Half Day Program: Elephant Care & Make herbal medicine ball

A gentle half day with the elephants of Kaeng Kued, a family-run camp on the Mae Taeng river about an hour north of Chiang Mai. The family took in elephants that used to work and be ridden and now keeps them on their own hillside, where visitors help with feeding and washing. There is no riding. This program suits families, first-time visitors and anyone who wants time with the animals without a long or strenuous day.

After hotel pickup and the drive into the valley, your guide introduces the elephants and explains how the camp looks after them. The hands-on part starts with the herbal medicine balls: you mix and shape the ingredients the mahouts use as a daily supplement and then hand-feed the balls to the elephants along with fruit and other snacks. Once they have eaten, everyone walks down to the river to help scrub and bathe them, which is the part children usually talk about afterwards. Lunch is served at the camp before the drive back to Chiang Mai.

You will get wet and muddy at the river, so bring a change of clothes and shoes that can go in the water. Drinking water, insurance and an English-speaking guide are included.