Chiang Mai: Part Two, A Day with the Elephants

Our first full day in Chiang Mai started very early. We were picked up at our hotel and hit the road into the mountains. Today was “Elephant Day”. This was one of the things I was looking forward to most, a day with the elephants. We choose to go with the company Elephant Discovery. There are so many different options. We wanted to go where the elephants were well taken care, did not walk on hot pavement or with harnesses and seats on their back. Elephant Discovery is the perfect way to spend time with elephants in their natural environment. The company is ran by a small tribe in the mountains north of Chiang Mai.

The road to the “Thailand Bush” was extremely curvy, hilly and in many places, dirt and mud. It was quite the adventure getting to there. It was like a 2 hour rollercoaster/bumper car ride. We all laughed and laughed as we got further into the jungle and the road became non-existent.

Once we arrived, we were handed huge bunches of bananas to feed the elephants. At first it was rather intimidating getting so close to these giant animals. And they are giant. Their skin is prickly and dry. Their mouths are pink and open so wide. They love bananas and eat them whole. The little baby elephant loved to ram into you until you gave him something to eat. He was so powerful. The older elephants were so tall. It was incredible to be that close to them, touching them and feeding them.

After feeding them we learned some interesting facts about elephants. We learned about their skin, their poo, and all about the little baby. We all learned about how the elephants help the tribe and are treated like family. Then it was time to bathe the elephants. This was also exciting but intimidating. Walking side by side them in murky water you fear they are going to step on you, but they don’t. They loved being washed.

After their bath, it was time for a walk down the river. Getting up on the elephants was no easy task. And it was so high up. It was scary at first for sure. And for my husband, it was scary the whole 45 minute walk. Riding an elephant in Thailand is the most amazing feeling. I never would have imagined I would be doing this but I am so grateful we did.

My husband rode the mother elephant. The little baby stayed so close to him, it was so cute. I rode the elephant that wishes she was a mom. She guarded every move that little baby made.

It had rained the day before so the river had a little more water in it then usual. At a few points the baby had a brief struggle getting over some branches. Oh my goodness did my elephant get worried. It started growling and making so much noise. It rushed to the baby to make sure everything was ok. It was intense for a moment but everything was fine. That of course freaked my husband out even more. You can’t believe how loud elephants can get!

After a yummy lunch in a hut along the river we fed the elephants more bananas. We had time to swim with them and get on top of them. Then we rode back to camp. It was an amazing day with these beautiful animals. This was an experience of a lifetime for sure!

What a wonderful day in Thailand!

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Link to All Thailand Blog Posts: 2 Weeks in Thailand, November 2015