9 Days in Thailand: Jungle Elephant Treks and Beaches

Making an eco-friendly cup out of bamboo

We really crammed a lot in during our 15-day, non-stop honeymoon in Thailand. Here’s a little taste of the other things we saw during the second half of our stay in Lampang and Krabi.

Lampang

Day 7

• We did our research and decided to visit the folks at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center. The government-run program is dedicated to preservation of elephants, as well as education about the animals. While they do allow people to ride elephants, there are also options to just care for them. We did a three- day, two-night program which allowed us to camp in the jungle for one night under the stars. We highly recommend this unique experience.
• Activities included: learning about elephant information and elephant command words Introduce the mahout, elephant and start training, bathing your elephant and learning how to ride your elephant to prepare you for your trek the next day.

Day 8

• We packed up our belongings and took a trek through the jungle on our elephants to go camping! The site was secluded with no electricity or running water, but there were bamboo structures and nets to keep you safe from bugs at night. The people at TECC grilled us an amazing feast, which we got to eat picnic-style under the stars.

Day 9

• We rode back to civilization, said goodbye to our elephants and returned to Chiang Mai for a couple days to finish our tour of the area.
• This time we stayed at the Ping Nakara (Thor’s favorite of the trip). We walked by some local temples to get a feel for the area.
• After an excellent nap, we went to the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar for unique handicrafts and local art. I regret not doing most of my shopping here! Oh, and more of that delicious street food!
• We got massages at Lila Massage, a chain that gives former female inmates job training and opportunities.

Day 10

• Time to go white water rafting in the Mae Taeng! We went with Siam River Adventures.
• Talked about our adventures at the spy-themed restaurant The Service 1921

Day 11

• Since we were short on time in Chiang Mai, we hired a local guide through our hotel to take us to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and tell us the history of the place.
• Had to grab another massage especially after the white water rafting, so we headed back to Lila.
• Also had to grab the world famous chicken at SP Chicken
• We then packed up and got on our flight from Chiang Mai -> Krabi. Almost missed our flight for the chicken, but was totally worth it!
• Check in at the Nakamanda and were upgraded to the pool vila, complete with our own private pool!

Krabi

Day 12

• Since we had a limited time for our beach journey we split up the excursions into two days. We booked a Phi Phi island tour on a speedboat with Chok Suwit Tours. It came with lunch so we just chilled on the islands all day.
• Got another multi-hour spa treatment at Nakamanda. (Noticing a theme here?)

Day 13

• The next day we planned a kayaking and Hong Island tour, but Thor hurt his wrist. So we just did the tour part with Andaman Camp and Cruise. Our tour guide also doubled up as photographer for us! They also created an amazing BBQ dinner on the longboat, complete with fresh squid!

Day 14

• We had to stay goodbye to Nakamanda, but not before another spa treatment. Haha.
• We took a local flight from Krabi -> Bangkok
• Ate dinner at Sirocco and stayed at the Lebua for our final night.

Day 15

• Packed up and took off early for our trip back from Bankgok -> Taipei -> NYC. At this point, we were utterly exhausted (sorry Thor!), but I wouldn’t cut out any part of this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime trip!