Branches snap as wide grey feet go padding up the hill, navigating slippery rocks, mud slicks, and twisted roots with ease. Here is a jungle dweller that needs no machete to forge through the thick growth of the forest surrounding Chiang Rai. Your elephant companion is in her natural habitat – and you get to be along for the ride.
One of the most thrilling yet peaceful experiences to be had in the famous Golden Triangle area of northern Thailand is interaction with the local elephants. While the most well-known way to do this is to go elephant trekking through the jungle, there are many ways to make new friends with these jumbo beauties. While your Chiang Rai resort can help you to explore the many options for meeting elephants, here are the Top 5 suggestions to get you started.
5. Train to be a ‘mahout’, or elephant handler: Before you go elephant trekking in the jungles around Chiang Rai, learn how to steer and guide an elephant the way the “mahouts” – or traditional elephant handlers – do, with a series of soft commands and subtle movements. You’ll be amazed at how easily and readily one of these gentle giants responds to the smallest touch!
4. Learn more about local elephant rescue and conservation efforts: Anyone who meets an elephant in the Golden Triangle, whether through her Chiang Rai resort or elsewhere, is bound to feel a desire to protect these creatures from negative human interference and the destruction of their natural habitat. Fortunately, there are foundations in Chiang Rai – such as the Golden Triangle Asian Elephants Foundation – that are working hard to help Thailand’s elephants, and they are always happy to talk about the situation and how you can help.
3. Bathe elephants in the river: Get down and dirty quite literally with your new friends when you help the mahouts bathe the elephants in local rivers. Particularly during the hot season in Chiang Rai, elephants love splashing in the water even more than their human counterparts, so grab some old shorts and prepare to enjoy a bathing experience unlike any other.
2. Watch the annual King’s Cup Elephant Polo tournament: For the past few years, the Golden Triangle has played host to one of the most unusual and exciting sporting events in the world: elephant polo. On the stunning hillside polo grounds of Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa, a Chiang Rai resort in the heart of the Golden Triangle, teams of three battle it out as elephant, mahout and player must work in harmony to reach the goal. For 2010, the tournament begins on 15 March, and it promises to be as exciting as ever.
1. Go elephant trekking: While there are clearly several ways to bond with elephants while visiting Chiang Rai, nothing beats a trek through the jungle on the back of one of these magnificent creatures. See them in their natural habitat, surrounded by lush greenery, wild orchids, hidden rivers, and even other forest animals. At once breathtaking and relaxing, swaying on the back of an elephant while trekking through the woods and by the water is an unforgettable memory from your trip to the Golden Triangle.
