There are many elephant camps around Chiang Mai where you can see elephant shows and take an elephant ride, and they are all rather similar, though this one, located beside the main road (H107), 56km north of Chiang Mai, is perhaps the prettiest setting of all. It’s set in forested mountains cut by the Ping River, and part of the elephant ride takes you down the shallow river, perched high on an elephant’s back.

Visitors can watch the elephants take their morning bath in the river before they show off their skills at stacking logs and following their mahouts’ orders, such as picking up their hats and painting pictures. There are two shows each morning, at 9am and 10am, after which visitors can take a ride on the elephants’ back or take a short trip on a bamboo raft downstream. Once the tourists have gone, the elephants have the rest of the day free to roam in the forest.

Chiang Dao Elephant Training Center was founded in 1969 and now has over 30 elephants. There’s a restaurant at the site overlooking the river where you can take refreshments.

Either join a tour in Chiang Mai, in which case they will pick you up at your hotel, or take a bus heading to Chiang Dao or Fang from Chang Puak bus station in Chiang Mai and tell the driver to stop at the elephant camp.

  • What is it? One of the best elephant camps in North Thailand.
  • Opening hours: 08:00-12:00 daily.
  • Entrance fee: elephant show, 100 baht; riding elephants—1,200 baht for two people for one hour.
  • Address/website: www.chiangdaoelephantcamp.com
  • Where: beside Highway 107, 56km north of Chiang Mai.
  • Lat: N19.24753
  • Long: E98.96869