2-Day: Good Morning Elephant Trip with Homestay

This two-day programme from Pon Elephant Thailand is for people who want more than a day trip. You stay overnight at a simple homestay in the Mae Wang valley, eat with the host family, and see the elephants at the quietest time of day, first thing in the morning. It suits couples, families with older children and anyone who likes rural Thailand at a slower pace. There is no riding, and the elephants are not made to do anything.

Day one starts after lunch. You are collected in Chiang Mai and driven about an hour and a half south-west to the valley. The afternoon is for settling in, exploring the homestay grounds and visiting the village herd. In the evening you help the host family prepare dinner and eat together. Accommodation is a wooden hut or a tent-style room, private but basic.

Day two begins with the elephants in view from the homestay and breakfast on the terrace. After a briefing on Asian elephants and mahout culture you feed the elephants, spend time with them and bathe them in the Mae Wang river. A short jungle trek follows to watch them forage. Then you swim at Mae Wang waterfall, take a 40 to 50 minute bamboo raft ride down the river and drive back to Chiang Mai, arriving in the afternoon.

Transfers, an English-speaking guide, one lunch, one dinner, one breakfast, drinking water, accident insurance and all activities are included. Bring a torch, a towel, insect repellent, a hat, sunglasses, spare clothes and any medication.