Sticky Waterfall and an Elephant Sanctuary in One Day
Day trips pairing the Sticky Waterfall with an elephant sanctuary: what each includes, the order, prices, and what to ask before booking an elephant visit.
Several day trips from Chiang Mai put the Bua Tong falls and half a day with elephants into one day: a morning or an afternoon with the elephants, preparing their food, feeding them, walking with them and, on some, bathing them in a river, then an hour or two climbing the limestone at Bua Tong. Hotel pickup and lunch are part of every day below, and none of them offers riding. A name on a sign tells you little, so read what each day actually does with the elephants before you book.
The days compared
| Day trip | With the elephants | Also on the day | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elephant sanctuary, Kayan village and the falls (Pon Elephant) | Half a day: a caretaker’s outfit, herbal treats, feeding, a forest walk and a river bath | A Kayan village, lunch, the falls; 9 hours | From $59 |
| Falls, Wat Ban Den and a sanctuary (Elephant Welfare Sanctuary) | Two hours: herbal vitamin balls, feeding and walking with the elephants | A local market, the falls, Wat Ban Den, lunch; starts late morning | From $55 |
| Elephant sanctuary, Wat Ban Den and the falls (Limmy Private Tour) | Watching elephants rescued from logging in a mountain valley | Wat Ban Den, lunch, the falls; small group | From $61 |
| Private falls and elephant care day (Journey D Travel) | An afternoon: food preparation, feeding, bathing and walking | The falls in the morning, buffet lunch at the sanctuary; private car | From $80 |
| Sanctuary and falls by private car (GoWithJoe) | Cutting grass and preparing food with the mahouts, in a group of six to nine | The falls, lunch; private transfer | From $88 |
Listing prices: GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026. Per person, adult fare.
For the longest day, Chiang Mai One Day Trip’s four-in-one adds a Kayan village and whitewater or bamboo rafting to the elephants and the falls: ten hours, from $74 in current promotion (usually $82) on Viator (checked November 2026).
How the day runs
The waterfall is the short part of these trips: an hour to an hour and a half on the rock. The elephants take a half day, and the drive between the two is part of the day. Pon Elephant starts with the elephants and ends at the falls; Journey D Travel’s private day does the falls first, while the rock is quiet, and spends the afternoon with the elephants. Elephant Welfare Sanctuary picks you up at about 11 am and fits the market, the falls and Wat Ban Den in before the elephants.
Bring two sets of clothes and a towel. You get muddy and wet with the elephants, and wet again at the falls; several of these trips lend you a caretaker’s shirt for the sanctuary, and the waterfall needs swimwear or quick-dry clothes and, ideally, water shoes.
What to ask before you book an elephant day
Riding is the clear line: none of the days above offers it. Beyond that, read the listing for what you actually do. Feeding and walking are what most of these trips sell; a river bath is part of Pon Elephant’s and Journey D Travel’s. Two questions are worth sending before you pay: how many elephants the place keeps and how many visitors it takes in a day.
If you would rather spend the other half of the day cooking, cooking-class-chiangmai.com compares the days that pair elephants with a Thai cooking class, and what to check before booking any elephant venue.
The Kayan village stop
Two of the days, Pon Elephant’s and Chiang Mai One Day Trip’s four-in-one, add a visit to a Kayan village, sold as the long neck village. If that is not for you, the Elephant Welfare Sanctuary and Limmy days swap it for Wat Ban Den, the blue-roofed temple in Mae Taeng.
Elephant Sanctuary, Kayan Village and Sticky Waterfall Day
Pon Elephant: half a day with the elephants, a Kayan village, lunch, then the falls, with hotel pickup and a guide.
Check dates →Elephant Sanctuary, Wat Ban Den and the Sticky Waterfall
Limmy Private Tour: a sanctuary morning, Wat Ban Den, lunch, then the falls, in a small group.
See the temple day →Private Sticky Waterfall and Elephant Care Day
Journey D Travel: the falls first, then an afternoon caring for the elephants, in a private car.
See the private day →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026; Viator checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
More Trips with Open Dates
More Chiang Mai Day Trips with Open Dates
Waterfall trips, temples and day tours from Chiang Mai with live availability. Times and cancellation terms are on each listing.
Elephants, Then the Sticky Waterfall
Pon Elephant's nine hours from Chiang Mai: half a day caring for elephants, a Kayan village, lunch, then the climb at Bua Tong.
See dates