Chiang Mai & Elephant Experience

3 Days | Get to know gentle giants in Northern Thailand

5 out of 5 based on 4 reviews submitted.
Short breaks
Wildlife
From
EUR €223
View dates and book

See a different side of Chiang Mai on this short but sweet three-day adventure. From your base in northern Thailand’s most vibrant city, visit the ChiangChill elephant reserve to spend the day hanging out with gentle giants and learning how this organisation supports the protection, conservation and lifestyle of free-roaming elephants in the region. Observe the daily patterns of these elephants from a safe distance, seeing how they graze and socialise with each other. You’ll also be treated to a cooking class, where you'll collect some local produce at the morning market and then learn how to use it, from a local cook who will let you in on all the best kept secrets of Thai cuisine.

Trip overview

Map of Chiang Mai & Elephant Experience including Thailand
Start
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Finish
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Theme
Short breaks, Wildlife
Destinations
Thailand
Physical rating
Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
Style
Original
Ages
Min 5
Group size
Min 1 - Max 12
Trip code
TTAE
This trip generates 41.92 kg of CO2-e per person per day.
We offset these emissions on your behalf. But we know that is not enough, so we also have a carbon reduction target.

Why you'll love this trip
  • Meet elephants in a responsible environment when you hang out with the gentle giants of the ChangChill reserve, watching them eat, relax and socialise.
  • Enjoy a live lecture from local guides to learn more about the elephants, the reserve’s sustainable tourism practices and conservation efforts in the area.
  • See a different side of Chiang Mai, with authentic experiences and nitty gritty details all worked out for you. 
  • Head to a cooking class with a local cook, who will teach you how to collect the best produce from the local market, then show you how to cook some of the most delicious Thai cuisine, which you'll enjoy together for dinner.
  • Soak up this vibrant city with loads of free time and the flexibility to choose your own adventures, like wandering the street food markets in search of the yummiest local dishes.
  • By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, EcoThailand Foundation. Donations help educate school children on important environmental issues like climate change, nature appreciation, conservation and sustainability.

Is this trip right for you?
  • On Short Breaks, you maintain a good level of independence and freedom, with the added bonus of having the details sorted out for you. You’ll have lots of free time and you won’t be accompanied by a Trip Leader. This means that all included activities and tours will be run by different local Intrepid partners, and these may operate independently from each other. The included activities and transfers will operate on a join-in basis, which means that you could have your Adventure all to yourself, or others may join you along the way. If you would prefer to travel in a group with a dedicated Trip Leader, just get in touch with your booking agent and they will take you through some alternatives.

Itinerary

Map of Chiang Mai & Elephant Experience including Thailand

Inclusions

Meals

2 breakfasts, 2 lunches

Transport

Mini bus, Songthaew

Accommodation

Hotel (2 nights)

Activities
  • Complimentary Arrival Transfer
  • Chiang Mai - ChangChill Elephant Sanctuary day trip
  • Chiang Mai - ChangChill Elephant
  • Chiang Mai- Cooking Class

Dates and availability

Loading trip dates and availabilities...

Important notes

1. This trip starts on day 1 at 7pm with a welcome meeting, the trip finishes on day 3 at approximately 12pm
2. This trip is operated by one of our local partners in Thailand and therefore you may be joined by a mixture of Intrepid-booked passengers and other travellers during activities.

Essential Trip Information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.

Read Essential Trip Information

Reviews

5 out of 5 based on 4 reviews submitted.
Reviews are from travellers who have completed their trip and want to share their experience. We show all reviews, but may remove any that include profanity or inappropriate content, are unrelated to the trip or reveal personal details.

Filter by rating

Alice · Traveled August 2024
Wow, what an incredible end to our trip. We had travelled around Vietnam and Cambodia with intrepid and had an incredible time but really wanted to see some elephants before we left so added this on to our booking. It was a quick flying visit to Chiang Mai which we had to leave early for due to flight prices. Our guide helped to organise the cooking class to change the time so we could still attend and we are SO thankful she did as it was the perfect way to experience food and a really fun activity. The elephant sanctuary- ChangChill was amazing, our guide was really knowledgeable and got us to great places to see the elephants in wild habitats to keep us and the elephants safe and happy. it felt great to know we were being such responsible travellers and doing what we could to look after the animals but also still see how they would be in the wild. The cooking class with Cooking@Home was AMAZING, the couple running were so knowledgeable and great at explaining and showing how to cook their beautiful homemade dishes in a really authentic way before letting us have a go ourselves. There was so much food we couldn’t finish and were given takeaway containers to take it home too! It was just perfection and I wouldn’t have changed a thing!
Review submitted 24 Aug 2024

Simone · Traveled June 2023
Great local knowledge, fantastic experiences. Was great to get involved apart of a different culture and see things I wouldn’t touring by myself. Overall great tour and would do it again. Big thank you to my guide Jinny, very informative and great to get along with.
Review submitted 27 Jun 2023

Jole' · Traveled October 2022
I would highly recommend this trip to everyone. You get to have the local experience, which is so important when traveling. Nan and Chai did a superb job at explaining and showing their country, it makes me want to come back soon.
Review submitted 27 Oct 2022

Ben · Traveled October 2022
I'd highly recommend this to anyone wanting a more authentic experience of Chiang Mai. Chai the leaders takes you on tours of the markets and explains the Thai way of life and insight into Buddhism. The highlight of the trip was the monk chat he facilitated. It was very insightful!
Review submitted 09 Oct 2022
Chiang Mai & Elephant Experience
From
EUR €223