take your elephant to a bath in the nearby river and start a ride through the surrounding woods which lets you experience the unique bound between people and elephants for the first time. In the afternoon you visit one of the villages of the local mountain people called Karen who work have been working with elephants for centuries. After the multi-course dinner in your lodge you are free to watch a movie about the anatomy of elephants.

Day 3

Excursion to two elephant hospitals, to the Elephant Conservation Center and visit to a temple

In Lampang, you visit the biggest elephant conservation center in Thailand. Besides attending a unique kind of “ elephant talent show” of the elephants, you will be introduced into the production of paper made of elephant dung. After that, you will visit a governmental and also a private elephant hospital. Here, where the animals are treated in different but both equally effective ways. In the afternoon you will stroll over a Itraditional Thai market, far off of normal tourist activities. At the end of the day you will get to see one of the most sacred Buddhist temples in Northern Thailand – Wat Haripunchai in Lamphun.
After dinner you will again have the chance to watch a movie about elephants.

Day 4 

Training in our elephant camp:

Together with the Mahouts you gather the elephants from their nighttime sleeping places in the forest. You gain further insight into basics of working the work with elephants and will enjoy taking a bath with them the elephants in the river next to our camp. With the help of your eEnglishspeaking elephant trainer you further learn to ride. In the afternoon you will visit a royal agricultural project and a lovely waterfall in Mae Sapok.

Day 5

AExcursion to the zoo in Chiang Mai and the famous monastery Wat Doi Suthep:

Day 6 

Training in our elephant camp:

You learn about the work of elephants in the jungle. Under the guidance of your elephant trainer you ride the elephant on its neck independently using the commands you have learned. Once more you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of northern Thailand and its mountains and valleys.

Day 7 

xcursion to 2 very unique temples nearby our village:

You will visit two very different temple complexes. Experience the spirituality of the centuries-old mountain monastery “Wat Luang”. The monastery lies deep in the forest and is very rarely visited by tourists. Here you can quietly explore the complex and let the meditative environment work for you. Particularly impressive are the two large wooden Buddhas, which were made from a tree trunk. After lunch, drive to the monastery “Wat Hui Thong”, built by the Karen tribe. See why the monastery is also called “Temple of the Thousand Buddhas”. The monastery is located on a mountain: Enjoy the beautiful view over the valley.

Day 8

Training in our elephant camp:

Together with your Mahouts you gather the elephants from the surroundings of the camp where they spent their nights sleeping. Our riding trips through the surroundings closer region are now stabilizing your skills and to prepare you for your final “examination”. Demonstrate your skills by cleaning an elephant in the river. Practice your commands while getting on and off the elephant. You will ride along old walking treks and will have spectacular views during those rides. You also start to learn to work how to pile up tree stalks with your elephant.
Of course, this training is adjusted without great physical effort to meet your needs. This tradition of work in the timber industry for centuries has been the sole source of income for the owners of the animals for centuries – we want to keep these skills alive and also want you as our guests to experience how smart those creatures are. In the evening you may watch a documentary about the work of timber elephants.

Day 9

Training in our elephant camp:

Together with your Mahout you practice the elephant commands you have learned. Accompanied by your elephant trainer you continue to work in the field of lodging with your elephant and learn how to outfit the elephant with the necessary equipment for pulling tree stalks. Bathing with your elephant concludes this day in the elephant camp. After lunch you experience the beauty of the local fauna while walking along the river to the valley. You will pass bamboo woods as well as giant old trees and various water falls with fantastic views.

Day 10

Excursion to the highest mountain in Thailand “Doi Inthanon” and its surrounding national park:

Together we experience the unique climate on the Doi Inthanon, the highest point (2565 meters) in of Thailand, where the last king of Northern Thailand is buried. We visit the evergreen forest where with its trees covered with orchids and moss. The last stop on this day is at the spectacular Wachirathan waterfall which is about 30 meters high, which where we take includes a walk down along the way as of the water falling into the valley.

Day 11

raining in our elephant camp:

Together with the Mahouts you gather the elephants from their overnight sleeping places in the forest. You ride the elephants independently by using the commands you have learned. To clean and refresh the elephants you take a bath with them in the river. With the help of your trainer you review the techniques for putting work equipment on the elephant. Now you can independently work with the elephant. In the afternoon you have the opportunity to go on a bamboo raft which takes you on a peaceful path along local Mae Wang river.

Day 12

Excursion to traditional hand crafting centers and a beautiful cave temple:

Sie fahren nach Baan Tawai, um das traditionelle Kunsthandwerkszentrum Nordthailands kennen zu lernen, wo aus Teakholz gefertigte Möbel und Gebrauchsgegenstände angeboten werden. Am Nachmittag besuchen Sie dann die Handwerksbetriebe im Dorf Bo Sang, wo traditionelle Schirme aus Papier und Seide hergestellt werden. Am Abschluss des Tages werden wir einen ganz besonderen Tempel kennen lernen, der neben wild lebenden Affen eines der spektakulärsten Höhlensysteme der Gegend bietet.

Day 13

Training and receipt of your driver’s license. Farewell party in the camp:

Your last day of activitiyes with your elephant in the camp: Show your trainer and your Mahout what you have learned working with the elephant. Demonstrate your talent steering the elephant. A certificate for successfully attending the “Elephant Handling Course License” will be handed out to you. We then celebrate the happy conclusion of two wonderful weeks together with our elephant keepers and our staff.