Chiang Dao Elephant Jungle Trek and Ping River Rafting Tour from Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai, Thailand

For the truly adventurous! Approximately 37 miles north of Chiang Mai, situated on the banks of the Ping River, is Chiang Dao Elephant Camp. In an unspoiled setting, marvel at the worlds largest land animal, performing amazing feats of strength and skill, at the command of their 'mahouts'.

Then follow an exhilarating elephant trek through the neighboring jungle, past bamboo trees and hanging creepers, upwards toward a remote Lisu hilltribe village. The Lisu hilltribe people originated in Tibet and their villages are usually located in the mountains around 3280 feet. Local lunch is provided. After lunch, you will enjoy a thrilling river rafting adventure down the Ping River.

On return to Chiang Mai, the journey continues by road to an Orchid Farm at Mae Sa. There is ample time to stroll around this scenic area where a picturesque forest waterfall can also be found.

USD $88.03

Review by: Rocky Y	February 2012
Elephant shows were very entertaining. Elephant "jungle trek" and Ping River rafting tour were enjoyable.

Review by: joshua r	January 2012
Let's just say I ended up paying double for a car service to pick us up early. Little too touristy for my taste. Everything from the tour guide with a microphone to stopping randomly at orchid farms and other tourist traps along the way that we didn't sign up for and wasted a lot of time. Unfortunate because that was our main reason for going into Chiang Mai. Think if I were to do again I would choose to just visit one of the elephant rescue camps instead.

Review by: mclarens	January 2012
We really enjoyed this day. Saw the elephants in action and went for the ride for 90 mins through water and jungle. The food was fantastic. Staff friendly and helpful. The tour people stopped off at Tiger kingdom for us on the way back, which was nice of them to rearrange the buses for us. It was the best day and would recommend.

Review by: David S	December 2011
Was great, well arranged and got to see a lot. Only criticism is that we weren't given much time with the elephants before and after the trek to feed or touch, it was all every do this and then this etc. as it was a elephant trip would of been good to interact with them more. But it was a very good day. Thank you

Review by: Pat W	December 2011
The elephant camp was the highlight of our trip to Thailand and fulfilled all expectations. We stopped at an orchid farm for a comfort stop and it also gave the opportunity to look at some wonderful orchids. On arrival we were just in time to watch the elephants bathing in the river. There was an opportunity to feed them bunches of bananas. The elephants then gave a demonstration of their skills lifting and moving logs, working as a team in various ways. We then went on our safari through the jungle which was fabulous, stopping at the hilltribe village before returning via the river. We then enjoyed an excellent lunch, my husband is a picky eater and this is usually the worst part of any day trip for him, but he ate everything put in front of him! After lunch we went along the river on our bamboo raft which was so peaceful and a perfect end to the day. The only disappointment was that we had to share a raft with another couple (who shared the mini bus with us from Chiang Mai) whereas everybody else had individual rafts. The guide said that Tour East had only paid for one raft. This meant that there was only one professional photograph available to purchase at the end of the trip (very reasonably priced in a handmade paper frame) and the other couple purchased it. For the cost of the trip I think individual rafts should be provided. The minibus, guide and driver were all excellent

Review by: Crystal M	December 2011
Feeding the elephants was so much fun! The food was great and the trek through the jungle was an experience I will never forget!

Review by: Ni Luh J	November 2011
This was one of the high-spots of our trip to Thailand. It was very well organized; the guide was great; the transport comfortable; and the lunch extremely good. The elephant display was really interesting and had just the right amount of show-biz about it. The trek on the elephant to the village was just long enough and gave us what a taste of what it would be like to go a long distance on elephant back. _br/_ The rafting tour was fun too, and relaxing. _br/_ We had an unscheduled stop at Tiger Kingdom because several people had asked the guide about it and it was on the way. That was excellent too, and the animals are in splendid condition.

Review by: s4039cfs	October 2011
Was awesome...

Review by: Katie P	June 2011
This trip was excellent. The trek through the jungle area didn't feel commercial at all and we got about an hour trek. It was also great to feed the elephants and watch them bathe. Unlike the picture we didn't get to wade through the water on the elephants but we did enjoy the rafting down the river which was very peaceful.

Review by: Maria Magdalena Z	April 2011
wonderful

Review by: Stacey P F	March 2011
Fantastic adventure, I would recommend this trip to anyone staying in the Chiang Mai area. It was a full day adventure worth every penny. Very well organized from start to finish._br/_ I would recommend light clothing and sandels and don't forget your hat and sunscreen!

