Transport
We took the Green bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. It cost us 169 Baht each and took about 3.5hr. We were given some water and biscuits while on the bus too! We then took a blue/red van into town to the night market area as we knew our accommodation was close to there.
We took the Green bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. It cost us 169 Baht each and took about 3.5hr. We were given some water and biscuits while on the bus too! We then took a blue/red van into town to the night market area as we knew our accommodation was close to there.
Accommodation
We had a few nights before the official tour started where we had planned our own thing.
Our first night we stayed in The small hotel. Which is a small boutique hotel centrally located. It was a lovely little place with great breakfast and only cost us. $40 p/night including a very good buffet breakfast.
We had a few nights before the official tour started where we had planned our own thing.
Our first night we stayed in The small hotel. Which is a small boutique hotel centrally located. It was a lovely little place with great breakfast and only cost us. $40 p/night including a very good buffet breakfast.
We then moved onto the Elephant Nature Park for one night (more below) where we stayed in beautiful wooden huts! Before then going onto the first hotel included in our tour, The empress where we stayed 4 nights. It was a very big upmarket hotel, but it had great facilities and the staff were excellent.
While in Chiang Mai we visited the night markets and did lots of shopping and tried lots of yummy fish, meat, noodle and rice dishes there! They're pretty crazy..as are all night markets in Thailand, but good fun! A particular food favourite was the local dish of khao sao - a noodle soup.
Tour
On our first night we were taken to a traditional Khantoke style dinner with live traditional thai dance. The food was yum and the dancing was very interesting, it was certainly very touristy but a great thing to get you in the mood for Thailand.
We spent some time wandering around the indoor markets and flower markets which were very interesting especially with the guide as she could explain what the
Tiger Kingdom
This was an interesting experience. Not dissimilar to a zoo, with the big cats being brought up in captivity in small enclosures. However, here you can get in the enclosures and pet the cats and have your photo taken.
We were all a little dubious as surely normal behaviour would be for them to tear our heads off, but the place did insist that the animals were in no way drugged to make them sleepy.
Myself and Gary chose to go and see the baby tigers and the rest of the family went to see a 'small' adult tiger.
We definitely had the better end of the deal as we had a baby white and orange tiger and both were very playful and jumping & moving around a lot
This was an interesting experience. Not dissimilar to a zoo, with the big cats being brought up in captivity in small enclosures. However, here you can get in the enclosures and pet the cats and have your photo taken.
We were all a little dubious as surely normal behaviour would be for them to tear our heads off, but the place did insist that the animals were in no way drugged to make them sleepy.
Myself and Gary chose to go and see the baby tigers and the rest of the family went to see a 'small' adult tiger.
We definitely had the better end of the deal as we had a baby white and orange tiger and both were very playful and jumping & moving around a lot
We also went to an Orchid Farm....other than learning about the flowers and how they grow etc the men were pretty bored! But mum and I enjoyed walking through the rows of orchids admiring the array of colours and different types.
Temples - cave temple - wat umong, wat phrathap doi suthep (on mountain), wat chedi luang (brick temple), wat phra singh (20b entry)
We went to the Riverside restaurant on recommendation due to its beautiful riverside location and good food. However, it was very touristy, the food was okay but the service was shocking..so I would not recomend it myself!
Elephant Nature Park
for more info click here. This place is amazing!
This was something that we know we wanted to do right from the start. We did lots of research to find somewhere that looked after the elephants and ticked all the right boxes, allowing us to be up close and personal with the elephants while at the same time not harming them in any way.
We did a 2 day 1 night package costing £115 per person
I actually cannot recommend this place enough. It was fabulous. The place was well organised despute the throngs of tourists visiting and it manages to remain personal allowing you to get your own experience. Elephants really are gorgeous animals and some of the poor ladies that have ended up in the sanctuary after years of abuse in the logging, trekking, circus industries etc have just been through so much and it's so nice to see them in such a relaxed environment.
The Pictures of the Elephants are at the bottom!!!
We went to the Riverside restaurant on recommendation due to its beautiful riverside location and good food. However, it was very touristy, the food was okay but the service was shocking..so I would not recomend it myself!
Elephant Nature Park
for more info click here. This place is amazing!
This was something that we know we wanted to do right from the start. We did lots of research to find somewhere that looked after the elephants and ticked all the right boxes, allowing us to be up close and personal with the elephants while at the same time not harming them in any way.
We did a 2 day 1 night package costing £115 per person
I actually cannot recommend this place enough. It was fabulous. The place was well organised despute the throngs of tourists visiting and it manages to remain personal allowing you to get your own experience. Elephants really are gorgeous animals and some of the poor ladies that have ended up in the sanctuary after years of abuse in the logging, trekking, circus industries etc have just been through so much and it's so nice to see them in such a relaxed environment.
The Pictures of the Elephants are at the bottom!!!
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| a replica of the emerald Buddha in Chiang Mai, the original is now in Bangkok! |
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| A butterfly in the Orchid Farm! |
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| This Elephant was cruelly blinded in her past, but was given another chance by the ENP |
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| Little boy loved playing football, would chase his ball all day! |
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