Elephants & temple half day trip

Go on a fun motorbike adventure to visit an elephant park, a beautiful temple (with viewpoint) and enjoy the stunning jungle and mountain rides along the way. We can accompany you to a local market near Chiang Mai University, followed by the beautiful Wat Phra Tha Doi Kham temple, located on a hill. Then, we’ll explore winding mountainous roads before reaching our main attraction: watching and feeding elephants at the sanctuary. Depending on your appetite, we’ll stop for lunch at a restaurant with amazing views of the Doi Suthep mountain range.

Usually, elephant tours in Chiang Mai start from 2000THB and up. With this activity we offer an affordable alternative for those who simply like to visit, watch and feed elephants, without committing to half-day or full day educational elephant programs. As you ride your own motorbike (or we can go by car) along the picturesque routes, you’ll experience the fun of navigating through Chiang Mai’s jungle and mountainous landscapes.

The elephant park, is located in the west of Chiang Mai and is a partner of the Elephant Rescue Park, where one of our friends work.

Overview

This trip can take about 4-5 hours, in the morning until the afternoon. We can meet you at your hotel / hostel or at the Mai Phare Motorbike Rental location of our friend. Times are flexible. We visit a couple of places and can adjust if needed:

* Local Fresh Market: Our first stop brings us to a local fresh market near Chiang Mai University. Here we can try Northern Thai food and/or get some fresh fruits to eat as breakfast or bring on the way.

* Visit Wat Phra Tha Doi: This a serene temple located on a hill, offering panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. This peaceful sanctuary is known for its stunning architecture and tranquil atmosphere. We take a local and scenic road to the temple, which can give you inspiration for other new places to visit after this trip. Entrance to this temple is free.

* Elephants spot 1: We make a stop at an elephant spot, a location surrounded by jungle and mountains. The nearby elephant park usually brings its customers here to take pictures and bath with the elephants. If we’re not too early, we can see some elephants here already. There is no entrance fee to this location.

Please acknowledge that the presence of elephants and possibility to take pictures at this location depends on the elephant park and if they bring the elephants to this spot at our time of visit. If not, then there are 2 nearby elephant parks where we can have a 99.9% chance to see and feed the elephants.

View Elephant Park: We visit a nearby elephant park, which is located in a valley between the mountains and jungle. It’s a beautiful calm location where get the opportunity to feed one, or multiple, elephants. There is a small coffeeshop and restaurant to rest and enjoy the elephants and scenery. There is no entrance fee to this location and a basket of food to feed the elephants costs 100THB.

* Optional – Eat at Mountain Cafe: After 12:00 it is possible to have lunch at a nearby restaurant, which offers an amazing view of the valley and mountains. A great place to rest, wind down and have lunch, before driving back to the city.

* Optional – Drop-off at Baan Kang Wat or other location: As this is a half-day trip, we can drop you off at a location other than your hostel / hotel, as you might want to keep exploring other locations with the motorbike.

More information and details

• Departure and arrival times for this trip are indications and can be adjusted to other times of the day depending on your personal preference, start from in/around Chiang Mai Old-Town.
• Recommendation: prepare for warmer, colder and rainy weather conditions in the mountains, depending on season. Be confident in driving a motorbike, due hilly roads, and make sure the brakes of the motorbike work well.
• Trip may be extended (in the full day Samoeng Loop) or altered depending on personal preference.