After a complimentary transfer from your Chiang Mai hotel, check in to your luxury, en-suite safari tent and explore Bush Camp, situated on the Ping River in luscious, rural Northern Thailand. You will be greeted with a delicious buffet lunch, serving an array of traditional Thai dishes.

In the afternoon, you will head to the elephant park, which is ‘chain-free’, allowing the elephants to roam freely in their natural home. Experience the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feed and interact with these majestic creatures.

You will also be taught about the lives of the mahouts, as they explain how they live in harmony with nature and with the elephants. Immerse yourself in the traditions of the mahouts, who are part of the Karen Hilltribe, and learn about their daily lives. Help them pound rice, weave handmade clothes, and even sample some of their cooking.

Round off your first day with a sundowner drink at a spectacular viewpoint, and enjoy some barbequed aperitifs, before returning to camp for a delicious buffet dinner.

Elephant Hills Bush Camp

Lunch and dinner

When you wake, you’ll watch the incredible views of the surrounding hills slowly come into focus, as the mist begins to clear from the hills. Enjoy a buffet breakfast at your leisure, before the day’s activities.

You’ll visit the ‘Free Roaming Forest’, to learn more about how the elephants are cared for by their mahout. Watch the spectacular sight of the elephants enjoying a morning wash and sample a traditional ‘kafee boran’ and a ‘kanon krok’, a coffee and breakfast snack that is enjoyed by the mahouts. You’ll even get the chance to learn how to make paper from elephant dung!

Return to the camp for a Thai buffet lunch, and take in the panoramic mountain vistas. The afternoon is free to take at your own pace. Perhaps take a dip in the infinity pool, or relax on your tent’s balcony.

In the evening, enjoy a sundowner by the pool, which boasts incredible views over the Pint River. Watch the sun set behind the mountains with a drink or two and some barbecued snacks, before your buffet dinner.

Breakfast and lunch

Following a buffet breakfast, head to the ‘Elephant Valley’ to see even more free roaming elephants. The mahouts will teach you about animal husbandry techniques and veterinary care. You will have another opportunity to feed and interact with the animals, before bidding your farewells to these amazing creatures.

Return to Bush Camp to check out, before a final lunch, soaking in the views of the mountains and the Ping River. A complimentary shuttle will then take you the scenic two hour drive, back to your chosen Chiang Mai hotel, or to the airport.

Elephant Hills Bush Camp

Breakfast and lunch