WHETHER THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME IN ASIA, OR YOU ARE A REGULAR VISITOR TO THE LAND OF SMILES, THIS PAGE IS FOR YOU. FIND OUR TOP TRAVEL TIPS FOR A SMOOTH TRIP
Choose an ethical elephant park
We are passionate about elephant wellbeing and we know you are too. But there’s a lot of myth and misinformation online about what constitutes good care for elephants, and it’s important to do your research and get information from experts who spend their careers studying elephants (not profiting from them). Please take a few minutes watch a video and get educated on Elephants in Thailand.
Before you buy tickets to any elephant park in Thailand, please consider reading about ethical animal tourism to get a deeper understand the difference between captive and wild elephants and how you can best help them both.
You can also learn more about our approach and challenges to rescuing elephants. If you are unsure about something feel free to reach out to us. We are here to help.
Make this your best vacation yet
Happiness is a direction, not a place. Check out our top tips to Travel Happier! Travel with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to be with what is.
WHAT TO PACK…
…and what to leave at home.
To take the stress out of packing, be sure not to forget the essentials: We are in a rural non touristic area there are no ATMs or pharmacies near by. Bring cash, and any medication you need. Our packing list for female travelers is here.
Travel and give back
Our founder, Alexa Pham, came to Thailand in 2013 with the dream of opening an empowerment project for indigenous and refugee women – strong, smart, resilient women who happened to be from some of the most oppressed populations. A survivor of abuse herself, she wanted help other vulnerable women. Alexa was broke, and without a business plan or experience running a hotel. Undeterred, she borrowed a bunch of money and rented some abandoned buildings in a forest in Chiang Mai. A few friends came together to help with painting, renovating and dreaming to create a one of a kind social business, the Chai Lai Orchid – a jungle hideaway offering tours, treks and lodging to intrepid and socially minded travellers.
The Chai Lai Orchid uses 100% of profits to fund all Daughters Rising’s projects. The Chai Lai Orchid also provides a safe place where at-risk women get paid full wages to learn about hospitality job skills, English/Thai language, women’s health, and human rights so that they are less vulnerable to traffickers. With your help, Chai Lai does its part to ensure our vocational trainee graduates are independant, empowered and can even provide a brighter future for themselves and their whole community.
An important part of what we do here is our real world job training program. Prior to entering our program, some trainees may not have never had the opportunity to stay at a hotel, eat in a restaurant, use electricity or attend school. They are learning about hospitality for the first time. Thank you so much for being a vital part of our program and enjoy your stay.