Review by: Susan S	March 2011
Fantastic day out, loved the elephant ride and the rafting trip, lunch was surprisingly good. Would recommend this to everyone. Thanks viator.

Review by: Charles-henry C	March 2011
Tour well organised, elephant camp very charming, river tour was relaxing. Overall a nice experience.

Review by: Del	January 2011
A wonderful day with the elephants, seeing them demonstrate how they were used for logging etc, and not playing football (previous other elephant tours had this sadly!). Watching them enjoy their food, lots of it!, being cleaned and the best of all a lovely ride through the jungle on the elephant with a great finale down the river. Pleasant river raft to finish. Many thanks, would recommend to anyone.

Review by: Karen Y	January 2011
This was a highlight of our Thailand trip. What a great experience... The elephant ride and rafting was wonderful. Lunch was delicious.

Review by: Alan B	January 2011
This was our favourite excursion!! 'A must do' if you intend Elephant Trekking, this particular one must rate higher than any other, set in the National Park, the elephants were well looked after and appeared contented. Nong our guide was informative and quite the comedian, more than happy to go along with our requests, visiting Tiger Kingdom on our return journey. Lunch was very good with plenty to eat. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Thanks.

Review by: Wai Kan S	December 2010
Nice view along river Ping, but the village was rather disappointing.

Review by: LISA M	December 2010
A lot of fun, would highly recommend this tour.

Review by: Luca G	December 2010
We really enjoyed this diversified private tour. The elephants are treated well, the camp is situated in the rain forest, food was great, the rafting tour was calm and very private. The guide gave us plenty information and spoke English well.

Review by: Dennis O	December 2010
This was a wonderful experience. It exceeded our expectations. Watching the way the mahout worked with the elephant and the bond that seems to exist between them was quite something. Both the ride on the elephant and the ride on the raft was wonderful. It was an experience we will always treasure. Our guide was friendly and informed and allowed us to enjoy the experience without imposing if not needed. Would definitely recommend.

Review by: Sinead E	November 2010
Absolutely amazing. You won't be let down and is worth the money just to know everything is organized for you. Savor every moment of it because it truly is an experience you won't forget!

Review by: CAROLINE M	November 2010
Excellent Trip!!! Picked up on time, guide was very informative and spoke quite good English! The local lunch was fantastic and everything was well planned and timing was great, no waiting around! The Elephants were amazing and are well treated, and the rafting was a great end to the day! Well worth it! Thanks

Review by: Loretta C	October 2010
Though much anticipated, it unfortunately was not very worthwhile. We didn't get to go rafting and the elephant camp felt like a tourist trap. It didn't feel like their natural habitat. definitely not worth the money. I saw way cheaper tours offering similar activities. The tour operator was nice though.

Review by: DAVID C	October 2010
Great tour, although we couldn't do the river raft as the river was up to high, the elephant ride was great, you cant ride elephants in Australia for that price, and great tour guides as well.

Review by: Anonymous	July 2010
A wonderful day trip, 7 in our group in total with a lovely guide, elephants were cared for and seeing them bathing was fantastic. Riding elephants as they walked along the river was a once in a lifetime experience, great lunch and the raft back was awesome. Do it!!

Review by: Gary K	June 2010
Definitely a "must do" if you're in Chiang Mai and looking for something to do. Guide picked us us being newlyweds from the U.S. on our honeymoon up early and even made another stop that I didn't know we were doing the orchid & butterfly farm, which was a nice plus since this was on the way and my wife really enjoyed it there. There were many more elephants there than I though which was cool and they seemed to be very smart and trained well. Food was thai and very very good, 5 stars for sure on the lunch. Riding the elephant was fun, but not too eventful and therefore made me drop the rating from 5 to 4 stars. Rafting was peaceful and romantic, saw some different animals along the way. Guide took us to the tiger kingdom after all was said in done too. Overall, a very good day. Kids would probably love it here, but not if they're afraid of large animals.

Review by: Ian M, United Kingdom	May 2010
A very enjoyable trip. The guide was very good and ensured we didn't miss anything. The visit to the elephants was the highlight and it was so nice to see that they were so well looked after. The food at lunch was excellent.The rafting experience was so senic and peaceful.Would certainly recommend this trip.Very good value for money.

Review by: Beverlie D, United States of America	March 2010
Truly enjoyed the entire experience.

Review by: Marci D	March 2010
Truly enjoyed the entire experience.

Review by: Colm M, Ireland	November 2009
Really enjoyed this!

