Elephants & Waterfall

Today took us north of Chiang Mai into the Mae Rim Elephant Sanctuary. I’ll be honest. This was not an experience I over-researched. While I’m not exactly a rainbow warrior, I do try to avoid attractions that exploit animals purely for tourism. In this case, I had to take the tour agency at their word that the elephants here were either rescued or retired working animals, not bred for the purpose of entertaining visitors.

There was no riding, which felt like a meaningful baseline. The elephants weren’t asked to perform tricks, paint pictures, or do anything overtly unnatural. That said, some parts of the experience still felt… a little orchestrated, including a short sit down educational session.

We scrubbed their feet. We walked together through the forest. We bathed them in the river.

It was enjoyable as a family experience. The elephants were calm, the setting was beautiful, and the 6 month old baby elephant, equal parts adorable and feral, stole the show. He bulldozed his way through the group with zero regard for personal space or human plans, which honestly felt like the most authentic moment of the entire visit.

Whether this is an experience I’d actively seek out again is debatable. But in the moment, it felt respectful enough, and it sparked some good conversations with the kids about wildlife, tourism, and where the line sits.

The Village People. Clothes provided so our own didn't get dirty

Filling our bags with elephant treats. Sugar cane and wintermelon

When you have sugar cane in your hand, you are super popular

Putting Oma to work, smashing the African Dream Herb a natural anti-parasitic

Ready to use on the elephants

We all took turns doing this for photo ops...so is this tourism-based? I guess so...

Meeting mama and baby elephant

Walking in the forest together to get to the river

Where baby proceeded to empty bladder

The kids still went in

The elephants did look content

He was VERY naughty

We finished with lunch which was included in the cost

Vegetarian pad thai

And then we went somewhere completely unexpected, Bua Tong Waterfall, nicknamed “Sticky” Waterfall by foreigners. We had assumed this would be a standard waterfall situation - something scenic, crowded at the bottom, photographed from a safe distance. We were wrong.

Sticky Waterfall, is made from limestone deposits that create an unusual, grippy surface. The constant flow of mineral-rich water prevents algae from forming, which means the rocks aren’t slippery at all.

Instead, they’re… climbable. You can walk up the waterfall. Barefoot. Without sliding.

So that was what we did. We descended to the base and then made our way back up, climbing directly against the flow of water. It was fun, a little ridiculous, and completely unlike anything we’d done before. No crowds bottlenecked at the bottom. Instead they were at the top waiting for people to climb up the last bits! 

It turned out to be one of those accidental highlights, the kind you didn’t know to expect and therefore enjoy even more.

Another very good day!

The area was well set up. Lots of western tourists and backpackers here

So Asian...we wondered why this was here

Because shoes not needed!

Even Oma joined in the fun

Lots of mini falls with streams in between

Then longer, steeper stretches with ropes. This was where the bottlenecks were