Chiang Mai: Drive Your Own Tuk-Tuk Countryside Tour

09:00 –09:30AM (APPROXIMATELY): On arrival in Mae Wang our team will introduce you to your Tuk Tuks and begin your driver training. If you don’t want to drive a Tuk Tuk, don’t worry, you will still have a superb day and you can enjoy the joys of nature’s air-conditioning from the breeze in the very comfortable back seats.
The training itself takes places off-road and leas you gently through all the controls of the Tuk Tuks and gives you plenty of time to get used to these wonderful vehicles under the watchful eye of us training team!

10:30AM (APPROX): The Tuk Tuks are pretty easy to get to trips with and once everyone is feeling comfortable behind the wheel (and has passed the driving test) you’ll head through tiny rural roads, snaking through farming villages and past rural Temples. One of our guides always drives the lead Tuk Tuk making sure that you don’t lose your way and no-one is tempted to go too fast! With frequent stops to explore and, importantly, to make sure everyone has a good opportunity to drive, you’ll get a great insight into authentic, real, rural life in Northern Thailand.

12:30PM (APPROX): By lunchtime you’ll arrive at the elephant home where you’ll not only learn about the past, present and future of Thai Elephants but also have the opportunity to interact with these wonderful animals.

NOTE: The elephant home we visit is a very small operation with elephants who have been successfully taken out of the trekking industry and now have a far more relaxing life. The experience at the home is very personal with strictly limited numbers of visitors a day and the staff are very friendly and incredibly passionate about the elephants in their care.

Once you’ve been introduced to the elephants you’ll be able to help the mahouts feed them.

Elephants eataround 15% of their body weight every day so this is a non-stop operation!

Next it’s time for you to enjoy some food yourself and have a tasty and filling Thai lunch sitting right next to the elephants giving you the opportunity to continue watching the elephants and seeing how they interact.

2:00PM (APPROX): After lunch you’ll walk with the mahouts and their elephants (NOTE: No elephant riding is allowed) through the local countryside to the river where you’ll watch the mahouts wash the elephants and keep cool. Watching the elephants enjoy the river and play as a family is a wonderful experience.

3:00PM (APPROX): Now it’s time to enjoy travel of a slightly different kind as you float lazily along the local river on a traditional bamboo raft. Don’t worry, there are no big rapids along the way! Rather this is a great way to see the local surroundings from a different angle and have a huge amount of fun negotiating the twists and turns of the river as your expert rafter guides you downstream.

4:OOPM (APPROX): It’s time to jump back into your Tuk Tuk and wind your way back down the valley enjoying your last moments behind the wheel of a real Thailand ‘icon’. The road curves and sweeps gently down the valley and through some great scenery and small villages – don’t forget your camera!

4:45PM (APPROX): On arriving back at base you’ll transfer back into a minivan and we’ll take you back to your hotel, arriving around 6:00PM giving you plenty of time in the evening to reflect on the incredible day you’ve had and the fact that you’re now a member of The Tuk Tuk Club!

6:00pm (APPROX): Arrive back in Chiang Mai city