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Mae Taeng · Half day

Elephant Sanctuary Half Day Tour

A morning at an elephant camp in Mae Taeng, back by lunchtime.

07:30 to 12:30Door-to-door pickup4 to 10 guestsEnglish-speaking guide

The story

  1. 07:30Pickup
  2. 09:00Mae Taeng elephant camp
  3. ~12:30Back at your pickup place

We pick you up where you stay between 07:30 and 08:00, free in the Old City, Nimman or Night Bazaar areas. From there it is about an hour's drive north, out of the city and into the hills, to the elephant camp in Mae Taeng. Your local guide is with the group all morning.

Once everyone has changed, an elephant guide runs a short workshop about the elephants and how to be around them safely. Then you help prepare their food by hand at a long wooden table, peeling small bananas and laying out the fruit on plates for feeding time.

Then it is feeding time. The elephants reach up with their trunks and you hand the food across. After that you walk with them, at the pace the keepers set. Stay close to the elephant guide and keepers and follow what they say; it keeps you and the elephants safe.

After the buffet lunch at the camp we say goodbye to the herd and drive about an hour back out of the hills to the city. You are back where you stay around 12:30, with the afternoon free.

The walk in · 0:09
  • Peeling bananas for the elephants
  • Elephants at a long table of fruit
  • A splash in the river

Read: Elephants: what we do and do not do

What you get

  • Van, driver, English-speaking guide
  • Elephant camp entry, keeper outfit
  • Lunch, drinking water, cold towel
  • Accident insurance for the day

1,600 THB per person, all of the above included. The day runs once 4 guests have booked.

Hotel pickup in Chiang Mai. Book now.

The morning

  1. 07:30

    Pickup at your place

    Between 07:30 and 08:00. Free in the Old City, Nimman or Night Bazaar; further out, up to 20 km, 100–200 THB per booking. Then an hour north to Mae Taeng.

  2. ~09:00

    Elephant camp

    Register, insurance, keeper outfit and a short workshop. Feed and walk with the elephants, then bathe them in the river (you will get wet). Buffet lunch at the camp.

  3. Late morning

    Lunch at the camp

    A buffet lunch at the camp, then a last look at the herd before the drive back.

  4. ~11:30

    Back to Chiang Mai

    Drop-off at your place around 12:30, with the afternoon free.

Pickup

07:30 at your pickup place (hotel, home, condo or café) if it is in Old City, Nimman or Night Bazaar. Further out, up to 20 km, we pick you up for 100 to 200 THB per booking. Your driver messages you on LINE or WhatsApp the evening before.

Mae Taeng 29°C · rain likely after 15:00. Weather data from MET Norway.

Not included

  • Tips
  • Anything you buy along the way

Bring

  • Swimwear and a towel
  • Sunscreen, insect repellent
  • Your own medication

Good to know

Can children come?

Yes, with an adult who books a seat for them. Children 3–9 pay the child price where the trip has one, otherwise the adult price. Under 3 travel free on a parent's lap; tell us in the note.

What if it rains?

Light rain does not stop the day. In heavy rain we may change the order of the stops or, for safety, cancel; we tell you the evening before and refund in full if the day cannot run.

Do you ride the elephants?

No. You feed, walk with and bathe the elephants; nobody rides them.

What should I wear?

The camp lends you a keeper outfit. Wear clothes you can soak underneath and keep a dry set in the van.

How long is the day?

About five hours from pickup; we confirm your pickup time the day before.

Can we go private?

Yes. A private trip is just your group, priced per person as the group day: at least 4 adult prices, up to 10 guests. We send a car or van and confirm within 24 hours.

Private trips and prices

Cancellation?

Free until 24 hours before pickup; later than that, no refund. You can book until 30 minutes before pickup; a booking made after 18:00 the day before has no free cancellation. If the group does not reach 4 guests by 18:00 the evening before, we cancel the day and refund you in full.

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