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CHIANG DAO NEST:
ELEPHANT AND BAMBOO RIVER RAFT TOUR
CHIANG DAO NEST, ELEPHANT RIDE AND BAMBOO RIVER RAFT TOUR
Riding an elephant through the forest always sounded like a dream to Bridget McNulty. That dream came true in Chiang Dao, in the north of Thailand, and it was everything she’d hoped it would be, and more.
When choosing which tour company to go with, our first priority was that it be sustainable, i.e. run by locals with locals getting the majority, if not all, of our payment.
Chiang Dao Nest organized the tour for us, but every person we met – our driver, the elephant man, the man selling snacks at the village, the bamboo raft guide and the cooldrink seller at the end of the morning – was a local.
They all lived in the area and, in fact, hardly any of them spoke a word of English. It was quite obvious, at each stage of the tour, that each person was working for themselves – there was nobody else to answer to and they took great pride in their work.
Text Bridget McNulty
Photography Mark Peddle
Published 4th September 2009
One of the most difficult things in Thailand is getting away from all the tourists – especially if you want to do something that is typically touristy… Say, take an elephant ride through the forest. We had heard horror stories from other travellers about being shunted in lines through the forest to a hill tribe village that sold beer and bananas and seemed to be populated with more tourists than locals. It didn’t sound like fun.
Which was why the Chiang Dao Nest half-day Elephant Ride and Bamboo River Raft tour sounded like a good idea, especially with the following caveat: “As with any elephant and rafting set up, they have to have a certain number of visitors to make them viable. While we definitely cannot say that you won't see other foreigners, we can say that the villagers whose services we use, operate on a much smaller scale than most of the other set ups in North Thailand.”
As it turned out, we didn’t see one other foreigner. Not one. The whole morning.
A morning that was, I must be honest, one of the best mornings of my life. We were picked up from Chiang Dao Nest at around 9am, and driven to meet the elephants – a ride that in itself could have been a tour, as it took us through stunning parts of the countryside we wouldn’t have been able to get to otherwise… Down side roads past Thai farmers working the fields, or eating breakfast, or going about their daily business. It was a fascinating glimpse into the lives of everyday people in this beautiful part of the world.
When we arrived in the forest, our elephant was waiting – an Indian elephant with large tuskers and a seat on his back. There was a wooden platform for us to climb up to, and then we clambered on board and the ‘driver’ encouraged the giant beast to start moving. For the next hour or so, we traveled through the forest – up steep inclines, down scarily steep hills, along a path that had been beaten out of the wilderness – on the back of the elephant. At first it was a little scary (it’s really high up!) but we soon adjusted to the rhythm of the elephant’s tread, and it was such an extraordinary feeling to be moving silently through the forest completely in tune with nature – no motor vehicles in sight.
Which was why the Chiang Dao Nest half-day Elephant Ride and Bamboo River Raft tour sounded like a good idea, especially with the following caveat: “As with any elephant and rafting set up, they have to have a certain number of visitors to make them viable. While we definitely cannot say that you won't see other foreigners, we can say that the villagers whose services we use, operate on a much smaller scale than most of the other set ups in North Thailand.”
As it turned out, we didn’t see one other foreigner. Not one. The whole morning.
A morning that was, I must be honest, one of the best mornings of my life. We were picked up from Chiang Dao Nest at around 9am, and driven to meet the elephants – a ride that in itself could have been a tour, as it took us through stunning parts of the countryside we wouldn’t have been able to get to otherwise… Down side roads past Thai farmers working the fields, or eating breakfast, or going about their daily business. It was a fascinating glimpse into the lives of everyday people in this beautiful part of the world.
When we arrived in the forest, our elephant was waiting – an Indian elephant with large tuskers and a seat on his back. There was a wooden platform for us to climb up to, and then we clambered on board and the ‘driver’ encouraged the giant beast to start moving. For the next hour or so, we traveled through the forest – up steep inclines, down scarily steep hills, along a path that had been beaten out of the wilderness – on the back of the elephant. At first it was a little scary (it’s really high up!) but we soon adjusted to the rhythm of the elephant’s tread, and it was such an extraordinary feeling to be moving silently through the forest completely in tune with nature – no motor vehicles in sight.
Our elephant stopped to eat bamboo and leaves pretty often, and treated us to a display of strength when he pulled bark off a tree for a snack, but for the most part it was a slow, swaying journey through the forest, with incredible views out over the valley on all sides.
The end of our elephant journey was a river bridge in a Palaung hill tribe village, from where we could see the intricate bamboo architecture of the huts and watch the villagers go about their day without disturbing them – the perfect way to experience a village, as far as I’m concerned.
Then it was back in the truck (unfortunately no more elephant riding for the day) to a special spot on the river, where we climbed on board a bamboo raft and spent about an hour floating downriver (with a very competent boatwoman on hand to navigate the rapids!)
It was intensely peaceful – no sounds except the lapping of the water, and only occasional glimpses of people going about their daily work on the banks of the river.
Overall, it was an extraordinary morning, a morning where we caught a glimpse of real Thai life in the forested North, a morning we’ll never forget. Highly recommended.
Time Half-day, around three-and-a-half hours.
Price 1095 Baht each (2 to 8 people)
Price includes Transport, elephant ride, bamboo raft.
Leaves from Chiang Dao Nest
Telephone +66 53 456 242 / +66 860 171 985
Tweet
The end of our elephant journey was a river bridge in a Palaung hill tribe village, from where we could see the intricate bamboo architecture of the huts and watch the villagers go about their day without disturbing them – the perfect way to experience a village, as far as I’m concerned.
Then it was back in the truck (unfortunately no more elephant riding for the day) to a special spot on the river, where we climbed on board a bamboo raft and spent about an hour floating downriver (with a very competent boatwoman on hand to navigate the rapids!)
It was intensely peaceful – no sounds except the lapping of the water, and only occasional glimpses of people going about their daily work on the banks of the river.
Overall, it was an extraordinary morning, a morning where we caught a glimpse of real Thai life in the forested North, a morning we’ll never forget. Highly recommended.
What you need to know
Time Half-day, around three-and-a-half hours.
Price 1095 Baht each (2 to 8 people)
Price includes Transport, elephant ride, bamboo raft.
Leaves from Chiang Dao Nest
Telephone +66 53 456 242 / +66 860 171 985
Tweet
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