Elephant Care + Trek to Waterfall & ATV

Elephant in Wild is a small sanctuary in the Mae Taeng valley, about an hour and a half north of Chiang Mai. There is no riding, and the sanctuary says it uses no chains or hooks because the herd is free to roam. You spend your time with the elephants the way their keepers do: preparing their food, feeding them, watching them roam, and joining them at the mud spa and in the river. This combination swaps the river for wheels: after the elephant care you trek to a waterfall and then take an ATV out on the dirt trails, so it suits people who want the elephants but would rather drive than raft.

After the drive out through farmland you change into a mahout style shirt and get a short introduction to the elephants and the herbal food balls the keepers make for them. You cut sugar cane, prepare a batch of the vitamin balls yourself and hand them over, then watch the herd roam and forage. Later they head for the mud spa, which protects their skin from insects, and then the river, where you help wash them. A Thai lunch is served at the sanctuary.

The trek takes around two hours through the forest to a waterfall and back. It is a genuine jungle path with stream crossings and bamboo bridges, so wear shoes you can walk in. The ATV ride follows dirt trails through the forest and farmland around the sanctuary. A guide rides in front and sets the pace, and you drive your own machine.

Pickup is from hotels in the city centre between 08:00 and 08:30 and you are back in Chiang Mai around 18:30. You will be muddy from the elephants and dusty from the ATV, so bring a full change of clothes.