A visit to Chiang Mai seems incomplete without going to one of the elephant camps.  Even though visiting the elephants is no longer a novelty considering most people are very well travelled nowadays, especially the 'MICE' people, the elephants' talents for painting, playing soccer, and entertaining nevertheless bring smiles to visitors.  You can also trust your creative DMC to come up with some innovative activity or even organize a themed luncheon at the farm.

Another activity for the visitor is to ride the elephant through a forest trail.  This is a rather mild ride unless the animal decides to provide its passenger with some excitement by stepping out of the beaten track into some steep bushy slope.  You can trust the elephant's trainer to lead it back to the right path, even if it may take some time.

At one of these camps, the elephant trail leads the visitors to a make-believe village.  Here, visitors can see different local tribes in their traditional dresses, selling souvenirs and tit-bits.  The star attraction, however, is the Karen tribe from neighboring country – Myanmar.  The Karen tribeswomen, famous for their stretched long neck, will surely attract the attention of curious tourists.  Whether by visiting the Karens here, you are helping to preserve their culture and support their livelihood, or exploiting the way they look and their political plight, that would be a matter of personal conscience.