Foreign tourists are packing elephant parks in Kued Chang subdistrict, Mae Taeng district, as Chiang Mai’s high season gets going. At Mae Taeng Elephant Park, Korean visitors in particular are riding through the countryside, watching the elephants paint pictures that hold their own against human efforts, and drifting down the Mae Taeng river on bamboo rafts.
Bophit Chailert, who operates the park, said visitor numbers have clearly picked up since the start of the season, with tour groups arriving all day without a break. Most are short-haul tourists from South Korea, China and Malaysia. The war and tension in Europe could thin out European arrivals a little, he said, but he expects the impact to be limited, since visitors from Mexico and South America have lately been filling the gap.
The park has 71 elephants. To keep up with demand without wearing them out, it has set a working schedule: no more than four hours a day per elephant, a break of at least 15 minutes every hour, and at least one day off each week.
Elephant shows, rides, rafting and elephant-care activities are the big draws. This year the park has opened an extra activity zone to ease crowding, so everyone gets close to the elephants without being elbowed out of the way. Mr Bophit expects nature tourism in Chiang Mai to stay busy for the rest of the season.
