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Chiang Mai · Nature & adventure

Chiang Mai elephant sanctuary — full day, no riding

  • 8 hours
  • Small group
  • English, Thai
  • Free cancellation up to 48 h before

The trip, in short

Chiang Mai is where Thailand’s no-riding movement started, and the sanctuaries in the Mae Taeng and Mae Wang valleys are the best in the country at it. Most of the elephants here came off logging or trekking camps.

The full-day programme gives you time the half-day does not: preparing food, feeding, walking out with the herd, the mud pit, the river, and long stretches where you simply watch them be elephants.

Nobody rides, nobody performs, and the mahouts carry no hooks.

Highlights

  • No riding, no shows
  • Prepare and hand-feed the herd
  • River walk and mud bath
  • Lunch at the sanctuary

What's included

  • Air-conditioned hotel pick-up and drop-off
  • Sanctuary programme and entrance
  • Elephant food
  • Mahout shirt
  • Buffet lunch
  • Shower and changing facilities
  • Passenger accident insurance

Not included

  • Alcoholic drinks
  • Personal expenses and souvenirs
  • Gratuities — appreciated, never expected

Meeting point

Your hotel lobby in Chiang Mai.

Pick-up area: Chiang Mai old city, Nimman and Riverside hotels. We message your exact pick-up window the evening before, with the driver's name and vehicle.

Before you book

  • Bring a change of clothes and a towel. You will be muddy and wet.
  • The road into the valley is unsealed for the last stretch and is not comfortable for anyone with back trouble.
  • Guests under 4 are not accepted for safety reasons.

Who you are contracting with

We are the organiser of this service

Organiser

We contract for this service as principal — it is operated by us, or by a local supplier engaged by us in our own name in Thailand. Your contract is with us, not with the driver, guide, captain or boat operator, and we carry the obligation to deliver it as described.

This service is performed in Thailand, by our Bangkok operation. Access Transit Express, registered in Indonesia, is the merchant of record for the payment: the charge, the invoice and any refund come from us, and your statement reads ACCESSTRANSITEXPRESS.

Our role, in full

Cancellation & refunds

Cancel free up to 48 hours before the start time for a full refund to the card you paid with. Cancel later than that and the booking is non-refundable, because the vehicle, seat or greeter has already been committed.

  • Refunds are issued within one business day and reach your card in 5–10 business days, depending on your bank.
  • If we cancel — weather, a marine department closure, a mechanical failure — you choose a new date or a full refund, whenever we cancel.
  • No-shows and cancellations inside the window are not refundable. We will always try to move you to another date first.
Read the full refund policy

Not sure this is the right trip?

Our Bangkok desk answers 24 hours a day, every day. Tell us who is travelling and what you want out of the day, and we will tell you honestly whether this is it.

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from, per adult THB 1,890
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Bookings close 24 hours before departure.

Travellers

Adults

12 and over

2

Children

3–11 years

0
    Total THB —
    • 3-D Secure checkout — we never store card numbers
    • Free cancellation up to 48 hours before
    • Charged in Thai baht — no hidden conversion fee from us

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