Sister property to Elephant Hills Tented camp, Khao Sok, Southern Thailand. Relatively new, the camp opened in autumn 2022 and has proved to be welcome additional attraction to this region.
The Chiang Mai Camp is a 2-hour drive southwest of the town & airport. It is located alongside the Mae Ping river with a rolling hills forest backdrop. There are just 10 “Glamping“ tents, each with an en-suite shower and balcony patio. The tents are spacious and can accommodate two extra beds for children (note Children under 4 years are not accepted at the camp).
You have an option of a 2 days (1 night at Camp) or 3 days (2 nights at camp). See below for detailed itinerary for both options. Note: This is given as a guide and might be subject to change due to such things as weather, road and camp conditions.
- Restaurant
- Swimming pool
- Adventures and activities as detailed below
2 Days 1 Night Tour – Age 4+ | All Year | 10 Tents
Take part in our 2 days 1-night adventure in the remote area typically side by side with the Ping River shore. Not only appreciate a daily elephant experience, but also uncover Karen culture, and discover Northern Thailand’s magnetic nature and ecosystems with our experienced tour guide. Spend time staying in our luxury-tented camp.
1st Days Activities: The Amazing Bush Camp Elephant Experience.
- Transfer from the airport or hotels in Chiang Mai to The Bush Camp. (Transfer times are approximately 2 hrs.)
- Arrive in the late morning before enjoying a delicious Thai lunch. After lunch check in and prepare for the day’s activities.
- Activities are set around The Bush Camp’s Elephant and Mahout Experience:
- Visit the “Free-roaming chain free” elephant park. Feed and interact with Asia’s largest land animal. A truly once in a lifetime opportunity to experience Thailand majestic giants in their natural home.
- Spend time in the Elephant Café as elephants roam peacefully in front of you.
- Explore the life of the mahouts by seeing how they live together with nature and their elephants. Experience the traditions of the mahout by watching their families pound rice, weave their own hand made clothes, sample some of their cooking, and go about their daily life.
- Enjoy a sundowner on one of the many mountain-top viewpoints which overlook the majestic Ping River, the lifeblood of northern Thailand. Experience barbequed delicacies and a drink or two while watching the northern-Thai sun set behind the mountains.
- After watching the sun set and having time to freshen up you will return to enjoy a buffet dinner of freshly prepared Thai and western dishes whilst overlooking beautiful mountain vistas.
2nd Days Activities: The morning rituals of our mahouts and Elephants.
- Enjoy a fresh buffet breakfast at your leisure.
- Arrive at our “Free Roaming Forest”, make paper from elephant dung, and sample “Kafee Boran” and “kanom krok” a traditional coffee and breakfast snack enjoyed by our mahouts and observe how our Elephants are cared for. Watch the elephants enjoy their morning wash and learn more about how we work with elephants here at The Bush Camp. Understand more about good animal husbandry techniques and how we administer veterinary care for the benefit of our pachyderms.
- After a full morning of activities return to your tent to check out before enjoying one final lunch overlooking the mountains and Ping River before returning to hotels / Airport in Chiang Mai.
3 Days 2 Nights Tour – Age 4+ | All Year | 10 Tents
Travel Period: Start from November 2023
A warm welcome to The Bush Camp Chiang Mai! On this unforgettable 3-day 2-nights experience you will discover the spectacular Northern Thailand at its best. Our serene location along the magnificent Ping river provides breathtaking views straight from your luxury tent balcony – or from our beautiful restaurant and infinity pool. The carefully crafted tour itinerary invites you to indulge in traditional Northern Thai lifestyle, food and the ancient way of living in the countryside. Not forgetting the elephants! Taken care of with exceptional welfare standards onsite at The Bush Camp, our beloved free-roaming pachyderms welcome you on a once in a lifetime hands-off experience.
1st Day Activities: The Amazing Bush Camp
- Transfer from the airport or hotels in Chiang Mai to The Bush Camp. (Transfer times are approximately 2 hrs.)
- Arrive in the late morning before enjoying a delicious Thai lunch. After lunch check-in and prepare for the day’s activities.
