Elephant Trekking & Bamboo Rafting in Chiang Mai
 

Hello,

We will be in Chiang Mai for only 2 days. We would like to take an elephant ride and a bamboo rafting trip down the Mae Ping River. Is this worth doing with such a short visit to the area and does anyone have a recommnedation on who to book with? Thanks!

While I can't say that this is something you must do during your limited time there, we did one in July that was really fun and memorable. I can't remember the name of the tour, but it did feature a logo of an elephant treking on the van. We booked it at the hotel the day before. It took, however, an entire day and started with an elephant ride for about 30 minutes. Then we hiked up to a Karon village in the jungle heat and back down, then had lunch. Then it was off to visit another Karon village, then to play at a waterfall, and finally the bamboo raft experience. Unlike our raft ride the year before, this was simply a bunch of bamboo poles lashed together at the river bank, I was handed a pole and told to steer from the back, while my wife and kids huddled on a small platform at the center. About 10 minutes into the trip, we were caught in a torrential downpour and were completely soaked. All we could do was laugh about it and it turned out to be the highlight of the day. We got back to our hotel late in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day in the pool.
Whether this is worth doing instead of Doi Suchep (sp?) or the other temples and sites is entirely up to you. Altogether, we enjoyed Chiang Mai and promised ourselves we would go back again to explore.

We were in Chiang Mai only 1-day and spen the evening and overnight further north at a Lisu Trekking Village. The next morning before heading to Chiang Rai/Saen we did the elephant trek and bamboo rafting in the morning. Our guide/driver met us at the conclusion of the rafting and off we went. I'm sure you're hotel can arrange this for you.

We have done the elephant and raft thing twice. Any hotel will be very happy to book it for you. Once we went thru a middle price hotel and once thru the 4 seasons. Both excursions were about the same. But, with only 2 days in Chiang Mai I would recommend seeing the amazing temples and other special Chiang Mai places. Then if time, go to the elephants. FYI...the raft is really a very simple raft and the water if often filled with elephant poop.

Thanks to everyone for the input. This gives us something to think about. Dywond, thank you for sharing your adventure with such detail.

We just got back yesterday. The trek was the highlight of our trip. We arranged a private overnigh trek for $100 US through destination asia-053-406327.You get 2 guides and provisions.You hike 9 miles to a hilltribe village with no water or electric.The guides cook for you. You sleep iin a bamboo house in a sleeping bag. You bath in the river. The next day after breakfast and campfire, you hike to an elephant camp for a 1 and 1/2 hour elephant ride down river.While you have lunnch, they build a bamboo raft. You take a 4 hour bamboo raft trip thru rapids to the end and ride home. Bring river slippers.

the elephants were fun but the rafting was a waste of time, in my opinion...

if you don't have a driver have a taxi take you to the elephants and wait for you---ask the hotel doorman to explain to him what you want to do..