Day 1: Chiang Mai- Palong village

The Thai Elephant Care Center

Your guide and driver will meet you at 0800 at your hotel for your Family Fun with Elephants and Sticky Waterfalls adventure. You will drive to the north to the Mae Sa Valley. First stop will be the Thai Elephant Care Center, an animal-friendly elephant camp. You will learn about the Asian Elephant and its current status as an endangered species. At this camp, there is no show and no elephant riding. You will also get safety instructions before you meet the elephants up close. Although in captivity, elephants are still wild animals, and you have to be careful in their presence.

Meet the Elephants

You will change into a traditional Thai farmers tunic which is very comfortable. Then you will meet our elderly elephants and get close to them. You will learn to make dried grass which you will later feed to the elephants. You will also visit the elephant cemetery and the place where the elephants rest at night time. Elephants love herb balls, and you will learn how to make them. Feed them to the elephants. Then you will bathe with an elephant. Elephants love to play in the water. It is a lot of fun to join them. Feed bananas to our elephants. Then it is time to say farewell to your elephant friends.

Market visit and Trekking

By this time you will be hungry. We will have a Thai lunch at a local restaurant. We can accommodate all food preferences, so please inform your guide. After lunch, we will continue to a local market where your guide will do some shopping. You can join him or explore this market on your own. Drive to the start of our afternoon hike. The trail through the forest is relatively easy. Enjoy the views and the sounds of nature. We will walk for about two hours, with many stops along the way. Your guide will explain about specific trees and plants in the forest. There will be time for taking pictures. Our destination will be a Palong village.

Fun activities for the young

After arrival in the village, the children can participate in fun activities in the village. These can vary from picking fruit, collecting vegetables for dinner, feeding the pigs or taking part in sports with children from the community. Then it is time for a cooking course. Your guide will teach you how to cook in a wok on a wood fire.
He will explain about the herbs and ingredients he uses. After dinner, your guide will take you to one of the village houses where you will meet some of the villagers. The Palong are originally from Myanmar and fled to Thailand in 1984. This tribe is known as Palong or Palaung, but they call themselves Dara-Ang. Overnight will be in one of the village houses.

Day 2: Palong Village – Chiang Mai

Visit the village school

The second day of your Tribes, Elephants and Sticky Waterfalls Family Adventure. After the sounds of nature and the locals woke you up, your guide will prepare breakfast. Villagers will organise a small local market. If you want to can buy some souvenirs. After breakfast, your guide will show you around the village. He will explain about the village shrine and the ‘huja rawl’, the ‘village heart’. The Palong women are incredible weavers. We will introduce you to the weavers. Then we will visit the local school. The children will donate pens and paper to the school*.

Hike to a Lahu village

After this, we will say goodbye to the villagers and start our short hike to a Lahu village where our van is waiting for us. We will pass through the garden of Sukhum. Many varieties of fruit, herbs and vegetables are growing in his backyard. It will depend on the season, but you will see bananas, jackfruit, guava, papaya, longan and many other varieties. At the Lahu village, we will visit a fascinating spirit temple. It is a short drive to a village of the Karen people. They migrated centuries ago from China. We sit down and drink a cup of tea before we drive to a local restaurant for lunch.

The famous Sticky Waterfalls

The “Sticky Waterfalls” is our next stop. These falls are locally known as Buatong Waterfalls. The falls are in the Sri Lanna National Park. Crystal clear water cascades over the limestone rocks. The limestone is not slippery. You can easily walk up and down the falls. That is why people call the falls the “Sticky Waterfalls”.

Visiting these falls is the perfect ending of your trip. We will spend a couple of hours at this beautiful place. Relax and enjoy the natural surroundings. After this, we will drive back to Chiang Mai. We will drop you at your hotel at around 1700. It is the end of your Family Fun with Elephants and Waterfalls Adventure.

*Unless the school is closed in the weekend or during holidays. We will then make the donation.

English speaking guide
Private transportation by A/C minibus
Accommodation in local house

Two lunches, one dinner and one breakfast

Drinking water during meals
Coffee and tea
Elephant experience
Limited medical insurance
Use of sheetbag or sleeping bag
Use of Mosquito net
Use of backpack (on request)
Toilet paper
soap
Towel
A flashlight is provided in teh village
100 THB donation per person to the school

Other drinks except drinking water during meals

Personal expenses

Elephant riding

Tips

• Short sleeve shirts for the day time (bring a spare one, just in case)
• Long sleeves for the evening (especially in the winter Nov – Feb it can be a bit cold)
• Shoes with good grip (especially in the raining season from May – Sep)
• A cap
• Sunscreen
• Flip flops
• Sunglasses
• Your personal toiletries
• Personal medication
• Fully charged batteries or even an extra battery for your camera.
• 1000-1500 Thai Baht per person in small (not bigger than 500 Thai Baht and plenty of 100 Thai Baht notes). This is for souvenirs, drinks and tips.

You will stay overnight in either of these two houses: Lung Boon House or Lung Chai House. We have been working with Lung Boon and his wife Ya Ma  for a long time. Lung Bun is 56 years old and Ma Ya 42. They moved to Thailand in the 1980s. They have four children who were all born in Thailand.

Lung Chai and his wife Tui were also among the first settlers in this area. They have five adult children. Lung Chai is 60 years old and his wife Tui 52.