- Today’s activities are set around The Bush Camp’s Elephant and Karen Mahout Experience:
- Visit our “Free-roaming chain free” elephant park. Feed and interact with Asia’s largest land animal. A truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience Thailand’s majestic giants in their natural home.
- Explore the life of the mahouts by seeing how they live together with nature and their elephants. Experience the traditions of the mahout who are part of the Karen Hilltribe by interacting with their families. Help them pound rice, weave their own handmade clothes, sample some of their cooking, and see them go about their daily life.
- Enjoy a sundowner on one of the many mountain-top viewpoints which overlook the majestic Ping River, the lifeblood of northern Thailand. Experience barbequed delicacies and a drink or two while watching the northern-Thai sun set behind the mountains.
- After watching the sunset and having time to freshen up you will return to enjoy a buffet dinner of freshly prepared Thai and Western dishes whilst overlooking beautiful mountain vistas.
2nd Days Activities: The morning rituals of our mahouts and Elephants.
- Enjoy a fresh buffet breakfast at your leisure.
- Arrive at our “Free Roaming Forest”, make paper from elephant dung, and sample “Kafee Boran” and “kanom krok” a traditional coffee and breakfast snack enjoyed by our mahouts and observe how our Elephants are cared for. Watch the elephants enjoy their morning wash and learn more about how we work with elephants here at The Bush Camp.
- After our morning activities, a fresh Thai buffet lunch is served, enjoy Thai delicacies and stunning mountain panoramas.
- The afternoon is yours to spend at leisure by the pool, at the camp or in front of your tent. Stop for a moment and enjoy nature all around you.
- In the evening enjoy a sundowner by the pool which overlooks the majestic Ping River, the lifeblood of northern Thailand. Experience barbequed delicacies and a drink or two while watching the northern-Thai sun set behind the mountains.
- After watching the sunset and having time to freshen up you will return to enjoy a buffet dinner of freshly prepared Thai and Western dishes whilst overlooking beautiful mountain vistas.
3rd Days Activities: The elephant valley
- Enjoy a fresh buffet Breakfast at leisure.
- Head to the “Elephant Valley” to see more of our elephants roaming free and understand more about good animal husbandry techniques and how we administer veterinary care for the benefit of our pachyderms.
- Feed the elephants and take in the sight of these amazing animals one more time.
- After a full morning of activities return to your tent to check out before enjoying one final lunch
Both tours include buffet style breakfast,Lunch & Dinner daily. Alcohol optional & charged extra.
Transfers from and to Chiang Mai are included on shared/group basis. Private transfers can be arranged at extra cost.
Wifi is usually available at certain points around the camp.
The camp is available to adults and children over 4 years at time of travel. Teenagers over 16 years on date of camp arrival are counted as adults.
The tents are quite spacious and can accommodate two adults and two children under 16 years occupying two sofa beds (one pull out below the other). At times they will accept 4 adults in one tent if specifically requested, but in our view this might be a little cramped in the early morning “rush hour“ and would be on basis the travellers all know each other rather well.
There are some operational similarities with the established sister camp in Khao Sok, Southern Thailand. We think the Chiang Mai option allows much more elephant interaction time, plus opportunity to see Northern Lanna Tribe Village lifestyle, maybe at the expense of dense tropical forests, mountain treks and lakeside activities. Those of you who have visited elephant camps in South Africa will see a similar design ambiance here, enhanced by proud Thai culture. The camp is open year round – those travelling in the months December to March might need warm jacket for early morning / evenings as it can get a bit chilly up here.
Remember it is an authentic camp where guests, staff and elephant safety are all carefully considered – it is important you adhere to the advice of the camp rangers.
David from Chic has visited the camp, as well at the resort in Khao Sok, and would be delighted to discuss in greater detail.
The Bush Camp by Elephant Hills, Chiang Mai
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+ About Chiang Mai & North Thailand
Chiang Mai is the 2nd city of Thailand but is just a fraction of the size of Bangkok. It is compact, bustling and despite some recent development, it retains a market town atmosphere. It is the main gateway to the region. Flying time from Bangkok 60 minutes. Chiang Rai is in the extreme northeast of the country, even smaller and more traditional, with the focal point of interest being the Golden Triangle, the area where Thailand, Laos and Burma (Myanmar) all meet.
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