Our pickElephant Jungle Sanctuary
Feeding, mud spa, river bath
- Drive
- 1.5 hrs each way
- Pickup
- Included
- Price
- from $57
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Guide · Getting there
Elephant sanctuary near Chiang Mai: the valleys and the drive
Every elephant sanctuary near Chiang Mai sits outside the city, usually 1 to 1.5 hours away by road. Here is where the camps cluster, how the tours get you there and what to know if you go alone.
Check availabilityfrom $26 · free cancellation
Editorial team, elephanttourchiangmai.comUpdated October 26, 20266-minute read5 sources
Quick answer on location
- 01South-west
- Mae Wang, about 1.5 hours by road, home of the site tour.
- 02North
- Mae Taeng, about 1 hour from central Chiang Mai.
- 03Our pick
- Pickup included, 1.5 hours each way and a 3-hour guided visit, from $57.
- 04On your own
- The site tour lets you meet at the park without a transfer.
- 05In town
- Meeting points include Wat Phra Singh and the Three Kings Monument.
Why the camps are outside the city
The elephant camps lie outside central Chiang Mai. Elephants need space, water, shade and a great deal of fodder, so the camps are spread through the valleys and forested hills around the city. Any elephant sanctuary near Chiang Mai means a drive, and on most listings that drive takes 1 to 1.5 hours each way.
The camps tend to cluster in a few districts. To the south-west lies Mae Wang, with its river and hills; to the north lies Mae Taeng, reached along the road through Mae Rim. Further out, some listings head towards Doi Inthanon National Park, while others combine an elephant visit with a waterfall on the way.
Where a camp sits shapes your day more than you might expect. It decides how early you are collected, how long you spend in the van and what can be added on, from a waterfall to a raft ride. When two listings look similar, the location and the travel time are often the real difference between them. A camp an hour away leaves room for a lazy breakfast; one an hour and a half away usually means an earlier alarm and a later return.
Door to door
A day at Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Chiang Mai
-
Start
Pickup and van
Collected in Chiang Mai, then 1.5 hours by van.
-
On arrival
Break
A 15-minute pause after the drive.
-
Then
Safety briefing
15 minutes on how to behave near the elephants.
-
Main part
Guided tour
3 hours with feeding, a mud spa and a river bath.
-
Last
Lunch and drive back
30 minutes for lunch, then 1.5 hours to town.
Mae Wang: the valley to the south-west
Mae Wang is home to Pon Elephant Thailand, the park visited by this site's feeding half day, about 1.5 hours by road south of Chiang Mai through hills and farmland. On the operator's 7-hour group day, each van leg takes 80 minutes, leaving 3 hours with the elephants and 1 at the Mae Wang Waterfall.
The valley is also where the 2-day homestay goes, about 1.5 hours by road, and its second morning ends on a bamboo raft drifting down the Mae Wang River. The day that pairs the elephants with a cooking class reaches the same park in about 1 hour 20 minutes by van.
The road out of the city passes rice fields and small villages before climbing into greener country. It is a pleasant drive in the dry season and a slower one after heavy rain. If you are prone to motion sickness, sit near the front of the van and keep a bottle of water to hand.
On the road
Drive time from Chiang Mai, one way
hours
By area
Where the main tours go, and how far
| Camp or tour | Area | Drive each way | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pon Elephant Thailand half day | Mae Wang | About 1.5 hrs | from $26 |
| Waterfall group day | Mae Wang | 80 min | from $48 |
| Care program | Mae Taeng | 1 hr | from $54 |
| Mae Taeng valley day (Viator) | Mae Taeng | 80 min, then 40 min | from $55 |
| Elephant Jungle Sanctuary | Outside the city | 1.5 hrs | from $57 |
| Lanna Kingdom small group | Outside the city | 1 hr | from $72 |
Areas and times as each listing states them; the Viator day stops at a waterfall first.
By direction
North, south-west or further out
Our pick
Shortest driveMae Taeng care program
Food prep, mud and sand spa
- Drive
- 1 hr each way
- Pickup
- Hotel, included
- Price
- from $54
Drive yourselfMae Wang half day
Walk, feeding, river bath
- Drive
- About 1.5 hrs
- Transfer
- Optional
- Price
- from $26
Decision helper
Which camp location suits your stay?
Start from where you sleep and how you travel.
