We were picked up at 8am along with 6 other people to go to the elephant camp which was about an hour away. Once getting to the camp we were given clothes to change into and then started our training course. We learned how to behave around the elephants and some vocal commands to use when riding the elephants:
"pai": forward
"toy": backward
"sai": left
"qua":backward
"how":stop
"bon": trunk up
"dee dee": good
"map long": get down
When using these commands you had to almost yell to get the elephant to hear you. To get up on the elephant they would lay down and you would climb on or they would bend their front leg to make a step for you. After getting comfortable with the elephants we then went for a ride down the river. After our ride our elephant laid down in the river and we got to bathe him. There was no fence in sight although we assume there must have been. The camp had a washing area for the elephants, a river, lots of trees, forest, and bungalows. Except for the elephants that were being pampered/rode at the time, the rest were roaming around freely and swimming in the river which was nice to see. All of the workers carry around a basket of fruit to feed the elephants and to give to tourists to feed the elephants. Most of the elephants are born in the camp but some are rescues.
After we washed up after the elephant ride, we had a buffet style lunch which was included in the package. We then hiked to a waterfall with a guide. Our guide was quite the character and had lots of interesting things to tell us about the jungle. He also had a pet squirrel that he claims to have caught himself. He had a leash on it and it sat on his shoulders. The waterfall wasn't very big but you could slide down it into deep water at the end which was fun. Next, we went white water rafting. It was pretty relaxing except for some of the sharp rocks that we would get stuck on. Our guide on the white water rafting was very good at his job so we were in good hands and made it through the rapids just fine. Once we got to the main site, we headed back to Chiang Mai and got to our hotel around 6pm.
"pai": forward
"toy": backward
"sai": left
"qua":backward
"how":stop
"bon": trunk up
"dee dee": good
"map long": get down
When using these commands you had to almost yell to get the elephant to hear you. To get up on the elephant they would lay down and you would climb on or they would bend their front leg to make a step for you. After getting comfortable with the elephants we then went for a ride down the river. After our ride our elephant laid down in the river and we got to bathe him. There was no fence in sight although we assume there must have been. The camp had a washing area for the elephants, a river, lots of trees, forest, and bungalows. Except for the elephants that were being pampered/rode at the time, the rest were roaming around freely and swimming in the river which was nice to see. All of the workers carry around a basket of fruit to feed the elephants and to give to tourists to feed the elephants. Most of the elephants are born in the camp but some are rescues.
After we washed up after the elephant ride, we had a buffet style lunch which was included in the package. We then hiked to a waterfall with a guide. Our guide was quite the character and had lots of interesting things to tell us about the jungle. He also had a pet squirrel that he claims to have caught himself. He had a leash on it and it sat on his shoulders. The waterfall wasn't very big but you could slide down it into deep water at the end which was fun. Next, we went white water rafting. It was pretty relaxing except for some of the sharp rocks that we would get stuck on. Our guide on the white water rafting was very good at his job so we were in good hands and made it through the rapids just fine. Once we got to the main site, we headed back to Chiang Mai and got to our hotel around 6pm.