Bamboo Family Elephant Care + Sticky Waterfall

Bamboo Elephant Family Care is a small family-run camp about an hour and a half north of Chiang Mai. It was started in 2016 by Burin Ampai, known as Bank, and his father, after a young elephant called Noi was passed to the family. The camp says it uses no chains or hooks and lets its small herd roam freely. There is strictly no riding. This full-day trip pairs the camp's elephant program with Bua Tong, better known as the Sticky Waterfall. Families with children who like to climb and get wet tend to enjoy it most.

Pickup is between 08:00 and 08:30 from your hotel. The waterfall comes first: about an hour and three quarters by road to the national park, where the mineral deposits give the rock a rough, grippy surface, so you can walk up the cascades on foot, then time to relax by the water. From there it is a 40-minute drive to the camp for lunch. At the camp you change into traditional Karen clothing and hear about the history and behaviour of Asian elephants. Then you meet the elephants: you feed them by hand and spend time close to them, learn about the traditional organic herbal supplements the camp prepares for their diet, and finish by bathing and brushing your elephant in the river. You are dropped back at your hotel around 17:00.

Transport, lunch, fruit, drinking water, insurance, an English-speaking guide and a Karen-style shirt are included. Bring slippers or sandals, a swimsuit, a towel, sunscreen and mosquito spray; you will be wet for much of the day. The tour runs as a shared group.