Touring the Mae Sa Valley

Our guide will meet you in the lobby of your hotel; depart by private van to Mae Sa Elephant Camp and watch the elephants taking their morning bath and demonstrating their skills and strength during an entertaining show (show starts at 09:40hrs). After the show, enjoy a 30-minute trek through the forest on elephant back (2 persons per elephant). Continue to Mae Sa Snake Farm. The farm not only displays snakes native to Thailand, but also carries out studies and research concerning snake breeding. During a thirty-minute show (show starts at 11:30hrs) watch demonstrations of snake handlers wrestle with cobras and how snake venom is extracted from the various snake species. Our next visit will be to Bai Orchid & Butterfly farm – feast you eyes on the colorful varieties of orchids and see, how they are cultivated.

Option 1 (CNXMSV1): After lunch at the orchid farm, we continue to the Buffalo Training Camp, who’s aim is to conserve Thai buffaloes and demonstrate the way of local villagers planting and harvesting rice, how they train and tame their buffalo to work in the rice field, including the techniques of riding a buffalo. Return back to your hotel around 16:00 hrs.

Option 2 (CNXMSV2): After lunch at the orchid farm, visit Mae Saa Waterfall. End the day with a visit to Darapirom Palace Museum (closed on Mondays), former home of Princess Dararasamee, one of King Chulalongkorn's favorite consorts, who later became one of his official wives. After the king’s death, she decided to return to her northern home and resided in the resplendent palace known as Darapirom Palace. Here she played an important role in promoting Lanna arts and crafts, literature, music, and Buddhism. She passed away in 1933, bequeathing the house to her relatives. The house was later bought by Chulalongkorn University and after extensive renovations, opened to the public in 1999. The architectural design of the house with its expansive balconies, verandas, high ceilings and massive windows looking out onto pleasant gardens is quite a treat for the eyes. There is a collection of the queen's clothes, her personal dishware, cutlery, ornaments, ceramics, jewelry and other belongings.

Plant Life on Doi Inthanon

This tour is focused on tropical ecology and the native flora of Thailand’s largest mountain, Doi Inthanon (2565 m). This is not a garden tour per se, but introduces the visitor to the original natural environment of e.g. orchids, hoyas and rhododendrons. By visiting these plants in their home environment, you may acquire knowledge to better support such plants in your private garden or greenhouse. We begin at the summit, where there is a short jungle trail with native rhododendrons, orchids and even a bog. Then we progressively go downwards to study different ecosystems such as evergreen forests, pine forests and dry deciduous forests. We focus on the flora, but anything of biological interest will be discussed (mushrooms, birds, insects etc) and put into an ecological context. We eat lunch at a restaurant on the mountian, and spend some time studying crops of the hill tribes. At the base, before returning back, we study some tree species commonly found in the villages of the Chiang Mai valley (300-350 m).

Palace Garden Tour

This garden tour is aimed at high elevation tropical plants, which are very different from the plants you see in the valley. We combine a garden situation with the wild flora to introduce the guest to tropical biology and ecology.

Program (these times are approximate)
Pick-up at your hotel at 08.00hrs
Phu Ping Palace: 09.30-12.00hrs
Lunch at Phu Ping Palace: 12.00-13.00hrs
Excursion 13.00-16.00hrs
Back in town ca 17:00hrs

Guide: English speaking guide with knowledge about tropical plants is provided

The Phu Ping Palace
This is a royal palace situated on the majestic mountain Doi Pui/Doi Suthep (1676 m) which hovers above Chiang Mai. It contains a collection of high elevation plants, jungle species as well as roses. Please note that if a member of the royal family visits the palace on short notice, visitors are not allowed access to the gardens. If such a situation occurs, we exchange that visit with a visit to another garden or a jungle walk.
Doi Pui/Doi Suthep National Park
This national park has been inventoried since the first botanists came here in 1902-1904. In total, some 2200 plant species have been recorded from this mountain. We make an excursion to study typical indigenous species, with emphasis on trees.

Orchid Lovers Tour

This garden tour is an introduction to orchid biology and production, combining all steps from the forest to research, production and retail.

