Chiang Mai Elephant Sanctuary and Rafting

Discover Chiang Mai’s Joy Elephant Sanctuary & Bamboo Rafting: Observe elephants, enjoy a waterfall, and relax on a serene bamboo raft ride.

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Thung Luang - Experience our Elephant Sanctuary Observation, Waterfall & Bamboo Rafting adventure, spend a full day relishing rural Chiang Mai close to nature.
    Change into traditional Karen clothing upon arrival at the sanctuary, as you soak in their fascinating culture & involvement with the elephants.
    Engage in hands-on activities, preparing food…
What's Included
  • Free photography
  • Towel
  • Bottled water
  • Lunch
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Elephant’s food and snack
  • Insurance
  • Tea and coffee
What's Not Included
  • Other personal expenses
Additional Information

Perfect for nature enthusiasts! Enjoy a tranquil day with the Joy Elephant Sanctuary & Bamboo Rafting Program: watch elephants in their natural habitat, gain exclusive insights, and relax to the sounds of the river while bamboo rafting on the serene Wang River.
Immerse yourself in our responsible tourism with Elephant Observation programs!
Interactive…

Location
Thung Luang
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(27 Ratings)
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Jen_n
Apr 10, 2025
What an amazing... - What an amazing unforgettable day! Bamboo rafting, feeding and walking with elephants, and to top it off the guides were friendly and approachable. Thank you for such a great experience
Review provided by Viator
810matousk
Apr 4, 2025
Finally an ethical elephants experience - Very nice, serene nature preservation of 70 acres and 5 old lady elephants. The visitors get to feed them, accompany them to their walk, make a inhaler spice mix and bath in a waterfall. Without the elephants mind you. You just get to watch them and feed them. The guides are extremely friendly with a bit rough English but a wealth of knowledge. Would recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thetitlebroker
Mar 27, 2025
5 Stars – An Unforgettable Experience! - Visiting Joy Elephant Sanctuary was one of the highlights of my trip to Chiang Mai. The staff was incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and genuinely cared for the well-being of the elephants. It was amazing to see these beautiful animals in such a natural and ethical environment. We got to feed, walk with, and learn about the elephants — no riding, just respectful interaction. You can tell they prioritize the elephants’ happiness and freedom. Highly recommend this sanctuary to anyone looking for an authentic, ethical, and unforgettable elephant experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Btarcea
Mar 27, 2025
Beautiful day out when visiting Chiang Mai - We got picked up from our hotel at 8:20am. Then went to the bamboo rafting. It's a unique experience on the river which takes about 45minutes. Then we went to visit the sanctuary. The elefants are well looked after by some locals from the karen community, who live there. These people are kind, hard working and humble. It was lovely to meet them. The sanctuary is their mirror. Clean, well maintained, fresh tasty food and really well organised. You then feed the elefants, join them in the jungle for a walk and go to a nearby waterfall, where you can swim, or just observe the elefants, while enjoying a local traditional tea. Overall it's a lovely, relaxing experience, and you get to learn about elefants and the local community. Thank you, Joy Sanctuary!🙏🤍
Review provided by Tripadvisor
715josieh
Feb 26, 2025
Truly ethical, fantastic elephant sanctuary - An amazing experience in one of the few truly ethical elephant sanctuary’s. No bathing, no touching, only feeding and observing! We fed them, walked with them through a wooded area and then swan in a waterfall where the elephants were close by. Really tasty lunch and the bamboo rafting was so fun! All the staff were great and it was very clear how well they treated the 4 elephants.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dream21091735155
Feb 22, 2025
Great day, respectful interaction - This is a wonderful review of a day trip that involves an elephant experience and a bamboo rafting adventure. You highlight the timeliness and comfort of the transportation, with a cautionary note about the switchback roads and bumpy truck ride which might not be suitable for those who get car sick, have mobility impairments, or back problems. You describe the elephant interaction as rewarding, allowing for feeding, walking, and observing them respectfully. You also mention the good quality of lunch and the friendliness of the staff. The bamboo rafting experience provides a cooling down period, though you advise potential rafters they might get wet. You also provide a tip about swimming in the waterfall area, noting the presence of elephants. Overall, you had a great day and highly recommend this excursion.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tim
Feb 3, 2025
Ethical and No Touch - Great organization, for everyone the right one that values No Touch and for whom the animals are important. A unique experience. At no point did we have the feeling that an animal was unwell here, but you could tell how much each one felt connected.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Doris
Feb 2, 2025
Recommended - Varied program. Well organized. Nice guides. Good handling of the elephants. Not really suitable for people with reduced mobility.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Erin_l
Jan 26, 2025
Elephants! Waterfalls! Bamboo Rafts! - Wow. We love elephants so much and this place was awesome!!! We got to feed them snacks, walk with them and just spend time watching them be amazing and beautiful animals! This place is truly ethical- NO touching/bathing/riding (except for very light touch on the tip of their trunks where the elephants accept their snacks!) We loved it! We also did the Bamboo rafting and laughed so much and had so much fun- we were informed ahead of time that the raft guides did not speak English, but our guide still entertained us and goofed around with us and made it so, so fun! Also loved watching the young kids learning to guide the rafts- and! We saw so many elephants from other sanctuaries along the river while we rafted- such a fun first day in Chiang Mai!
Review provided by Viator
Amberjy4767ab
Apr 7, 2025
Beautiful Trip - Beautiful company, very considerate of the elephants and their wellbeing. Water raft was quite wet on the bottom, recommend to bring swimmers and a towel.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $60
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).