A morning with elephants at a sanctuary that does not offer riding, a bamboo raft down the Mae Wang river, and a limestone waterfall you can walk up barefoot.
This is the day most families ask me for. Elephants in the morning, the river after lunch, and the sticky waterfall in the afternoon when it is hottest and the water feels best.
The three places are in different directions from the city, so the order matters. I plan it so we spend the least time in the van. If you want a full morning with the elephants and no rafting, or more time at the waterfall, tell me and I change the plan.
A typical day. We can move, skip or add stops.
We leave Chiang Mai in the morning. The sanctuaries are about an hour from the city.
You prepare food for the elephants, feed them, walk with them and, at most sanctuaries, help wash them in the river. I only take guests to sanctuaries with no riding and no shows. Tell me if you would rather watch than bathe, and I will pick the right one.
A slow ride on a bamboo raft down the Mae Wang river with a local boatman steering. You will get wet up to the ankles.
Lunch is either included at the sanctuary or at a restaurant by the river, depending on which sanctuary you choose.
The water here carries so much calcium that the rocks are coated in rough limestone. You can walk up the waterfall barefoot without slipping. There are ropes on the steeper parts and a spring at the top where the water comes out of the ground.
The waterfall is about an hour north of the city. I drop you at your hotel in the late afternoon.
Sanctuaries differ. Some let you bathe the elephants, some only let you feed and walk with them. Tell me what you prefer and I will suggest one near Mae Wang so the day fits together. The pickup time follows the slot you book.
Rafting depends on the water level. From March to May the river is sometimes too low, and I will suggest something else for that part of the day.
A canyon of eroded rock pillars south of the city, a bamboo raft on the Mae Wang river, a café by the fish ponds, and a hilltop temple on the way home.
The highest mountain in Thailand, two royal pagodas, a hike through the forest to a Karen village, and the biggest waterfall in the park.
An easy day in the Mae Sa valley north of the city, with the glasshouses and canopy walk of the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, the ten tiers of Mae Sa waterfall, and an orchid farm on the way back.