This is my second time returning to Chai Lai and I loved it just as much as the first. It is not a luxury resort and they make that known- it is all about the experience. We stayed at Lotus- a karen homestay. The room is simple with a bed and shower- everything you need. You get a complimentary breakfast while feeding the elephants. Elephant happy hour is a great place to spend time. This place is unique and an amazing experience. I can't wait to return and share this magical place with loved ones.
แปล
ผู้เข้าพัก
เข้าพักเมื่อ ม.ค. 2025
อื่นๆ
2.0/5
โพสต์เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
Chai Lai Orchid was one of the first things I booked when planning our trip to Thailand. I was really disappointed in my time on the Jungle Expedition. The biggest issue I had was with the descriptions of events on the website. The "lush jungle hike" was more of a walk in the sun. The website promises that we will "walk with your elephant through the jungle to forage", but we did not do this. We were supposed to "swim in a jungle waterfall" which just did not happen. I understand that if it's not rainy season this may not be possible, but that needs to be clarified on the website. The website also promises the chance to explore and learn about the Karen village. Our "exploration" of the village was about 5 minutes of our guide talking about the Karen people and then quickly moving on, not allowing us a chance to buy anything they may be selling. Finally, the bamboo raft was oversold. The website promises a 40 minute to 1 hour long raft ride, ours was barely 30 minutes. Also, the man steering our raft was on his phone and kept running us into things. Another issue I had was our guide continuously abandoned us or gave us poor instruction. At one point during the tour, our group was told to change into our swimsuits and water shoes. Then, we climbed a hill overlooking the mud pit and watched the elephants bathe. This would've been super cool, except our guide was not directing us and we ended up balancing on the hill smashed together with lack of space. Since several guests were wearing flip flops or slides, many of them were worried of falling. The whole thing would've been more enjoyable if we were better guided and instructed on where to stand and what we were doing. Finally, I had an issue with the food that was provided to us. We were fed soup, a huge portion of rice, watermelon, and some cold chicken. For the amount of physical activity the tour requires, PROTEIN is important. We were not provided enough protein which did not help to improve our mood. I was so excited for this experience and left it feeling like I wasted a day in Chiang Mai where there is so much to do. I paid a lot of money for the excursion and wish that Chai Lai had been more open and honest about what the experience would look like. I would not recommend to friends or family.
แปล
ผู้เข้าพัก
เข้าพักเมื่อ ม.ค. 2025
อื่นๆ
5.0/5
เลิศมาก
โพสต์เมื่อ 4 ก.พ. 2025
I've been meaning to write this review for a while. Me and my partner visited Chai Lai Orchid in October 2024. We had an amazing time doing the jungle expedition. Our guide, Boy, took us on a beautiful hike and made us a delicious lunch. He then took us to a beautiful waterfall and then later on we stayed the night with a Karen tribe family. They made us a delicious dinner and breakfast and made our stay very comfortable. Thank you Eddie and her family. Feeding and swimming with the elephants the next day was an unforgettable experience we will never forget. Boy has amazing knowledge of the elephants and nature that he shared with us throughout our stay. Thank you Boy for making our time at Chai Lai Orchid special, I would highly recommend visiting, it was a key highlight of our trip to Thailand. Michael & Hannah
แปล
ผู้เข้าพัก
เข้าพักเมื่อ ม.ค. 2025
หวานกับคู่รัก
5.0/5
เลิศมาก
โพสต์เมื่อ 4 ก.พ. 2025
We did the overnight stay that included a hike to a waterfall, lunch cooked outside over a bamboo fire, walking and feeding the elephants, a short raft trip and visit to a Karen Village. Our guide BeBe was outstanding. He shared lots of information about the preserve, the Karen people and his family. We loved the elephants - they are well cared for - and enjoyed staying overnight in a the Northern Thai farm environment. Included four meals and transport. The cottages beds were comfortable and have a large deck. We enthusiastically recommend! Thank you BeBe!
แปล
ผู้เข้าพัก
เข้าพักเมื่อ ม.ค. 2025
ครอบครัว
5.0/5
เลิศมาก
โพสต์เมื่อ 3 ก.พ. 2025
There are not enough ways of saying how good our stay was!! To be so up close with elephants was just unbelievable. You are staying with people who clearly love what they are doing and even better is that this charity is doing good for local girls and women. Do not be fooled by similar places where you can see that the elephants are still tied up and constrained. At Chai Lai the elephants walk around freely with their mahouts. The accommodation is basic but comfortable and you can get to feed the elephants when your breakfast arrives. If you want to experience something totally different and do some good at the same time, then come and stay here - you will not regret it!!
แปล
ผู้เข้าพัก
เข้าพักเมื่อ ม.ค. 2025
อื่นๆ
5.0/5
เลิศมาก
โพสต์เมื่อ 1 ก.พ. 2025
The day at Chai Lai Orchid was amazing we did a private tour with our guide Som Chai (I believe) he did a great job showing us around we did see the elephants and they seemed to be happy, when getting fed, walking with us or getting bathed always their mahout was with them. In addition Chai Lai Orchid also supports the local communities in many ways. Great job. Our guide also prepared lunch for us and even made spoons and cups out of bamboo for us.
แปล
ผู้เข้าพัก
เข้าพักเมื่อ ธ.ค. 2024
อื่นๆ
5.0/5
เลิศมาก
โพสต์เมื่อ 30 ม.ค. 2025
Booked 2 nights in a Mountain view bungalow. The whole place is truly beautiful, set up in the jungle with stunning views. The café serves food and drinks through out the day, and we got to enjoy the Elephant happy hour (buy one get one free on cocktails).Food was really good, with both Thai and western dishes available. We had booked the Elephant Care half day, where we got to feed, walk and swim with the elephants. All the elephants are well cared for and treated with respect. Guides and handlers work really hard to make it enjoyed for the elephants & guests. Bare in mind the rooms are very basic. We stayed mid-Jan and the evening was really cold... So much so they gave all the rooms extra bedding. 'Bathrooms' such as there are are outside, but completely private. We could barley get warm water to come through the shower. All this being said, it was a wonderful place to stay, and a completely memorable experience - Waking up to stunning sunrises, then watching these beautiful animals roaming around, waiting for their breakfast. I'd say a 1 night stay would be sufficient, depending of course as to what tours you've booked. Its completely remote so there's not a great deal to do. Big shout out to our taxi driver Pippa who took us back to Chiang Mai - You were wonderful, showing us the ancient temples on the outskirts of Chiang Mai.