This is the day most guests remember longest. No riding, no chains, no performances — just time spent with rescued elephants in a valley camp run by Karen mahouts who have worked with these animals for generations.
You will feed them by hand, walk beside them to the river, share a mud bath and scrub them clean in the shallows. Tor drives you door to door, translates, and keeps the pace unhurried.
Highlights
- Meet and hand-feed the herd
- Mud spa and river bath with the elephants
- Walk with the elephants to the waterfall
- Karen mahout hosts, ethical no-riding camp
- Seasonal fruit, coffee and lunch included
Options & prices
Half day
1,700 THB per person
Pick-up 06:30 – 07:00 am
Includes: Hotel transfer, Traditional Karen shirt, Fruit and coffee break, Insurance.
- Pick-up from your hotel and drive into the Mae Taeng valley
- Change into Karen clothing and meet the herd
- Feed the elephants and learn their individual stories
- Mud bath, then bathe and brush the elephants in the river
- Coffee, fresh fruit and return to Chiang Mai
Full day
2,400 THB per person
Pick-up 08:00 – 08:30 am
Includes: Hotel transfer, Traditional Karen shirt, Thai lunch, Fruit and coffee, Insurance.
- Pick-up from your hotel / accommodation
- Meet, feed and walk with the elephants
- Jungle walk to the waterfall with the herd
- Mud spa, river bath and swimming
- Lunch at the camp before the drive home
Photos
Other days out
Doi Inthanon Sightseeing
The roof of Thailand: twin royal pagodas, cloud forest and Karen coffee villages.
Doi Inthanon & Pha Dok Siew Trek
The classic park highlights plus a soft trek through rice terraces to a hidden waterfall.
Doi Inthanon & Kew Mae Pan Trail
A ridge walk along the cloud forest boundary — open only in the cool, dry season.