Family Fun with Elephants and Sticky Waterfalls

 

Price per person in THB
2 persons3 persons4 persons5 persons6 persons7 persons8 persons
9,3007,8006,8006,2005,9005,6005,400

 

This is a private tour. You will learn about elephants and meet them up close. For the children, we have included lots of fun educational activities on this trip. They will help cook, get their hands dirty working in the fields, and meet local people. Your visit to the elephants will contribute to their welfare. Your overnight in the Dara-ang (Palong) village will benefit the local people. If you have children under 8 years of age, please contact us for a special rate: info@green-trails.com

Total driving time:
Day one: two hours
Day two: two hours

Highlights:

Comfortable private transportation

Elephant experience

Mae Malai local market

Jungle trekking

Palong tribal culture

Fruit garden

Overnight at a local homestay

Visit of local school

Lahu village and spirit church

Sticky waterfalls

From: 9,300.00 ฿

Day 1: Chiang Mai- Palong village

The Chang, formerly known as 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. The first stop will be the Chang, formerly known as 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 elephants are still wild animals in captivity, you must be careful in their presence. The Chang is next to the Maesa Elephant Conservation Park, the former Mae Sa Elephant Camp. It shares the same owners.

Meet the Elephants

You will change into a traditional Thai farmer’s 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, where the elephants rest at night. Elephants love herb balls, and you will learn how to make them. Feed them to the elephants. 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. Continue to Chiang Dao. Drive to the start of our afternoon hike.

Here you can find more about the history and background of hill tribe trekking in Chiang Mai. 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 specific trees and plants in the forest. There will be time for taking pictures. Our destination will be a Palong village.

Kids from the Palong minority Hilltribes
Palong Children

Fun activities for the young

After arrival in the village, the children can participate in fun activities. These can vary from picking fruit, collecting vegetables for dinner, feeding the pigs, or participating 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 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 people 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.

Matresses with mosquito nets
Overnight in the village

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 organize 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 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.

Green Fields and forest Chiang Dao
Fields and forest Chiang Dao

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 “Sticky Waterfalls.”

Visiting these falls is the perfect ending to 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 on the weekend or during holidays. We will then donate.

Two tourists on the Buatong waterfall
Buatong waterfall

Highlights

Comfortable private transportation

Elephant experience

Mae Malai local market

Jungle trekking

Palong tribal culture

Fruit garden

Overnight at a local homestay

Visit of local school

Lahu village and spirit church

Sticky waterfalls

Inclusions

What is included?

English speaking guide
Transportation by AC minibus
Two lunches, one dinner, and one breakfast
Drinking water during meals
Coffee and tea
Limited medical insurance
Elephant Experience
Use of sheet bag or sleeping bag
Use of Mosquito net
Use of Backpack (on request)
Toilet paper & Soap
Towel
A flashlight is provided in the village

What is not included?

Other drinks except for water during meals
Personal expenses
Tips

Timeline

Day 1
08.00 – Departure from hotel
09.00 – Arrival at the Thai Elephant Care Center
09.15 – Start your elephant activity
11.30 – Departure from the camp
12.00 – Lunch at a local restaurant
12.30 – Departure to Chiang Dao
13.00 – Short stop at a local market
13.30 – Start hiking about two hours
15.00 – Arrive at the Palong village where we stay overnight
15.30 – Visit around the village
16.30 – Help your guide cook dinner
18.00 – Dinner at the village before free at leisure

Day 2
08.30 – Walk around the village
09.30 – Start hiking for about one hour to a Lahu village
10.30 – Visit the Lahu village and spirit temple
11.00 – Drive to Karen village
11.15 – Visit the village
11.30 – Depart from the village
12.00 – Lunch at a local restaurant
13.30 – Visit the Sticky Waterfalls
15.00 – Drive back to Chiang Mai
16.30 – Drop off at the hotel

What to bring

Short sleeve shirts for the daytime (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 rainy season from May-Sep)
A hat or 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.