We were just at Elephant Nature Park outside of Chiang Mai and my 17 year old LOVED it. She also loved Bangkok, touring the Wats, the shopping centers, and cruising up and down the Chayo Praya River on the ferries. It is hard not to be impressed by the Reclining Buddha and climbing Wat Arun. She really liked staying in Chiang Mai and going to the local monastery and talking to the monks so they could practice their English. Short flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok, spend a couple of days and then fly to Chiang Mai. I wrote a trip report about it last week on the forum.

thailand is always fun and less expensive to get there... bangkok air might be a cheap option to look at, or air asia..

why not just stay in HK? there is plenty to do there, except hotels are expensive... you could go to macau for a few days..

or vietnam

bangkok hotels are quite cheap... look at marriott sukhumvit park, or marriott mayfair, or courtyard...all good marriott options..

I like cjon's idea. Fly to Bangkok for a few days, then to Chiang Mai for Elephants. There are only two places near CHiang Mai that I recommend for elephants: The Elephant Nature Park or the Thai Elephant Conservation Center near Lampang. Avoid all other elephant "camps" or "shows." Thailand is quite affordable, and the flight from Hong Kong isn't too long. In Bangkok, stay at a hotel on the river.

Thank you so much, this is very helpful! Flight to Chiang Mai from Bangcock? How long is that?

What's your passport? Many countries require visas, which can add to cost and time delay. Some countries welcome certain passports without restriction but hassle others. Air flights round Chinese New Year can be tight, this year 10-13 Feb and often a week beyond. Much of Vietnam closes, as does most of the mainland. Taiwan has more 'nature' stuff than many places but not so easy to access and most westerners prefer the more tropical climes, like T'land. And now in all of SE Asia is 'high tourist season' so expect the highest prices in every direction.

The flight between Chiang Mai and Bangkok (note correct spelling) is about an hour.

As I remember, you are from the US, so do not require a visa for either Hong Kong or Thailand.

We really liked staying at 3sis in Chiang Mai, in the old part of the city, right across from Wat Chedi Luang, so very central. Nice, young, very helpful English speaking staff. Lots of families and children running around the hotel. Try to be in Chiang Mai on Sunday for the night market, which takes place on the street right in front of t the hotel. If its hot and you are burnt out on sight seeing, there is a really nice movie theatre at the local mall. We enjoyed the Hobbit, subtitled in Thai.