Welcome to Chai Lai Orchid! Located in Chang Miang, Thailand, Chai Lai Orchid is a fun and immersive hotel home to some of Thailand’s most beautiful residents, the Asian elephant. Here, you will be treated to the luxury of unspoilt nature and be able to have one on one interaction with these gentle giants. Like many of these elephant sanctuaries, Chai Lai Orchid is run by the Karen Tribe. The Karen people are known for big hearts and bigger smiles and are sure to make you feel at home.
Prior to modern day technology and more recent Thai government laws, elephants were used to log forests and for other manual labor work. Once laws and technology had changed and advanced, elephants no longer “served a purpose” in the workforce, which further threatened their already fragile existence. The Karen tribe, however, decided to keep elephants for the purpose of tourism and education and thus the foundation for Chai Lai Orchid was set.
Today, there are approximately 150 elephants in the Chiang Mai area. Most live in sanctuaries such as Chai Lai Orchid and only a select few remain truly wild in a National Park just outside of Bangkok. Now let’s talk about our day at Chai Lai Orchid!
Chai Lai Orchid was definitely the highlight of our entire trip to Thailand. The “hotel” is set within breath-taking rolling rice fields surrounded by dramatic jungle landscapes. There are approximately 8-10 bungalows on site, each sleeping 1-2 people. In the morning, the Karen people brought out the elephants so we could feed them a huge basket of bananas. There was also breakfast provided for us as well with sticky rice, fresh fruit, soups, coconut pancakes, and juice. After breakfast, we had the opportunity to play and interact with the elephants some more and walk through the jungle with them in their natural habitat. We were then led to a river, where we were able to swim with and bathe the elephants. This part of the day was truly one of the most enriching experiences we have had!
After we were done swimming, we walked to a small waterfall where our guide built a fire and cooked lunch for us. We were able to swim and watch other groups with elephants from a distance. Once we were done with lunch, we went to another waterfall and swam. To end the day, our guide paddled us down the river on a bamboo raft, allowing us to relax and fully experience the nature and culture around us. Along the river also seemed to be a place where many of the young locals would hang out to have food and drinks. We were visiting just prior to Thailand’s water festival, so as we were floating down the river, there was TONS of laughter and splashing lol.
All in all, it was an absolutely perfect day. When we came back to Chai Lai Orchid, it was around happy hour. The food and drinks were great. An elephant was brought out to roam during this time. For a few baht, you could even feed him! Overall, we would highly recommend Chai Lai Orchid for anyone looking for some unforgettable adventure and elephant time on your next trip to Thailand!!
Check out more posts of awesome Asian adventures HERE!
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