Heart Elephant

Heart Elephant

Top 5 Elephant Activities in Chiang Rai

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.

About the Author

Maddox G. Raphoya is a travel writer based in Thailand and writing about luxury resorts, hotels and travel worldwide.

Safari in India (transport is on elephant back)?

For those who will remember the holiday program that was on the BBC I remember watching an episode no long before it was axed. The presenter went through the heart Rajasthan on safari and he did it while riding on the back of an elephant. Can anyone tell me anything about this?

pl contact the link below

http://www.colourfulrajasthantours.com/safari-rajasthan/elephant-safari.html

Maneet Tikku
Travel Horizon India
Address : SQ-15, Block - K Gate No.5, Saket, New Delhi - 110017
Tel : + 91-11-26510876/7
Fax : +91-11- 26522085
Email : info@colorfulrajasthantours.com
Website : www.coloufulrajasthantours.com
www.indianwildlifetours.com
www.northindiaonline.com
www.touroperatorsofindia.com

The most regal way of seeing Rajasthan is on an elephant safari, since nothing can even compare with the majesty of the pachyderm-no wonder the rulers used elephants for their journeys. Equipped with a howdah, a large seat on which they would sit, complete with soft silk cushions, and with a ceremonial umbrella over their heads, modern day safaris may pale in comparison, but are no less regal on that account.

The elephant treads slowly and steadily, and a safari would be ideal in and around principal towns, especially in the vicinity of wildlife sanctuaries where the same elephants can do double-duty for viewing wildlife.

The most regal way of seeing Rajasthan is on an elephant safari, since nothing can even compare with the majesty of the pachyderm-no wonder the rulers used elephants for their journeys. Equipped with a howdah, a large seat on which they would sit, complete with soft silk cushions, and with a ceremonial umbrella over their heads, modern day safaris may pale in comparison, but are no less regal on that account.

The elephant treads slowly and steadily, and a safari would be ideal in and around principal towns, especially in the vicinity of wildlife sanctuaries where the same elephants can do double-duty for viewing wildlife.
We provide Caparisoned Elephant Ride at Amer Fort in Jaipur

AA Recreation Tours & Travels Pvt. Ltd.
212 A, Suneja Tower-II,
Disitrict Center, Janak Puri.
New Delhi-110058
Ph: 91-11-25513040, 25516334, 25506501
Fax: 91-11-25536625
Email: aartt@toursoperatorindia.com, aartt@nde.vsnl.net.in

Katy Perry Breaks my Heart, An Elephant, and a BAMF!