A private tour for 1- 4 people Spend a wonderful day in Chiang Mai countryside with our Hill Tribe guide, an elephant family and award winning photographer, James de la Cloche. James was the 2020 winner of Thailand Photographer Of The Year for The Luxury Travel Guide.

Wat Luang Khun Win “The Secret Temple”

This incredible adventure will take you to a little visited and intricately carved wooden temple, a Karen village, as well as an afternoon interacting with a small family group of elephants and their Karen mahout in a lovely mountain location. This is definitely not “your usual tourist experience”!

Far from any tourist crowds, a day of eco-tourism and real interaction with the local people, accompanied and photographed by James throughout. James has been resident in Chiang Mai since 2012. He has a unique relationship with the elephant refuge, the guide, the mahouts and the elephants themselves.

In the morning, straight after you meet up with James, our guide will be taking you all in his 4 wheel drive to visit the secret jungle temple, Wat Luang Khun Win. Our guide was born in these hills and has a wealth of jungle wisdom that he will be sharing with you throughout your experience.

Karen hill tribe homes are very simple and functional

You will see ancient forest and amazing giant bamboo as well as the exceptional carved wood temple.

After the temple and before lunch we will stop at the local Karen Hill Tribe village. You can visit a house and see how simply these lovely, hard working people live and our guide will explain how the community functions as one entity.

Young Karen girl

You will be really hungry by now! The small mountain resort where you stop for lunch is beyond charming and you will fall in love with the mountain views. What is more, it is a non-profit organisation that provides protection and education for under privileged ethnic minority young women, many are refugees from Myanmar, through the Daughters Rising Foundation. You will meet some of them as they also learn from working in the resort. There will be plenty of local food and a delicious fruit shake to energise you for the afternoons activities!

Alexa Bay, founder of Chai Lai Orchid and
Daughters Rising, with some of the young women

The family of elephants will be joining you at the resort. Your mahout will introduce you so that you can get to know the elephants and learn some essential facts on how to interact with them before you set off. From the resort you will be taking a short but steep, 20 minute hike down to the river and the natural pool where the elephants love to bathe and play. You will be able to join the elephants in the water and everyone, especially the elephants, will have a really enjoyable time! Good walking shoes and a bathing suit are recommended.

Plenty of smiles throughout your day!

James is expert at capturing natural moments

Elephants love to shower!

After you say goodbye to the elephants, it’s another short drive to the final part of the day, bamboo rafting on the, mainly sedate, Mae Wang river. Don’t worry, there will be local expert guiding the raft down the river and life-jackets are provided so, you are free to relax, chill and enjoy the scenery. This is the only part of the day where James won’t be with you. But, he will be waiting down stream to capture the last photos of the day, on the raft and in the river, before it’s time to change and you are driven back to your hotel.

It wasn’t all a dream! James will be sending you the beautifully edited photos, within 48 hours.

Price, per person

1 person – THB 21,748
2 people – THB 12,375 each
3 people – THB 9,249 each
4 people – THB 7,688 each

Beautiful portraits

Up close and personal

Please use the form for more information and to book your tour.

The popular teas set at the resort