Big Boy Elephant Sanctuary – Half Day Experience or Elephant & Bamboo Rafting
Overview
Discover a meaningful day in nature at Big Boy Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai. Choose between a relaxing half-day elephant experience or a full-day program that includes bamboo rafting and a visit to Mae Wang Waterfall.
Interact with elephants in a respectful, natural environment while learning about their behavior. Take part in hands-on activities such as preparing food, feeding them, and creating vitamin balls. You will also enjoy a fun Pad Thai cooking class and a delicious local meal.
Perfect for travelers who want to connect with nature, support ethical elephant tourism, and enjoy a blend of culture and light adventure in Chiang Mai.
Half Day
- Morning : 07:00 – 07:30 AM (Return ~02:00 PM)
- Afternoon : 11.30 - 12.00 PM (Return ~06:30 PM)
Full Day
- 07:30 – 08:00 AM (Return ~05:00 PM)
🌿Half Day Morning or Afternoon Program
Highlights
- Feed elephants with handmade vitamin balls for a meaningful bonding experience
- Help plant banana trees and grass to support sustainable elephant care
- Learn to cook authentic Pad Thai and enjoy your own freshly prepared meal
Programme Details
Your experience begins with a hotel pickup in Chiang Mai between 07:00–07:30 AM (or 11:30–12:00 PM for the afternoon program) by shared air-conditioned transport, followed by a scenic drive to the sanctuary (approx. 1.5–2 hours).
Upon arrival, start with an elephant education briefing, where you will learn about elephant behavior and ethical care. You will then take part in hands-on activities, including:
- Preparing natural food
- Feeding the elephants
- Making vitamin balls
- Planting banana trees and grass
After the elephant activities (approx. 2–2.5 hours total), enjoy a Pad Thai cooking workshop (approx. 30–40 minutes), followed by lunch (approx. 30–40 minutes) featuring your freshly prepared dish and other local Thai dishes.
In the early afternoon, say goodbye to the elephants and return to Chiang Mai, arriving at your hotel at around 2:00 PM.
For the afternoon half-day program, cooking and lunch take place before the elephant activities.
🌿 Elephant & Bamboo Rafting: A Day in Nature
Highlights
- Vitamin Ball Feeding: Offer handmade vitamin balls to the elephants for a special final interaction
- Habitat Enrichment: Plant banana trees and grasses with mahouts to support elephant care
- Pad Thai Cooking Workshop: Learn to cook authentic Pad Thai and enjoy your meal
- Mae Wang Waterfall & Bamboo Rafting: Swim, relax, and enjoy peaceful bamboo rafting along the Mae Wang River.
Your day begins with a hotel pickup in Chiang Mai between 07:30–08:00 AM by shared air-conditioned transport, followed by a scenic drive to the sanctuary (approx. 1.5–2 hours).
Upon arrival at around 09:30 AM, start with an elephant education briefing (15–20 minutes), where you will learn about elephant behavior and ethical conservation.
You will then take part in hands-on elephant activities (approx. 2–2.5 hours total), including:
- Preparing natural food for the elephants
- Ethical feeding experience
- Vitamin ball workshop
- Habitat care activities such as planting banana trees and grass
After the elephant experience, continue with a Pad Thai cooking workshop (30–40 minutes), followed by lunch (30–40 minutes) featuring your freshly prepared dish and other local Thai food.
At around 3.00 PM, say goodbye to the elephants and travel to Mae Wang Waterfall (approx. 30 minutes drive). Enjoy time at the waterfall (approx. 30 minutes) where you can relax or swim in the natural surroundings.
Afterwards, continue your experience with bamboo rafting (approx. 45–60 minutes) along the Mae Wang River, drifting through peaceful jungle scenery surrounded by lush nature.
After the activities, begin the return journey to Chiang Mai (approx. 1.5–2 hours), arriving at your hotel at around 05:00 PM, ending a memorable day in nature.
Note: Seasonal Flexibility: Depending on weather or local festivals, the order of activities (elephant care and bamboo rafting) may be adjusted. Both experiences remain fully included.
Inclusion
- Hotel pick-up from Chiang Mai from Chiang Mai City Center. If you are staying out of town (outside Middle ring-road) additional charges apply. Please advise on our reservation form.
- Ethical elephant interaction (No riding, no performance)
- Traditional Karen clothing
- Cooking workshop materials and ingredients
- Local lunch & drinking water
- Bamboo rafting (Full Day program only)
- English-speaking local guide
- Insurance: To ensure insurance coverage for accidents, we kindly request a copy of your passport. Please send it to us via email or WhatsApp at least one day before the tour begins.
- Reservations are required at least two days in advance. For last-minute bookings one day before tours start, kindly contact us.
Pick-up Information:
✨ Free hotel pick-up & drop-off within 5 km of Three Kings Monument.
📍 Staying outside the area? Simply choose a convenient meeting point (click images for directions).
🤍 No worries if you don’t select one — we’ll arrange the nearest pick-up point for you.
📌 Final pick-up details will be confirmed after booking.
If you choose a meeting point, please fill in the booking form as follows:
Hotel Name for Pickup: Meeting point name
Address for Pickup: Meeting point
Exclusion
- Any other expenses not mentioned in the package.
- Tips and gratuities
Preparation
- Any personal medicine
- Swimwear, towel, sandals
- Sunscreen, insect repellent
- Change of clothes
- Shoes for walking
- Camera for unforgettable moments
- Pick-up time may be delayed due to traffic.
- This itinerary is subject to change due to weather or interruptions.
- All the timings provided are approximate.
- This is a join-in group tour .
- This tour includes travel insurance provided by the operator.
- This tour start in Chiang Mai
- This tour is operated by our business partner(s).
- Please make sure to enter the exact hotel name as shown on Google Maps when booking, so we can arrange your pick-up correctly.
- If your group made separate bookings, please provide all booking references at least 2 days before the travel date. We cannot guarantee seats in the same vehicle without this information.
- Please provide a WhatsApp-enabled phone number so our team can contact you easily on the day of the tour.
- If you have a flight after the tour, please inform us. Airport drop-off is not included, and travel times may vary due to traffic.
You’ll get confirmation within 24 hours . If you don’t receive any confirmation, please contact us at [email protected] or +66 62 289 5343
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Cancellations made at least 2 days prior to the travel date are eligible for a refund.
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Credit card processing fees, payment gateway fees, bank charges, and other transaction fees are non-refundable and may be deducted from the refund amount.
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Refunds will be processed through the original payment method whenever possible. If this is not possible, a refund will be issued by bank transfer or cash.
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No refund for no-show and last-minute cancellation for all reasons to maintain our competitive price as your seats cannot be resold.
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Changes of travel date must be made at least 2 days prior to the travel date.
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In the event of a force majeure or unforeseen event such as bad weather or cancellation by our business partner(s), we reserve the right to cancel the tour. In this case, you will be given the option to reschedule or request a full refund.
