Chiang Mai Elephant Sanctuary Observation and Bamboo Rafting
Description
Perfect for nature lovers! Spend a peaceful day with the Joy Elephant Sanctuary & Bamboo Rafting Program: observe elephants in their natural behavior, gain insider knowledge and then listen to the river sounds while chilling on bamboo rafting on Serene Wang River. Dive into our responsible tourism with Elephant Observation programs! Fun Interactions: Change into traditional Karen clothing, Learn, prepare elephant food, and observe our gentle giants in their completely natural behavior. Elephant Paradise: Refresh yourself with herbal tea and take a break at the waterfall. All this in paradise located in lush forests and surrounded by serene rivers, our sanctuary ensures elephants thrive with a year-round food supply and visitor-helped planting. Engaging to the core of the culture: Learn how to craft your own Thai cultural handmade souvenir as a memorable gift. Hop on Chill ride: Experience the beauty of the jungle while Bamboo Rafting on the peaceful Wang River
Tour Options
Itinerary
Experience our Elephant Sanctuary Observation, Waterfall & Bamboo Rafting adventure, spend a full day relishing rural Chiang Mai close to nature. Change into traditional Karen clothing upon arrival at the sanctuary, as you soak in their fascinating culture & involvement with the elephants. Engage in hands-on activities, preparing food for the elephants while learning about their history and behavior. Observe the elephants in the jungle while they roam freely. Sip herbal tea while observing elephants in their habitat, then enjoy a cooling break at the waterfall. Craft a Thai souvenir before leaving Joy Elephant Sanctuary.
Relax on a bamboo rafting journey down the Wang River passing through forests and listening to river sounds. End your day with nice memories to take back home.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick up time between : 08.00 - 08.30 a.m. (We request you to be ready at the hotel lobby by 08.00 a.m.) A free transfer service to/from all places of accommodation within a 4 k.m. radius of Chiang Mai’s Old City. Transport from locations outside this area will incur a surcharge. In that case, kindly provide us the hotel/ property name. Customers will travel in a 12-seater, air-conditioned van, switching to a roofed 4×4 truck for the last 10 minutes to reach the sanctuary.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Pets are prohibited
- Child seat is available up on request
- Bamboo Rafting is suitable for all ages. However, young children and infants require close parental supervision for safety.
- What to bring: Extra Clothes, Swimming Suit, Sandals, Trekking / Hiking Shoes Sunblock lotion, Insect Spray, Customers own allergy medication
Reviews(61)
Amazing experience and a truly ethical elephant observation. They only have rescued female elephants. Great staff and well organised!
We were picked up from our hotel in a minibus. We paid more so that I could sit in the front of the bus as the roads are very windy at the final part of the journey up the mountain. We stopped enroute at 7/11 which was good so we could pick up some snacks. We were greeted by a friendly guide who talked at length about the sanctuary and the anatomy of the elephants which was interesting. Hand feeding the elephants was amazing, followed by a trek through the jungle alongside the elephants which was an equally wonderful experience. The elephants were well looked after which was good to see. We swam in the waterfall and then enjoyed a hearty and tasty lunch - vegetarian pad Thai. There were lots of opportunities to use the toilets which was a worry of mine. Lastly, we went bamboo rafting after a quick transfer in the bus. This was a fantastic experience and there were changing facilities and toilets at the end so you could change into dry clothes for the return journey. Highly recommended! The walk through the jungle is steep in parts so you do need to fe sure footed and of reasonable fitness.
We got picked up from our hotel and taken to the elephant sanctuary. As soon as you get there you are in the presence of elephants all walking around the area. The guide and staff were all lovely, helpful, welcoming and informative. We spent the day feeding, walking and observing the elephants which was surreal. We were provided water, lunch, tea and coffee at various points throughout the day. After our stay in the sanctuary we were then taken to a river further down the mountain where we did bamboo rafting before finishing off and being dropped back off at our hotel. Me and my friend had such an incredible time.
Lovely tour, you get to feed the elephants and have a walk around the land with them to end up at a waterfall. A meal was included and a cool down in the water. They are clearly very well looked after and treated very well. They are free to roam about the forest, although they clearly enjoy to be around people (expecially the staff that care for them). It’s defintly the elephant’s choice as they just follow along without any temptation. Very ethical visit which I’m extremely grateful for. We had a good chat with the owner of the land who put in all the hard work, including farming to give away to the local villages for free in times like Covid which is a lovley way of life. The staff and owner are lovely who care for nature, elephants as well as all the nature surrounding :) This was defintly the most ethical and loving animal experience you can have. Supporting and conserving the land as well as the animals. Thank you for an incredible experience !
Loved it! A highlight of the holiday. Guide and the owner ( who came along) very knowledgeable. Very ethically friendly - no touching/riding etc - Just what we wanted. You still get very close to these amazing and intelligent animals.
It was a brilliant day out! We did the half day option. It was very well structured and we loved how it was so ethical. It was a small enough group, so we got to meet new people. The bamboo rafting was great fun. It was great value for money, the staff were excellent and the food provided was delicious. I highly recommend!
Amazing experience ! The elephants are obviously very well treated (roaming free, not touched by tourists and minimal by caregivers, …) and the guides were great ! The perfect ethical Sanctuary to witness the wonders of Thai elephants
We did a lot of research for ethical elephant sanctuary’s, and this one definitely lived up to our expectation. It was very important for us that the sanctuary put elephants needs before humans and that’s exactly what they did. This is a touch free and riding free sanctuary and the elephants are completely free to roam. We got to feed them which was so nice, and went on a walk following them too. You get some time to sit and chill watching them which was amazing. Bamboo rafting was also so much fun, we even got lucky and got to see a mummy elephant with her baby right down by the river. It was excellent value for money, all the guides were so friendly and our tour guide was so friendly and gave us such a good briefing about all the elephants. If you’re considering this sanctuary, definitely do it !
Really fun and nice! Our guides was so fun and cool. The food was also good. I recommend!
Everything was great from start to finish. The experience was well organized and definitely worth it. Just be aware that the order of activities may change depending on the day. You might do bamboo rafting before or after visiting the elephants, but either way it works out well. If you do rafting first, it’s actually a great flow because you cool off in the water, then visit the elephants, and still have time to relax at the waterfall. Overall, an amazing experience and highly recommended.
