Chiang Mai Elephant Sanctuary and Rafting

11 Ratings

Mae Win

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Discover Chiang Mai’s Joy Elephant Sanctuary & Bamboo Rafting: Observe elephants, enjoy a waterfall, and relax on a serene bamboo raft ride.

Duration: 9 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Thung Luang - 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…

What's Included

Free photography
Towel
Bottled water
Lunch
In-vehicle air conditioning
Elephant’s food and snack
Insurance
Tea and coffee

What's Not Included

Other personal expenses

Additional Information

Perfect for nature enthusiasts! Enjoy a tranquil day with the Joy Elephant Sanctuary & Bamboo Rafting Program: watch elephants in their natural habitat, gain exclusive insights, and relax to the sounds of the river while bamboo rafting on the serene Wang River.
Immerse yourself in our responsible tourism with Elephant Observation programs!
Interactive…

Location

Thung Luang

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.8

(11 Ratings)

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1 star

Oliviaco965wx

Nov 21, 2024

Nothing better!!! - This will be one of our special memories from a whole backpacking trip. It’s the only genuine, ethical and caring place to visit elephants from start to finish. It was the most perfect experience and if I could get six stars I would. They pick you up in a, high-quality van with comfy seats and take you all the way to the sanctuary. Then once you arrive meet the most charismatic yet humbling tour guide who is absolutely brilliant with both the elephants and the visitors. After you have some education on elephants you get to meet them and give them their favourite snacks. Benefitting enrichment, you then go on a small hike into their natural habitat where they get to play around. Our lunches provided and absolute delicious pad Thai and after lunch you get to make your own all natural nose clearer (much better than anything 7-Eleven Will give you) and it’s a brilliant reusable gift which can fit in any luggage size. Playing in the natural waterfalls was incredible with the current being gentle yet fun to challenge. And the bamboo rafting was a brilliant experience because we got to see other elephants playing in the water as we were going round and witnessed even more Chiang Mai magic.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Lexyrobinson

Nov 19, 2024

Great elephant experience - We really enjoyed this tour! The guides were very knowledgeable and friendly. We got to see elephants and hand them broken watermelons and cut up kabocha squash. The elephants were mostly behind a fence although at some points they were roaming around but at a distance. Although we were not able to raft because of high water due to rain, we really felt we got the most out of this tour. This was a fantastic tour with lots of information.

Review provided by Viator

Valentina_f

Nov 10, 2024

Ethical and awe-inspiring experience - Visiting the elephant sanctuary was an incredible experience. It was clear that the sanctuary operates with the highest ethical standards, allowing the elephants to live freely without any pressure or obligation. Watching these magnificent animals in their natural habitat, moving and behaving as they would in the wild, was truly inspiring. The respect and care shown to the elephants here is evident in every detail, making this visit both responsible and unforgettable. Highly recommend this sanctuary for anyone looking for an ethical, awe-inspiring experience with these amazing creatures!

Review provided by Viator

Q963fyameliag

Oct 14, 2024

Don’t miss this - ethical, magical and informative - Can’t recommend this enough. I was really concious about picking an ethical elephant sanctuary and this place is amazing. You simply observe the elephants in the natural habitat and learn so much about them. Inpon was absolutely incredible - so helpful, knowledgeable and such a kind soul. The food was delicious and I loved the addition of the souvenir. If I am ever back in Chiang mai I would love to visit again. Thank you so much!!

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Anjabm4161eq

Sep 30, 2024

Unforgettable experience - The day with the elephants will always be a great memory for me. Jade is a very experienced and relaxed guide. Joy elephant treats her elephants with respect and affection. Watching them, walking with them and watching them bathe fills you with happiness. It was important to me to support an ethically correct organization, and Joy is 100%. The ethereal spice mixture I was allowed to make and the rafting have super complemented the day with the elephants.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Aidanh526

Sep 7, 2024

Great experience. - Had a great day here with my partner. Loved hiking with the elephants, and the pad Thai was probably some of the best I had in Thailand. Our tour guide was very informative, and the rafting was fun. Probably one of the best activities to do in Chiang Mai. Highly recommend.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Sophiabq9138jl

Jul 26, 2024

Such an authentic and memorable experience. - Such a friendly, caring and ethical sanctuary! We are a couple in our 20s first time visiting an elephant sanctuary, we were recommended by our hostel to go to this specific place, due to its highly ethical and authentic experience. It really did not disappoint, we was picked up and given local food on the drive to the sanctuary by our driver, To, such a friendly and welcoming person who chatted to us all the way to the grounds. The staff overall were so friendly giving us so much information about their elephants and history. We then fed the elephants and later walked through the jungle with them. The walk was amazing, super authentic and genuine, it really gave us a true insight into the lives of the elephants that lived there. I would recommend wearing good walking shoes! as I wore crocs (during raining season) which was a poor choice from me lol. They made us fresh Pad Thai and gave us so many experiences whilst we were there (including making Thai Herbal Inhalers, swimming in the waterfall, drinking local tea and bamboo rafting) The bamboo rafting was also amazing, a really fun experience with our driver, To, taking pictures of us throughout the whole journey. I really could not recommend this place enough, you can tell they really care about the elephants and their overall authenticity was unmatched. Thank you for such a memorable experience.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Agnesl695

Jul 26, 2024

Well worth the small price! - Absolutely amazing experience, we had a full day of fun activities! Everything was planned out for us by our fantastic guides (who were also great photographers haha we had around 200 photos taken hahahaha). The sanctuary seems very ethical, the elephants had plenty of time to eat, walk around and swim! We were simply observing their daily routines. Bamboo rafting was so much fun as well! The whole experience is well worth the small price! Make sure to leave a good tip because they definitely deserve it!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Agnes_l

Jul 26, 2024

Well worth the price - Super nice people, fantastic experience for a extremely reasonably price! We had an amazing time and the sanctuary seems very ethical. The elephants had loads of time to eat, walk around and swim. We were only there to observe their daily routines.

Review provided by Viator

L7709jpmichellel

Nov 17, 2024

Loved the itinerary - Itinerary was 10/10 and would recommend but I had to bring it down a few points because our “guide/driver” changed midway when we left the elephant sanctuary to head to the bamboo rafting. The new guide didn’t speak English and wasn’t able to explain to us what we needed to do/ prepare nor answer our questions. We opened our google translate but it probably wasn’t accurate and he really tried his best but it definitely was a struggle. Other than that, the bamboo rafting was really fun and the experience at the elephant sanctuary was good too. The person there explained everything to us about the elephants and we just fed them (no bathing them of any kind which is what we were looking for).

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Check Availability

From $58

up to 15 guests

1 Adult