Hi, reader.
You probably found this page because you’re headed to Southeast Asia, specifically Chiang Mai, and you’re researching ethical elephant sanctuaries.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve done A LOT of research. And even when you’re genuinely trying to do the right thing, treat animals with compassion, and avoid supporting harmful tourism, it can still be difficult to know if you’re making the right choice.
I’ve done a whole lot of research myself, and I’m here to tell you exactly what our experience was like at Chai Lai Orchid with kids: We visited as part of our Vietnam Trip, and you can read more, including itinerary and costs, here.
The amazing, the ethical, and the extremely buggy.
So, How Did We Find Chai Lai Orchid?
Instagram.
Once I started searching for elephant sanctuaries around Chiang Mai, Chai Lai Orchid started showing up all over my feed.
And let me tell you, the pictures were stunning.
Picture this: a beautiful woman feeding elephants from the porch of a gorgeous room, with a breathtaking sunset behind her. Who wouldn’t want to stay there?
If you’re dreaming about getting close to elephants, it looks like the ultimate experience.
Well… Not so fast.
Before booking anything, I wanted to dig a little deeper.
Is Chai Lai Orchid Ethical?
This is where I want to be clear: I’m not the ethics police.
Animal tourism is complicated, and I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I can tell you what we observed during our stay though so you can make your own decision.
Do visitors ride the elephants? No. Thank goodness.
Do the handlers use hooks? Not that we saw.
Do visitors bathe the elephants? Again, no.
The elephants are brought through the property with their handlers, and guests can interact with them by purchasing bananas and feeding them.
Is feeding elephants ethical? That’s a question you’ll have to answer for yourself. Our family was comfortable with the experience based on what we saw, but I wanted to be honest about what the interaction actually looked like.
With that in mind, we decided to stay one night.
Staying at Chai Lai Orchid With Kids
Our family of five paid $118 USD for two rooms for one night.
Getting there from central Chiang Mai was part of the adventure. Our transportation cost $38.22 USD, and the trip took about 75 minutes.
It was a long, bumpy ride, and one of my three kids got carsick. So if motion sickness runs in your family, consider yourself warned.
When we arrived, we were greeted by a friendly staff member at reception and shown to our rooms. They were rustic, but very clean.
There were mosquito nets over the beds, which was a first for us, and bug spray was provided.
And it was at that point that I started to wonder exactly what kind of adventure we’d signed up for.
The Bathroom Was…Again, Rustic
And by rustic, I mean really rustic.
The bathroom was essentially an exterior attachment to the room, probably around 30 square feet, with a toilet, sink and shower head all in one small space.
The whole thing was built on wooden stilts and topped with a corrugated metal roof.
And to be completely honest, there was a brief moment when I wondered if too much movement might cause the entire bathroom to collapse into a pile of wood and metal on the ground below.
Spoiler alert: That was simply mom anxiety at its finest.
Want To See it For Yourself?
Still not sure what I mean by “rustic”? Here’s a super-quick tour of our two rooms and the bathroom so you can see exactly what we were working with.
The Elephants!
Once we settled into our rooms, it was time to see what we’d actually come for.
The elephants don’t just wander around the resort all day. There are designated times when they’re brought through the property with their handlers.
Bananas were available for purchase, and we bought some for all three kids. We got quite a lot of bananas for $6.13 USD, although that made them some pretty expensive bananas by our standards.
Still, the kids were excited, and our family really enjoyed feeding the elephants. We were all a little apprehensive about getting too close. They’re gentle animals, but they’re also enormous, and we’ve all heard the horror stories.
We spent about 20–30 minutes with them before they continued on their way.
Exploring Below the Resort
With the elephants gone, we decided to explore the area down the hill.
There’s a creek where you can swim, and we met some friendly locals along the way.
And dogs. So. Many. Dogs.
Our kids had a great time playing in the water, but the problem came when it was time to go back up.
Because when I say there was a hill, I mean there was a HILL. This thing was massive, and, unfortunately, our ride back to the resort was nowhere to be found.
So we hiked.
Back. Up. That hill.
I have never felt more out of shape in my life.
So, if you’re traveling with kids and decide to head down to the creek, make sure you know how you’re getting back to the resort.
Your legs will thank you.
Dinner, Sunset, and the Bugs
That evening, we had dinner at the resort’s restaurant.
The food was good, although it was a little more expensive than we’d normally pay. But since we were essentially a captive audience, what else could we do?
The real winner of the evening though… The sunset.
The elephants came back through, so we had the views, the sunset and the elephants. What more could you ask for? It was one of those moments when you look around and think, Okay. This is why we travel. Everything just felt right.
But then it got dark. And that’s when the real adventure began.
It’s hard to portray sarcasm in writing, but please understand that the following sentence is extremely sarcastic: The kids loved this part.
Because once it was dark, the lights in our rooms came on. And there were cracks and openings in the seams of these rustic little buildings.
So, naturally… BUGS. Lots and lots of bugs.
I can handle a few little gnats. No problem.
But the main star of this particular show was a centipede.
I know only two things about centipedes:
- They have a LOT of legs.
- The one hanging out in our bed was big enough to traumatize my children. And me.
At this point, my kids were ready to leave the resort immediately.
Unfortunately, it was dark, we were in the middle of nowhere, and we’d already committed to spending the night.
So we stayed. And we did not sleep much. And by morning, we were tired and cranky.
But then something happened that completely changed the experience.
The Morning Made Up for Everything
As soon as we were up and moving, the resort staff brought an incredible breakfast directly to our porch.
Breakfast for us and a basket of bananas for the elephants.
And not long after that…
The elephants came to visit us, just us.
We got to feed them right from our own little cabin porch.
And suddenly, the centipede didn’t seem quite so important anymore.
It was such a special experience.
Getting the opportunity to be close to elephants is rare enough. But having them come to your resort room and being able to feed them in such a quiet, personal setting?
That was something our family will not soon forget. It was one of those travel experiences that you know your kids are going to remember for a very long time.
Would We Stay at Chai Lai Orchid Again?
Yes.
But I would go into it knowing exactly what I was getting.
The pictures on Instagram make Chai Lai Orchid look like a luxurious, dreamy escape where you wake up surrounded by elephants and spend your days taking gorgeous photographs.
And, to be fair, there are moments that really do feel like that.
But this isn’t a luxury resort. It’s rustic. It’s remote. It’s buggy. And you’re going to appreciate the bug spray.
You’re also going to want to be prepared for a long, bumpy ride to get there, a very steep hill, limited transportation around the property and accommodations that are much more “eco-lodge” than “luxury hotel.” But that’s also part of what makes the experience special.
So if you’re considering Chai Lai Orchid with kids, go in with realistic expectations. Don’t expect the perfectly polished Instagram version.
Expect the real version– rustic rooms, bugs, incredible views and beautiful elephants. And if you can swing it, a breakfast basket delivered to your porch followed by one of the most memorable mornings of your trip, maybe even your life.
For our family, this outweighed the buggy part. By a lot.
In fact, it was enough to become one of our favorite travel experiences ever.
Think you want to visit Chai Lai Orchid? You can check current pricing and availability here.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products, services, and experiences I genuinely think are useful.
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