Come and visit us in the mountains of Northern Thailand
Thom's Elephant Camp in Pai

HOME PAGE

If you don't like tourist traps, come and have a very personal contact with our elephants.
You can go off by yourselves, with a guide of course, through the beautiful jungle.
You will never be caught in big groups.
We like to make very personal arrangements for people, so come and talk to us.
With us you can enjoy elephant riding, rafting and a variety of trekking and sightseeing tours. Most of our activities we plan for a minimum of two people, to meet your specific needs and arrange individual packages.

We are just a three hours drive from Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand. (View Map of Thailand)
See the Lonely Planet Thailand site for great travel tips, itineraries, maps and more!!

ABOUT THE CAMP

How to find us:
The bus leaves four times a day from Chiang Mai to Pai, and takes four hours. If you prefer a more comfortable ride (only three hours), we can pick you up in Chiang Mai. If you wish, you can visit a waterfall or Hot Springs on the way. Contact us, preferably by telephone or fax, at least several days before you plan on leaving.
(View Lonely Planet Map of Thailand)
(View Map of Pai -available soon)

About the camp:
Thom Ruecha, the owner of Pai Elephant Camp, took over the elephants from her father after they had to stop working in the woods. Logging is banned in Thailand now, so the elephants only carry travellers. Thom grew up with her elephants, and played with them when she and the animals were young. Now she is running the camp with a lot of love and enthusiasm, together with several family members.

RAFTING

It's a lot of fun to raft down the Pai River.
You can choose between a jungle trip or a trip through the rice fields.

The jungle trip starts quite far up river. After travelling 30 minutes, you will hike for 45 minutes through the lush forest to the starting point. There are rapids on the way down, and you will hear the sounds of many birds (and sometimes monkeys).

The second option is a trip from a small Shan village back to Pai, through rice fields and a lot of other vegetation. It is beautiful scenery, typical of northern Thailand. You can watch farmers and fisherman along the river, and see children playing playing.

Be prepared for the possibility of getting your feet wet !
Bamboo rafting is possible nearly all year round.
Rubber rafting is only available from July to December.

The combination of ½ day elephant trekking and ½ day river rafting, including lunch and transport, is possible.

Unlike most other companies we reuse our bamboo rafts, several times for rafting, and then for building. That is why our ending point is always in a village, and the rafting is not in a remote area, where the rafts only get used once.

ELEPHANT RIDING

We give them the freedom of the jungle when they are not required at the camp, which keeps them happy and content. It is a small camp outside the town of Pai (8km), close to a natural hot spring between the jungle and the Pai River.

There are a variety of options including treks from one to three hours, with or without a seat.

The favorite option is: 1 1/2 hours with a seat through beautiful jungle, with flowers and butterflies, and then 1 1/2 hours without a seat through the Pai River. There you get the great feeling of the elephant moving. In the river the elephant showers and plays with you.

As far as we know, Pai is the only place in Thailand where this is possible.

This is truly an unforgettable experience.

On our special 3-hour-trip you go through the jungle to visit the Hot Springs, and you can take a bath there in the thermal pools.

TREKKING/ DAY TOURS

Hill Tribe Trekking
Our most popular combined trek includes elephant riding, rafting,
an overnight stay in a friendly LISU-village, and a trek the next day to a LAHU-village. The night is spend in the home of a Lisu/Danish family, who will introduce you to the life and culture of the Hill Tribe while also providing a comfortable place to stay, including a hot shower. We also offer 3-day-walking-treks with local guides to more remote areas.

Day Tours by Car
If you want to see a lot of this area, you can also choose car tours to various beautiful spots in the surrounding countryside.

Some places to visit:
Lod Cave (one of the biggest limestone caves in northern Thailand)
Fish Cave, close to Mae Hong Son
One of the beautiful waterfalls in the surrounding that you can reach by car
Close to Pai is a spectacular canyon... great to visit at sunset.
Tha Pai hot springs or Hot Swimming Pools (great for relaxation)
Tribal Villages of the Lisu, Lahu, or Karen tribes
The Long Neck Karen Tribe that lives close to Mae Hong Son

CONTACT US

PAI ELEPHANT CAMP TOURS, TAT-registration-no. 23-0564
Owner: Thom Ruecha, Tel.+66-(0)53-699286 Fax +66-(0)53-698084, Mobile 09-8519066
5/3 M.4 Rungsiyanon Road, Pai, Mae Hong Son, 58130.
THAILAND

New web site : www.thomelephant.com


It is always easiest to come and visit us directly, or use telephone or fax. But if you want extra information, book our car service from Chiang Mai to Pai, or make arrangements ahead of time, you can contact us through email: [email protected]. Please allow several days for a reply.