We first traveled to the Friends of the Asian Elephants Conservation Center and Hospital in Lampang. We learned that veterinarians from the hospital travel all over Thailand treating sick elephants and if need be bring them back to the hospital for treatment, all free of charge. This is also where old elephants can live out the rest of their lives in peace and freedom.

We then went to Sukhothai for the evening. The next morning we walked among the ruins in the UNESCO World Heritage Park in Old Sukhothai and departed for Umphang, stopping for lunch in Mae Sot. Overnight was at a resort in Umphang in nice cabins with a delicious all you can eat dinner along the river. We talked with the local guides that would be joining us on this adventure.

The next morning we boarded the raft for a leisurely 3-hour journey through canyons with high limestone cliffs and many waterfalls. We then traveled by 4-wheel drive to the forestry camp, then walked to Thee Lor Su Waterfalls, the largest in Thailand. Here we had lunch, then started our 3-hour leisurely walk through bamboo forest and along a beautiful stream with many colorful birds, butterflies and wildflowers. Dinner and evening was in our own Karen style house so as not to disturb the people and fragile culture. Our beds were comfortable sleeping on the floor. Toilets and showers were available here.

We then rode elephants over the mountain and through the rainforest to the river, then boarded rubber rafts across the river to another Karen village for overnight. We rode the elephants for a while and walked a while. Walking is faster, and our experienced local guides walked with us and told us about the different plants, flowers, birds and wildlife. We had an excellent all you can eat family style Thai dinner prepared for us including fresh fish caught in the very clean river. Accommodations were traditional bamboo bungalows. Toilets and showers were available here.

This morning we experienced 4 hours of exciting whitewater rafting. We passed many beautiful waterfalls along the way. We spotted wild animals such as gibbons, lemurs, and deer while rafting to our campsite, stayed overnight in comfortable tents and had a delicious dinner beside the river.

There are no roads or villages in this area, as it is in the UNESCO World Wildlife Sanctuary, so we rode elephants and hiked for 4 hours to reach our camping spot along a clear stream with small waterfall excellent for wading and swimming. We camped overnight here.

This morning we walked and ride elephants for about 2 hours to our pickup point, then returned to Umphang to shower and lunch, then on to Mae Sot for the evening before returning to Chiangmai.

I wish there were more space here to get into more detail.