Mae Taeng care program
About 1 hour from central Chiang Mai, with hotel pickup.
Mae Wang half day
An option lets you meet at the park with no transfer.
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary
Pickup included, a 3-hour guided visit and 30 minutes for lunch.
Lanna Kingdom day
It meets at the Wat Phra Singh entrance between 8 and 8:30 AM.
Mae Taeng: the valley to the north
An elephant sanctuary in Mae Taeng means heading north out of the city. The care program on our care page drives 1 hour from central Chiang Mai to the Mae Taeng district, with hotel pickup included. A Viator day goes first to the Bua Tong waterfall, about 80 minutes away, then 40 minutes on to a camp in the Mae Taeng valley, which its listing places about 1 hour from Chiang Mai.
That Viator camp keeps a herd of 16 elephants with no rides or shows, and the day ends with 40 minutes of bamboo rafting. It lasts 8 hours and has 1,700 reviews averaging 4.96.
The northern road follows the river valley, and the drive feels quicker than the distance suggests because much of it is on the main highway. Mae Taeng is a good choice if you are staying in the north of the city or along the road towards Mae Rim, where the journey is shorter than from the old town.
Map
Meeting points in town and the valleys the vans drive to
First the old city, where several tours collect you, then the districts north and south-west of Chiang Mai where the camps sit.
1Tha Phae Gate2Wat Phra Singh3Three Kings Monument4Chiang Mai railway station5Chiang Mai International Airport
6Chiang Mai7Mae Rim8Mae Taeng9Mae Wang10Mae Win
- 1Tha Phae Gate
An old gate from the days when Chiang Mai was the Lanna capital, part of the wall around the Old City.1
In Google Maps ↗ - 2Wat Phra Singh
The temple entrance is the meeting point for one small-group sanctuary day, with collection between 8 and 8:30 AM.
In Google Maps ↗ - 3Three Kings Monument
Meeting point of a Viator day that pairs the Bua Tong waterfall with a sanctuary in the Mae Taeng valley.
In Google Maps ↗ - 4Chiang Mai railway station
The train from Bangkok ends here; on the way it passes the Khun Tan tunnel, over 1.3 km long.2
In Google Maps ↗ - 5Chiang Mai International Airport
The city airport, a short ride from the old town.
In Google Maps ↗ - 6Chiang Mai
Start of the site tour: pickup from a meeting point in the city, or you make your own way to the park.
In Google Maps ↗ - 7Mae Rim
The district between the city and Mae Taeng, on the road north.
In Google Maps ↗ - 8Mae Taeng
A care program drives 1 hour from central Chiang Mai to this district.
In Google Maps ↗ - 9Mae Wang
Pon Elephant Thailand, about 1.5 hours by road south of the city, home of the site tour and of a 2-day homestay.
In Google Maps ↗ - 10Mae Win
A subdistrict of Mae Wang in the hills further west.
In Google Maps ↗
Checklist
For the journey out
01
Before the pickup
- Check the pickup time on your booking
- Confirm your hotel is inside the pickup area
- Save the meeting point on an offline map
02
In the van
- Water and a light snack
- Motion sickness tablets for winding roads
- Sunglasses for the drive back
Cost calculator
Price the trip for your group
Pick a tour and the number of travelers.
People
Total from$114
per head from $57
Check availabilityfree cancellationPer-person starting prices from the listings, turned into your currency at the ECB reference rate; the booking page shows the final sum.
Video
From Chiang Mai to breakfast with the elephants
Until you tap play, the video stays unloaded.
Further out, and a camp in Lampang
A number of listings drive further. The visit recommended on this page goes to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Chiang Mai, a van ride of 1.5 hours in each direction, with pickup included. Kerchor Eco Elephant Park and Living Green Elephant Sanctuary each list 1.5 hours by van in each direction too.
One no-control day goes to Big Boy Elephant Sanctuary near Doi Inthanon National Park, again 1.5 hours in the van each direction. A half day at the Elephant Dream Project lists a drive of 1.45 hours, with pickup between 7:00 and 7:30 AM and drop-off between 2:30 and 3:00 PM.
