Tong Bai Foundation Elephant Tour from Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Trip Type: Nature & Wildlife
Duration: 8 hours
Interact with Asian elephants and learn about their fascinating role in Thai culture at the Tong Bai Foundation on this day trip from Chiang Mai. For centuries Thailand’s domesticated elephants have worked to construct temples and log forests, but today’s population of 4,000 or so is just a fraction of the once-thriving population. Learn about this threatened species from expert staff as you get up close to these gentle giants. You can even splash in a stream with them during bath time! Lunch and round-trip hotel transport by minivan are included on this tour limited to nine people, ensuring an intimate experience with a small group.
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Interact with Asian elephants and learn about their fascinating role in Thai culture at the Tong Bai Foundation on this day trip from Chiang Mai. For centuries Thailand’s domesticated elephants have worked to construct temples and log forests, but today’s population of 4,000 or so is just a fraction of the once-thriving population. Learn about this threatened species from expert staff as you get up close to these gentle giants. You can even splash in a stream with them during bath time! Lunch and round-trip hotel transport by minivan are included on this tour limited to nine people, ensuring an intimate experience with a small group.
When your guide and driver meet you at your hotel in the morning, hop aboard an air-conditioned minivan for an approximate 1-hour scenic drive from Chiang Mai, traveling through a gorgeous rural landscape to Sanpatong and onward to Mae Win.
Then spend your day at the Tong Bai Foundation with plenty of time for your small group to interact with the elephants. Throughout the morning, hear Tong Bai staff share their expertise as they offer information about the nonprofit foundation, which provides healthy living and working conditions for Thailand’s working elephants and their owners.
Learn about the dire situation of the Asian elephant, which is on the red list of threatened species, and hear interesting historical facts about Thailand’s domesticated working elephants and their shrinking natural habitat. Afterward, you’re introduced to some of these gray giants to get better acquainted up close. Following your introduction, enjoy a lunch with Thai specialties before the real fun begins!
Accompanied by the staff and your guide, walk with the elephants through the forest to the river where you can bathe them and enjoy splashing around together. Watch their playful antics as they lift their trunks and spray water on their backs. Once they’ve been scrubbed clean, they get to cool off in the refreshing stream before you help bring them back to their compound.
Say farewell to your new friends in the late afternoon, driving back to Chiang Mai with drop-off at your hotel. You’ll receive a commemorative certificate to take with you in memory of an unforgettable day at the Tong Bai Foundation.
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