Mountain Adventure
4 Day Mountain Tour With Elephants
Get away from it all at our secluded LIFE project surrounded by pristine cloud forest
Be welcomed into a Karen community on this 4-day experience in the heart of the jungle near the Thailand-Myanmar border. Living as part of the community, you can see for yourself how your host families live and work, sharing stories and creating lifelong memories.
Karen people are proud of their culture and happily demonstrate their traditional skills such as weaving brightly coloured cloth and basket-making with you.
Of course the highlight will be spending time with the elephants our project currently sponsors, many of which have been rescued from a life of work in trekking camps. Track them through the forest, and learn about their habits and activities from the expert mahouts who will guide you .
Your visit and support enables the community to continue protecting the vast forest that the elephants call home.
We work in partnership with the community, developing a model for sustainable community based tourism while providing financial support to Karen mahouts so that they can continue to care for their elephants with the highest welfare standards in the forest surrounding the village.
Trip Details: Mountain Adventure
4 Days / 3 Nights: Itinerary is subject to change depending on season and weather conditions, however we endeavor to provide all guests with a full and immersive experience.
DAY Prior
This project is located near the city of Mae Sot. We recommend you arrive to Mae Sot before 5pm on the day before your stay with us. Mae Sot is a diverse and fascinating border town, with one of the best border markets in Thailand. You can stay at your chosen guest house or hotel and enjoy the Thai-Burmese fusion cuisine. Mae Sot is easy to travel to by bus or flight.
Note: we can arrange pick up and drop off in Chiang Mai and can provide the cost on discussion prior to booking.
DAY 1
Wake up and enjoy breakfast in the town of Mae Sot.
After breakfast begin the beautiful 2-hour drive up into the cloud forest to the tiny Karen village perched on top of a mountain.
Arriving in the village you will be welcomed by the community members and will begin your introduction to Karen culture by meeting your host family and going on a tour of the village, ending the day with a delicious welcome dinner.
DAY 2
Wake up and have breakfast with your host family.
Prepare yourself for a day out in the forest with the elephants, learning about the life of the elephants and their mahouts. Observe the many natural behaviours of the elephants living in their natural habitat.
Sit among the stunning untouched cloud forest observing the elephants living in the freedom of their forest home and enjoy lunch with the mahouts in the forest.
Walk back through the forest, taking in the incredible scenery on your way back to the village, take some time to rest or wander the village before enjoying dinner with your host family.
DAY 3
Wake up early and enjoy breakfast with your host family, soaking up the incredible views and sounds of the community.
Spend the day immersed in the community, watch and learn how to weave traditional karen fabrics with the women of the village, sit with the men and try your hand at weaving a basket from bamboo or simply sit and drink a hot cup of mountain tea and learn about the region and its rich culture.
Depending on the season, there may be opportunity to visit the local organic rice fields or visit the coffee plantations under the canopy of the forest and learn about how they are grown and harvested in the region.
Go to the temple and watch the sunset over the mountains on your last evening with us. Soaking up the views stretching as far as the eye can see, over into Myanmar.
Enjoy dinner with your host family.
DAY 4
Wake up and have breakfast with your host family.
Say your goodbyes and depart the village back to Mae Sot.
Accommodation
Option 1: Homestay (included in basic program fee)
Staying with a host family is both welcoming and comfortable. Placing you in the very heart of village life, leaving you with a real sense of community living. Each homestay is different, but all host stunning views and friendly smiling faces – all of which will be eager to learn more about you, your family and your country, making you feel right at home in no time.
Your host family will provide you with bedding and a mosquito net. The Karen sleep on the floor and this is what is also provided for you, with the addition of a small mattress for additional comfort. Bathrooms are clean and accessible with Asian style squat toilets or western toilet and traditional bucket showers – which are either refreshing or bracing depending on the time of year!
Your host family will cook for you throughout the duration of your stay, providing you with delicious traditional Karen dishes and the opportunity to sit together and be a part of their incredibly unique and special way of life.
Option 2: Our guest lodge (a small additional fee per person will be added to program fee)
Our guest lodge has been built at the very top of the village, providing guests with the most incredible views over the village and out across the stunning forest and mountains.
The lodge is equip with comfortable beds, mosquito nets, a large communal area allowing you to soak up the surrounding views and a private bathroom with a western toilet and hot shower.
While you will not be staying with a host family, there will be a family allocated to cater for you during your stay, providing you with delicious traditional Karen dishes and hot drinks... and your meals will be at the family home.
Please note; by choosing option 2 our guest lodge, there will be a small add on fee of £50.00 GBP per booking.
Important information
- You’ll be walking through the forest in the heat so a reasonable level of fitness is required.
- We can tailor packages for larger groups or those that may want to change things around for their own needs.
- We work with Mahouts Elephants LTD Partnership who have local insurance but it is ESSENTIAL that you travel with your own personal travel insurance.
- The deposit will be taken for each person booking in, this is NON REFUNDABLE and will be paid to Mahouts Elephant Foundation, a UK registered charity. The rest of the payment must be made to Mahouts Elephant Foundation on behalf of our ground team with whom your ground arrangement contract is arranged and who will take care of you on your trip to the village.
- Part of the money for your trip includes a donation to the elephant fund within the village. This is vital income to help run a sustainable project to ensure all of their elephants are returned to the forest in the future.
Prices
Number of People |
Price per person |
|---|---|
1 person |
£495.00 |
2-3 people |
£360.00 |
4+ people |
£320.00 |
What's included:
Mahouts Elephant Foundation are pleased to offer ground arrangements through a local company; Mahouts Elephants LTD Partnership.
Whilst all arrangements in Thailand are organised by our ground staff team, all other arrangements prior to the commencement of your trip will be organised by Mahouts Elephant Foundation.
Your trip price includes:
- All meals during your stay.
- Round trip transportation ffrom Mae Sot City
- Home stay in the village.
- Professional English-speaking guide.
- Local guides and team fee.
- National Park fee.
- Donation for the elephant fund.
Prices are in GBP sterling, please ask for a quote in a different currency if required. All prices are per person per trip.
Please note:An additional night's stay can be arranged upon request and if there is availability.
Note: we can arrange pick up and drop off in Chiang Mai and can provide the cost on discussion prior to booking.
Getting to Mae Sot
Traveling to and from Mae Sot is incredibly easy and there are multiple travel styles to choose from. Mae Sot is accessible from both Chiang Mai and Bangkok, with easy flight connections down to the beaches in southern Thailand;
Fly to Mae Sot- Nok Air provides between 4/5 direct flights from Bangkok daily.
If this is the option of travel you choose try to aim to arrive in Mae Sot by lunch time. Please do not book a flight any earlier than 11:00am on the day of your departure, as our team will need time to transport you back to Mae Sot airport. An 11:00am flight will give you plenty of time to connect with further flights traveling within Thailand.
VIP Bus to Mae Sot – Green Bus Thailand provides 2 buses from Chiang Mai to Mae Sot daily (8:30am and 1:00pm), this journey takes approximately 6/7 hours through beautiful Thai countryside.
Please remember you will need to arrive in Mae Sot the day before your trip and if planning to travel back to Chiang Mai by bus straight after your trip with us, please book a your bus trip for the following day.
Private Transport to Mae Sot - We can arrange pick up and drop off in Chiang Mai and can provide the cost on discussion prior to booking.
