TTAC01 - Chiang Dao Explorer

We will pick you up at your hotel at around 7.45 in the morning to drive out of the city, towards the northern town of Chiang Dao. On the way we will make a couple of interesting stops. Firstly we stop at a local market. Your professional English speaking guide with take you around and explain you about the herbs and vegetables, used in Thai cooking as well as the strange kinds of food and the other local products you can find here. After that we will continue to Chiang Dao Elephant Camp. Did you know that elephants love to take a bath and play in the water? The local people have used these majestic animals for centuries, in the old days for warfare, transportation and logging. Nowadays there is no real need for them anymore. And their natural habitat has shrunken dramatically due to the ever-growing need for agriculture. So most elephants in Thailand are actually born in captivity and used in tourism industry. This camp will show us how elephants used to be trained in the past, how they used to work in the logging industry. It’s very interesting how intelligent these animals are. After this first highlight we will continue further into the countryside where we will stop at a Karen hill tribe village. The Karen tribe is the biggest and most famous of all the different tribes living in Thailand. Our guide speaks the local language and will tell you all about their customs, traditions and history, it's quite a story...

We will enjoy our lunch and prepare ourselves to make a 1-hour jungle trek on elephants. It’s a great experience to sit on these big creatures while they seem to effortlessly carry you around up and down the hills. After this it is time to use your own legs a bit, we will make a walk through the jungle of about 1 or two hours, depending on you and the weather. Our experienced trekking guide will tell you all about this area. There are many interesting plants growing all around you. You will be amazed to hear how well the local people know these plants and what they can use them for. After this walk, we will get back into our truck and transfer to the rafting camp. Don’t worry, this is not wild water rafting, this is bamboo rafting, you’ll see it’s a relaxing experience. While the helmsman maneuver your raft down the stream, you have time to look around and enjoy the scenery, the sun, and the sounds of the birds. After changing into a pair of dry clothes, it’s time to head back to Chiang Mai where we will arrive around 5 or 6 in the afternoon. If you like, we can make a stop at an orchid nursery on the way back. These famous and beautifully colored flowers are grown easily here in the warm and humid climate. There is a butterfly garden attached as well, depending on the season you can see some beautiful species here.