Review by: Pamela S, United Kingdom	September 2009
Wonderful! I will do it again. Lots of time on the elephants, and it was lovely floating down the river! A great lunch, and there was time later in the afternoon to fit in petting the tigers!

Review by: Roy C, United Kingdom	September 2009
A fantastic day, lots to do and see, and an excellent tour guide. The lunch was very good, everything was well organized. Well worth the money.

Review by: Joseph M, United States of America	August 2009
Incredible experience!!!

Review by: Lynn O, United States of America	July 2009
Recommended it to others we met at our hostel and specifically mentioned Viator!

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	January 2009
A wonderful adventure. Guide was great and the trip started on time...no waiting. Would recommend this trip and online booking service to anyone. Thanks for making this a memorable experience and a wonderful addition to our entire trip.

Review by: Vivian J, United States of America	January 2009
Just a wonderful experience for our family of four. Prompt pick-up at our hotel. Our guide spoke excellent English and had a sense of humor, very experienced and knew the elephants well. He made sure that we got front row seats for everything. The lunch was great overlooking the river. The whole tour was also timed paced really well so we had enough time to finish each step yet never wasted any time. Riding the elephants through the jungle was just a fantastic experience we will never forget. It was so beautiful and peaceful, totally relaxing. At first I was a bit disappointed that the elephant guy couldn't speak any English to chat with me. But as we went, I realized what a blessing it was to be able to not talk and just thoroughly enjoy nature. Our kids 5 & 7 were originally nervous about the idea of sitting on an elephant, but they now tell me that this was the best part of our whole vacation, even beating playing on the beach. Rafting down Ping River on the bamboo raft was also an awesome experience. Pretty much anywhere you visit in Thailand, you can find some kind of elephant trekking tour somewhere. But we felt like none of them could have compared to the one we went on. The location was ideal, the elephants well trained, the mahoots so experienced, and the scenery just beautiful.

Review by: Hugo G, United Kingdom	January 2009
This is an amazing tour that includes so much - seeing the elephants bathing was really good and there were a few rather nice surprises in the elephant show. The elephant ride was an interesting experience, if not a rocky one and the hill tribe village was akin to a shopping centre. The river raft ride was a beautiful experience.

Review by: Lee F, United Kingdom	November 2008
What a great trip. Exactly as described. The elephant trek lasted approx. 30 mins each way with a 15 min break at a small village. The river trip lasted approx. 45 mins. Lunch was excellent and the orchid farm a nice extra. Would definitely recommend this trip.

Review by: Michelle T, Australia	October 2008
We had a beautiful day. The guide was lovely, gracious and spoke excellent English. The whole trip was well paced, we did not feel rushed. Elephants wonderful and looked content and well treated. Raft trip gentle and lovely. The lunch that was supplied was the only aspect that was not so good, but given the location we were not to disappointed. Overall, highly recommended.

Review by: Alissa M, United States of America	September 2008
My 22-year-old daughter has had special place in her heart for elephants since she was a little girl, so when we decided to go to Thailand, riding elephants was at the top of our list of things we had to do. I booked this tour based on the reviews I'd read and was absolutely delighted with the experience. Our guide was charming and full of information, his English was very good and he made the trip that much more special. Both the trek through the jungle on the elephants and rafting the Ping River were slow and quiet, just the right antidote for the previous days hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Lunch was also on of the best meals we had the entire trip. The scenery was beautiful and the people warm and welcoming. This is a trip I would highly recommend for anyone of any age!

Review by: Simon C, United Kingdom	February 2008
The holiday highlight! Great day out with everything running like clockwork.

Review by: Carole D, Australia	December 2007
I thought this tour was very good; so much so that having done this tour once before two years ago, it was the first thing on the agenda to show our first-time-visitor friends in Thailand. The show they do with the elephants, showing their working skills was very good, particularly since they didn't have any commentary! We actually appreciated that, as it made it truly multi-lingual, and made you realise you were really in a foreign country. _br /__br /_ The trip through the forest on the elephants' backs was magic. I could quite happily do this again and again. The raft-ride down the river was magical also - very quiet and peaceful, very relaxing and very beautiful! I could quite happily do this trip many times and never tire of it. On the whole, excellent value - I would recommend this to everybody!

Review by: Laurie R, United States of America	September 2007
This was a great experience! Our tour guide was awesome. Our entire family loved this excursion.

Review by: Patricia C, Australia	May 2007
This was the best tour we did in three weeks of traveling in Thailand. An excellent programme, lunch was great, and the elephants fantastic. I would highly recommend it.

Review by: Joan P, Australia	March 2007
Well worth seeing, well organized and excellent guide.