Program (times are approximate)
Pick-up at your hotel at 08.00hrs
Research: Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden 09.30-11.30hrs
Lunch at Botanic Resort 11.30-12.30hrs
Forest: Wild orchids on Doi Pui/Doi Suthep 12.30 -15.00hrs
Retail: Visit at the Khamtieng flower market 15.30 - 17.00hrs

Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden
This is the national botanical garden of Thailand, situated in the mountains. Orchid research and conservation has a high priority, why the garden has many of the 1100 Thai orchid species in cultivation. Here we focus on orchid biology and orchid conservation efforts, as well as invite guests to ask questions.
Doi Pui/Doi Suthep National Park
This national park is composed of a monsoon forest on the characteristic mountain hovering above Chiang Mai. We search for orchids and discuss tropical forests in general.
The Khamtieng Flower Market
This is the largest and most famous flower market in northern Thailand, composed of many small independent plant vendors aiming at gardens (not cut flowers). We focus on the orchid street, to adore Thai and exotic orchids, hybrids and forest species. The orchid farms multiply forest orchids via cloning, and also works on creating new hybrids. We discuss how to multiply orchids and how to care for them. If you love plants, we know you will come back here!

Nature & Countryside by Bicycle Tour

This cycling tour is a wonderful way to discover the beautiful countryside surrounding Chiang Mai. Ride through tranquil villages and pass shimmering rice paddies, taking time out to visit Buddhist temples and see the local people at work in the fields. Cycling affords us a rare opportunity to get close to rural Thailand and visit an interesting water-buffalo farm. Follow peaceful back roads close to the Ping river, before embarking a boat for a short cruise back to Chiang Mai city.

The program:
08.30 hrs Meeting at guest’s hotel and bike fitting. Short vehicle transfer by local pick up truck (songtaew) to our starting point in Mae-Rim.
09.00 hrs Begin cycling following the river northbound. Cycle through rural countryside, rice fields and plantations. (Cycling distance approximately 20kms).
11.30 hrs Stop for a visit of a buffalo farm, where you can observe the way of life of local farmers, and the use of water buffalos in rice farming.
12.00 hrs Picnic lunch at local restaurant.
13.30 hrs Back on the saddle, we cycle toward the Ping River and follow scenic small routes southward towards Chiang Mai.
15.30 hrs Arrive at a riverside house for refreshments. Embark on a motorboat for a cruise down the Ping River down to Chiang Mai city.
16.30 hrs Arrive at disembarkation point with an interesting local temple close by. Transfer to your hotel by local songtaew.

Lisu Lodge Soft Adventure

This unique tour offers an exploration of Lisu and Akha villages, an elephant ride in the jungle, mountain biking and white water rafting in the scenic Mae Tang Valley. Early in the morning, pick up from your hotel in Chiang Mai by air-conditioned vehicle to the Lisu Lodge, a one-hour drive from the city. Upon arrival at the Lisu Lodge, a traditional welcome drink is served. Start your adventure with cycling about 13 km to an elephant camp. Enjoy an hour’s elephant ride towards the river. After a picnic lunch, experience a 45-minute white water rafting adventure (during the dry season, bamboo rafting is provided instead) along Mae Taeng River to a traditional Thai country village. From here you have the choice either to go back to the Lisu Lodge by bike or by the local truck. Transfer back to your hotel in Chiang Mai city.

Lampang Heritage Tour

Pick up at your hotel in Chiang Mai and drive to Lampang, located 90km southeast of Chiang Mai. Visit the Lampang Elephant Conservation Center. It is the only facility in the world devoted to the training of elephants for timberwork using these pachyderms as labor. The veterinary hospital provides health care for elephants, who are sent here to be rehabilitated after abuse in captivity. There are daily performances and training demonstrations. Visitors can enjoy feeding these intelligent giants or ride them to see the natural surroundings and even watch the production of paper made from elephant dung. Continue to the old city center of Lampang and enjoy a 30-minute tour on horse-drawn carriages. After lunch, continue to Wat Phra Thad Lampang Luang, which is among the most revered temples in Northern Thailand, built around the 11th century. You then have a chance to visit one of the local cottage industries engaging in making ceramics, for which Lampang is so famous for. Drive back to Chiang Mai and transfer to your hotel. Note: The order of visits can vary for the seat-in-coach tour and the private tour.