Elephants upclose: Learning to ride your own elephant individually and in a calm way.
One elephant, one person - creating trust the sustaining way
What I can expect: 3 days in the elephant camp
• introduction to the traditional leading of the elephant in the timber industry
• Visit of a Mountain tribe village
• Visit of the local sustainable king project
• introduction to produce paper out of elephant dung
• Create your special memory of a wonderful time
Please notice
Please always ask for availability before booking!
3 Days / 2 Nights
510 € / Person
+ 20% for single travellers
Services included:
+drinking water
+full board
+english speaking tour guide
+transfer to/ from Chiang Mai
+standard accomodation – bungalows with separate bathroom can be booked on request
To our accomodation
not included:
+alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, juices
+personal expenses and tips
+international and national flights
THIS TOUR INCLUDES ELEPHANT RIDING
Riding elephants means:
- Individual contact: each guest takes care of his “own” elephant – so there is no stress for the animals
- Sufficient resting possibilities: the tours are orientated on the welfare of the animals – breaks are necessary
- On the road: the animals are looking for their food on their way – many different paths through the mountains
Regarding the discussion “riding an elephant: yes or no” we have created a seperate website, on which we explain the position of ELEPHANT SPECIAL TOURS. Please click here for further information.
WHY IS THE 2-DAY TOUR THE SHORTEST TRIP WE OFFER?
WHY OUR TRIPS ARE WORTH THEIR PRICE
Detailed travel program
We will pick you up from your hotel in Chiang Mai. Pick-ups from the train station are unfortunately not possible, due to the tardiness of Thai trains.
(IMPORTANT: Pick up no later than at 8.30 am)
You arrive in the village Mae Sapok, where you can leave your belongings in your accommodation for the duration of your stay. During a cup of coffee or tea, we present today’s schedule. We then take a short ride to our elephant camp, which is located nearby.
Here information about elephants in general and about the tradition of keeping elephants in Asia is presented. Getting close to our animals, we introduce you to the characters and the story of each individual elephant in order to give you an idea of our beloved project.
You then get to know your “own” elephant for the duration of your stay and will cautiously be introduced intensely to your animal. You will then take a seat on the nape of your elephant and learn the first commands to ride the animals.
After lunch you lead your elephant to the nearby river and enjoy a long bath with the animals. You will then begin an extensive ride through the surrounding woods and finally arrive at the elephant camp again.
While the elephants now enjoy their free time, you will get to see the village of Mae Sapok. Most residents here belong to the mountain people of the Karen. We introduce you to their lifestyle and also explain how they adapt to the challenges of the 21st century. This is not a so-called show-village, in which people are presented for the amusement of tourists – Mae Sapok is a normal village as there are many in the area.
After a relaxing shower in your room you can enjoy the multi-course dinner in the dining area of your accommodation. You will then have the opportunity to attend a screening of a video film about elephants.
After breakfast you will go to the elephant camp accompanied by your trainer. From there you take a walk into the surrounding forest, where you pick up the elephants from their night time sleeping areas. You’ll ride the animals back to the camp and will be getting more and more confident due to the experience you gained on the previous day in dealing with the pachyderms.
At the camp you will have lunch and watch the elephants during their relaxed lunch time. You are then introduced in the specifics of working with the animals, which were trained as so-called Timber elephants. This tradition of work in the timber industry for centuries has been the sole source of income for the owners of the animals – we want to keep these skills and also want you to experience how smart those creatures are.
Of course, this training is adjusted without great physical effort to meet your needs. After you have been introduced into the woodwork, we ride another very beautiful way through the nearby forest. Afterwards you visit a local, state development project. It is designed to build sustainable structures for the community, as we are contributed to build a sustainable future for elephants. There is also the opportunity to visit a beautiful waterfall.
After your dinner you can watch another video film about elephants.
On your last day with the elephants you are already used to your own special friend and easily handle her or him with care. You will take yet another beautiful ride through the woods and are confident on your expertises in showing what you learned so far. After this, it is time to say “Goodbye” and head on to our our partner foundation “Tong Bai”, which cares for the secure future of old and young elephants. After this, you will be transferred to our lodge “White House” where you will enjoy your lunch with a wonderful view.
After lunch, you have the opportunity to design a unique piece of remembrance of this trip. A T-Shirt provided by us will be printed with the footprint of “your” elephant. We also introduce you to the unique method of producing paper out of elephant dung. This completes the impressive elephant experience in a pleasant and relaxed way.
Prior to departure you can shower before heading back to Chiang Mai, where you can reminisce with hopefully great impressions of your experience. You will arrive in the city at around 5:30 pm.