Beyond the province, the Tourism Authority of Thailand's elephant learning trip began at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre and Thai Elephant Hospital in Lampang.3 TAT notes that Lampang is a short journey from Chiang Mai by train or bus, which makes it a possible day out of its own.4
How the tours get you there
If you are wondering how to get to an elephant sanctuary from Chiang Mai, the simplest answer is to let the tour handle the transport. Many listings include hotel pickup in the city, among them the care program in Mae Taeng and the visit recommended here. Others collect you from a meeting point or offer pickup only as an option, so read the transport line on the listing before you book.
Meeting points cluster in the old city. One small-group day meets at the entrance of Wat Phra Singh between 8 and 8:30 AM and offers no hotel pickup on that option. The 7-hour group day and the cooking day meet at the Pon Elephant Thailand office in town. A Viator day meets at the Three Kings Monument 10 minutes before the start.
Both temples and monuments are easy to find. TAT names Wat Phra Singh among the city's most famous temples, and Tha Pae Gate is part of the old wall around the Old City, an easy landmark to give a driver.51 If you are staying outside the old city, allow extra time in the morning traffic.
Going on your own
If you have your own transport or prefer a private driver, the feeding half day offers an option to meet at the Pon Elephant Thailand park itself, with no transfer included. That lets you set your own pace on the road and combine the visit with other stops in the Mae Wang Valley.
Plan the drive carefully. Allow about 1.5 hours on the road from the city; the last stretch crosses rural country. Download an offline map, leave early and arrive with time to spare before the briefing.
For first-time visitors, a tour with transport is simpler. You avoid unfamiliar roads, you do not need to find parking at the camp and you can rest on the way back. Going alone suits travelers who already drive in Thailand and want the freedom to explore afterwards. Remember that traffic drives on the left, that scooters weave in and out on every road, and that the hill roads are narrow in places; none of that is a problem for an experienced driver, but it is a lot to learn on the way to a booked briefing.
Arriving in Chiang Mai
If you are still planning how to reach Chiang Mai itself, the train is a memorable option. TAT points out that the line from Bangkok passes through the Khun Tan Railway Tunnel in Lampang, Thailand's longest at over 1.3 km.2 The station sits east of the old city, a short ride from the old town.
The airport lies just south-west of the old city, close enough that an early flight can still connect with an afternoon tour, although a full day trip on the day you land is ambitious. Give yourself a night in town before your elephant day, so a delayed flight does not cost you the booking.
Where you stay also matters. A hotel in the old city or near one of the meeting points makes early pickups easier, and many tours collect from hotels within the city. If you are based further out, check whether your hotel is inside the pickup area before you pay.
Your morning out
Grass, sugarcane and a river bath with the herd.
A meeting point in Chiang Mai or at the park, fruit and water included, free cancellation until a day before.
You ask,we answer.
How long is the drive out to the camps?
Usually 1 to 1.5 hours by road. The Mae Taeng care program drives 1 hour; the Mae Wang park of the site tour is about 1.5 hours away.
How do I get to an elephant sanctuary from Chiang Mai?
Mostly by tour van. Many listings include hotel pickup; others use a meeting point in the old city, and the site tour also lets you meet at the park.
Is there an elephant sanctuary in Mae Taeng?
Yes, more than one. A care program drives 1 hour to Mae Taeng, and a Viator day visits a camp in the Mae Taeng valley.
Where is the site tour's elephant park?
In Mae Wang, south-west of the city. Pon Elephant Thailand is about 1.5 hours by road from Chiang Mai.
Can I drive to the elephant park myself?
On some listings. The feeding half day has an option to meet at the park with no transfer.
Where do the tours meet in Chiang Mai?
Mostly in the old city. Meeting points include Wat Phra Singh, the Pon Elephant Thailand office in town and the Three Kings Monument.
Sources
Where the information comes from
- 1Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)TAT showcases 'Elephant Care Experiential Learning Trip' in Lampang and Chiang Mai (1 December 2020)↩
- 2Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)TAT showcases 'Elephant Care Experiential Learning Trip' in Lampang and Chiang Mai (1 December 2020)↩
- 3Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)TAT showcases 'Elephant Care Experiential Learning Trip' in Lampang and Chiang Mai (1 December 2020)↩
- 4Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)TAT showcases 'Elephant Care Experiential Learning Trip' in Lampang and Chiang Mai (1 December 2020)↩
- 5Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT Newsroom)TAT showcases 'Elephant Care Experiential Learning Trip' in Lampang and Chiang Mai (1 December 2020)↩
