Chiang Mai Province

it’s a tough job. they made it seem so fun and easy joyful like a theme park. some customer are overweight and they had to pull them. salute. it’s safe but tiring. not for everyone. worth the price. lunch is delicious as well

I was very pleased to find this is a cooperative run primarily with the aim of rescuing elephants who are unwanted or unable to be looked after by their owners. The local Karen tribespeople benefit through employment and sales of items to tourists. The interactions with the elephants could not be better with feeding bathing and patting encouraged. The guides speak excellent English and are keen to answer questions and share information. I stayed in the jungle lodge after my first day and found the peace and quiet wonderful after the hustle and bustle of Chiang Mai. The next morning was spent with mahouts feeding elephants and then a walk through the reserve to a scenic waterfall before lunch in a roadside cafe. Another waterfall then back to another reserve for a final interaction with elephants before a bus ride back to Chiang Mai. Every tourist I met over the two days was enthusiastic and enjoying every new experience.

If you're visiting Chiang Mai, you should definitely try a Muay Thai class! It's a truly unique and exhilarating experience! I booked a group class on Klook a day in advance, thinking it would be less awkward with more people, but I still ended up making a fool of myself. The class started at 9 AM and finished at 10:30 AM, lasting a total of one and a half hours. For the first ten minutes or so, the head coach, Mark, led us through stretching, warm-ups, and jogging around the ring. The Thai coach spoke English, and everyone understood him. Since I was the only Chinese person there, my reactions were a bit slower than others, but I managed to get through the class despite some fumbling. After the warm-up, the head coach started wrapping our hands. After he wrapped one hand, he asked me how it felt. I said it was too tight, so he loosened it for me. But after he wrapped the other hand, I still felt it was too tight. He smiled helplessly and had to loosen that one too. I thought maybe the hand wraps for Muay Thai needed to be tight to protect the hands! But after the class, my hands were covered in marks, haha. Luckily, I didn't get injured. After wrapping our hands, the head coach had us put on gloves and started teaching us basic moves. After each move, he'd have us practice in pairs, repeating until we mastered the basics. My training partner was the assistant coach, "Ice." I often made mistakes because I was too nervous, like punching with my left hand and forgetting to guard with my right. He would tell me that if I didn't guard, someone would "bang" and hit me. Although the assistant coach also told me not to be nervous and just enjoy it, I always had that "good student" mindset, wanting to do my best, which just made me more flustered. In the end, I made the assistant coach laugh. He even started guarding when he should have been punching and punching when he should have been guarding. Seeing how nervous I was, he even jokingly threatened to hit me hard. I quickly waved my hands, "Nonono! You will hurt me! No!" He saw me frowning in fear and burst out laughing. Then we couldn't continue training; we were both bent over laughing. I guess that's my secret weapon in a fight! Making my opponent laugh until they're exhausted, and then winning without a fight. After a 90-minute trial class, I was completely exhausted. My hands hurt from the wraps, and my feet hurt from kicking. Even though I was hitting people, punching sandbags, and kicking tires, I was sore as if I had been beaten up. But it was so much fun and exhilarating! Life experience +1

Purchase a reservation in advance on Klook, and they will thoughtfully message you to arrange a time to pick you up at the hotel! The whole playing process was very happy and very safe. The coaches will guide you! After playing, there is a delicious lunch to enjoy! Highly recommended for families!

Even though there was no contact information for the shuttle and no advance confirmation, which made me very nervous, the car arrived exactly on time at the hotel entrance! You can totally trust them. The ride takes about 90 minutes, and helmets are required for the entire trip. The instructor was very fun, and photos for two people cost 700 Thai Baht. The instructor was very enthusiastic about helping us create wonderful memories. It was definitely worth the money!

Absolutely five stars! Our guide, Mr. K, was incredibly professional! He proactively contacted us the day before the tour to let us know what to prepare. We started by taking a car to go ATV riding, which was a blast! The instructors were also very professional. You need to be a bit strong, otherwise, turning can be difficult. You'll get used to it after a while! I recommend wearing shorts, as there will be dust on the road, and you might get a little wet when crossing rivers. After that, we went rafting in an inflatable boat! The instructor was very playful 😆, splashing water on us from time to time. There was a spot in the middle where everyone could get out and swim, and the instructor even pulled me directly off the boat 😆! You can wear your own swimsuit; you will definitely get wet! For lunch, we went to a Thai restaurant for a family-style meal, which was delicious 😋 and a great opportunity to get to know the other group members! Afterward, we drove to the Sticky Waterfalls! You climb up from the bottom of the waterfall, and there are multiple routes. Be careful, as the green rocks can be slippery! You definitely need to wear shorts or swim trunks, as you will get wet. The climb takes about 30 minutes and is a good cardio workout! Overall, it's a highly recommended experience!

There was a buffet spread and my husband who has allergies to dairy, wheat, nuts, and eggs could still have some traditional meals. They also had hot tea and water. There are other drinks and snacks for purchase. It’s a pretty view. We were able to lock our items in a locker for free. They have covered seating with fans and western restrooms with showers (if you get dirty and want to change). They also have a cute gift shop! We visited the female elephants and the babies to feed (food for elephants were provided). Then we got to pose for photos with the male elephant and he greeted us goodbye with a bow. Then we did a 20-25 minute long bamboo rafting — very safe and peaceful then took a bus back (they provided) to the campground for about 3-5 minutes. After that, we waited for it to stop raining and did some ziplining.

It sure was exciting and gave me the adrenaline rush. there were multiple ziplines, 2 bridges which made it fun. you gotta pay extra for a personal photographer that follows you around. this package also included some delicious buffet lunch

I don't usually leave tips or reviews, but I wanted to thank the Myanmar coach who taught us this time. He took such great care of my two daughters. Highly recommended!