There's a certain formula to most of the treks and tours available from Chiang Mai travel agents: drive to the jungle; do a bit of walking; visit a couple of tribal villages; do a little bamboo rafting; ride an elephant.
All well and good, but for something a bit different, try the Elephant Nature Park. This is one of the few (if only) camps where the elephants run the show and are treated with the care they deserve - some of the others leave a lot to be desired. And it's also a great place to get up close and personal with the elephants themselves, all of which were rescued from far less salubrious conditions.
From $68 for a day trip to $260 for a week - not cheap, but consider that all the money goes towards looking after the elephants.
Addresses and telephone numbers at www.elephantnaturepark.org/office.htm
There's a slick new website now - www.elephantnaturefoundation.org/Send your feedback or queries to been.there@guardian.co.uk
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