Tour Guide Recommended?

[mangoman007]

Want to take a boat from our hotel to Ruammit and then trek around on elephants for 2-3 hours and then a boat back. Is anyone familiar with Ruammit? Can we just arrive and take some elephants w/ guides on our own? Easy to do?

Thanks!

[sceadugenga]

Ruammit is a one-hour boat ride from Chiangrai City and boats depart dialy from the Chiangrai pier. Ruammit is also a favorite stop to ride elephants on the Baan Thaton-Chiangrai river boat journey.

Link

The boats between Tha Ton and Chiang Rai leave daily. There's a regular passenger boat and smaller private boats are available.

[brahmburgers]

If memory serves me well (it often doesn't) - a boat leaves every morning (9 am?). The price was/is 60 baht. It's one way up river, so to get back down, you have to either flag a ride with a boat coming downriver (not hard to do) or maybe arrange a ride in a vehicle. Otherwise, you may spend the rest of your days at the elephant camp.

Also from town, you can get a boat all your own and fill it with your own people. That should cost about 600 to 700 baht. That way you tell the boat driver where and when you want to go. You da boss.

[toybits]

For an unguided elephant trek around the village, you will need only about 20 minutes to complete the trip and cost you around 200 to 300 Baht. If you want a more substantial elephant trek lasting around 2 hours, the trek will take you to another village on top of the hill - so you cannot take the long tail boat ride back to your hotel. Therefore you might want to consider having a guide because nobody will be there to help you find your way back to town. It will require a 1 hour trek downhill to another village from where you could hire a local taxi back to town. Rather complicated.

[sceadugenga]

Is Ruammit the village opposite the hot spa when you go out through Doi Hang?

[toybits]

Yup3

Is Ruammit the village opposite the hot spa when you go out through Doi Hang?

[lilly79]

Yes, Baan Karen Ruammit is opposite the hot spring & spa, where you took the picture. But you can not get there unless you roll down the hill, splash into the Maekok and swim to cross this rough streaming river...luckily this river is not so deep as...the Great Maekhong river.

Or drive at least another 20 km. in the direction of Chiang Rai, turn left (When Don's Cafe is on your right) in the direction of the jail and then follow the signs " Karen Ruammit elephant camp".

And yes, you can do this trip without a guide. But if not getting there by longtail boat, you really need to have good transportation. It's 20 km's away from the city and there's not much light along that road.

Oh and another thing! When you go to the elephant camp, just ask the people to wait for you as long as you want to spend your time there. Just pay them "the waiting time" so you're assured that you'll have your transportation back.

And if you go in the morning/ day time and have some time left...check out the national park there just around the corner (about 10 minutes away from Baan Karen Ruammit). The name is: Huai Mak Liam National Park, where you can find a beautiful turquoise colored hot spring, a large pond full with waterlillies (my favorite ) and many Eucalyptus trees with its colors and some useful and interesting information about the landscape of Chiang Rai mountain/ national park area at the visitors center (not open on Sundays).

And for a nice lunch, you can stop at that resort that used to be "naranchula resort" (not sure about that, it has been a long time ago). The new name sounds like Tamachart resort and they have their resort and restaurant at the riverside (2 minutes away from the national park). It's really nice and quiet over there. And next to that Resort you can find Phasert hot spring, where you can take relaxing mineral baths for 30 bath at the public pool or 70 baht for a private room.

All worth to see and do. I did it all what's mentioned above and that's the way...ahuh ahuh... I like it ahuh ahuh!

Happy exploring!

Lilly

[lilly79]

Is Ruammit the village opposite the hot spa when you go out through Doi Hang?

[sceadugenga]

So there's a bridge if you take the jail turn off?

[lilly79]

yes, but it's small. I never really notice it when passing it...

But that's the shortcut to the other side.

Oh I forgot to mention: please take in account that it takes 1 to 1.5 hour by longtailboat, to get from the Mae fa Luang bridge (the boat station) to the Karen village.