Book Living Green or Big Boy in Chiang Mai
This is the booking comparison. Living Green and Big Boy are two independent no-riding sanctuaries. Use the table, then open a product. For a one-sentence distinction (valley vs Karen-run foothills), see Living Green or Big Boy elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai.
Living Green half-day adults are ฿1,400. Big Boy half-day adults are ฿1,500. ThaiEleHub is the booking hub for both. Chiang Mai deposits are 25% per guest. You can cancel at least 24 hours before the tour. Online booking closes 10 hours before departure. Last verified: 5 Oct 2026.
Side-by-side comparison
| Attribute | Living Green Chiang Mai | Big Boy Chiang Mai |
|---|---|---|
| Location | River valley outside Chiang Mai city | Doi Inthanon foothills outside Chiang Mai city |
| Operator | Independent Living Green team | Karen community-managed |
| Landscape | River-valley setting; forest walking, river time | Mountain foothills; forest habitat near Doi Inthanon National Park |
| Animal policy | Feed and bathe with the elephants · No riding · No shows | No bathing · No riding · No walking with elephants |
| What the visit includes | Guests feed the elephants by hand and bathe with them in the river when the elephants choose to go in. Bathing is never forced. | Watch the herd from a distance, feed vitamin balls at the feeding table, and help with habitat care. Guests cannot touch the elephants. |
| Program formats | Half-day (morning / afternoon) · Full-day (Pad Thai cooking) · Full-day (bamboo rafting + cooking) · Full-day (Doi Inthanon combination) | Half-day (morning / afternoon) · Full-day (bamboo rafting + Pad Thai cooking) |
| Price range (adult) | ฿1,400 – ฿2,000 | ฿1,500 – ฿1,800 |
| Child variant | Available on some programs (age 4–8) | Child (4-8): ฿1,100; infants 0–3 free |
| Full-day depth | 3 different full-day combinations | 1 full-day combination |
| Deposit | 25% per person today · balance paid locally | 25% per person today · balance paid locally |
| Cancellation | Cancel at least 24 h before scheduled tour start time (deposit refund minus Stripe 6.5% fee); non-refundable inside 24 h | Cancel at least 24 h before scheduled tour start time (deposit refund minus Stripe 6.5% fee); non-refundable inside 24 h |
| Best for | Nature-focused travelers who want more choice between full-day combinations, families comfortable with a river setting, guests who value forest walking and river time | Nature-focused travelers, couples, families and Doi Inthanon route planners who prefer a quieter, no-control observation experience with a Karen community connection |
| Not best for | Travelers who want elephant riding, staged shows, or heavily choreographed interaction (available at neither) | Travelers who want elephant riding, staged shows, guaranteed bathing photos or high-contact entertainment (available at neither) |
| Booking hub | ThaiEleHub — Living Green Elephant Sanctuary Chiang Mai | ThaiEleHub — collection page |
Which should you choose?
Choose Living Green if …
- You want the widest selection of full-day combinations (cooking, bamboo rafting, Doi Inthanon)
- You prefer a river-valley setting and want to combine sanctuary time with river / cooking experiences
- You want a program that pairs naturally with a food-focused Chiang Mai itinerary
Choose Big Boy if …
- You want a quieter camp style, no-control interaction and Karen-community context
- You are already planning a Doi Inthanon day and want a sanctuary in the same foothill area
- You prefer forest observation over combined-activity itineraries
Either sanctuary works if …
- You want a strictly no-riding, no-show ethical day
- Your budget starts at ฿1,400 per adult for a Living Green half-day, or ฿1,500 at Big Boy
- You need Chiang Mai hotel pickup and a same-day return by early evening
- You want an operator with a clear 25% deposit rule and 24-hour cancellation window
What is the same at both sanctuaries
Both sanctuaries operate on the same ethical baseline (no riding, no shows, no forced contact), use the same 25% per-person deposit, and offer the same 24-hour cancellation window (counted from the scheduled tour start time; deposit refunded minus Stripe's 6.5% processing fee). Both are outside Chiang Mai city. Transfer time depends on traffic and your hotel and both include hotel pickup. ThaiEleHub is the official booking and customer-support hub for both — the deposit flow, WhatsApp support, and cancellation window are identical.
Bangkok or Pattaya visitors
If you are staying on the coast rather than in Chiang Mai, neither of these sanctuaries is a practical day trip. Instead, see the Living Green Chonburi profile for Bangkok-departure and Pattaya-departure half-day options.
Need Big Boy as its own one-paragraph fact sheet? What is Big Boy Elephant Sanctuary?
Book or ask
Book any program with a 25% per-person deposit on the individual product page, or WhatsApp the ThaiEleHub team for a same-day confirmation: +66 98 858 9666. Email: info@thaielehub.com.
Living Green vs Big Boy: quick answers
What is the difference between Living Green and Big Boy?
They are separate camps with different operators. Living Green is a river-valley program outside Chiang Mai where guests feed and bathe with the elephants. Big Boy is a Karen-run camp in the Doi Inthanon foothills where guests watch from a distance, feed vitamin balls at the feeding table, and cannot touch the elephants, with no bathing, riding or walking with elephants.
How much do the Living Green and Big Boy half-day tours cost?
A Living Green half-day is ฿1,400 per adult and ฿1,000 per child aged 4–8. A Big Boy half-day is ฿1,500 per adult and ฿1,100 per child aged 4–8, and infants aged 0–3 visit Big Boy free of charge.
Can I bathe with elephants at Living Green or Big Boy?
At Living Green, guests feed and bathe with the elephants. There is no forced bathing — the elephants lead, and if the herd skips the water on the day your tour still runs at the same price. At Big Boy, no bathing with elephants, no riding, and no walking with elephants are offered, as these activities require controlling the elephants which goes against the sanctuary's principles of respecting their natural behavior and freedom.
Which camp is quieter, Living Green or Big Boy?
Big Boy is the quieter of the two: a Karen-run camp in the Doi Inthanon foothills with smaller groups and a longer transfer. Living Green is a river-valley program with a shorter transfer where guests feed and bathe with the elephants.
Do Living Green and Big Boy both include hotel pickup in Chiang Mai?
Yes. Both include round-trip hotel pickup within 5 km of Chiang Mai Old City, including Nimman and Riverside. Living Green picks up from 07:00 for the morning and 12:00 for the afternoon; Big Boy picks up from 07:00 for the morning and 11:30 for the afternoon.
What deposit do I pay for Living Green or Big Boy?
Both take 25% per guest online, and the rest is paid on the day. That is ฿350 per adult for a Living Green half-day and ฿375 per adult for a Big Boy half-day.
Can I visit Living Green and Big Boy in one day?
Not realistically. Each half-day already uses a long countryside transfer, so pick one camp per day.
Living Green Chiang Mai ethical standards
How each camp runs the day: no riding, no shows, and the published guest activities on the product page.
- ✓No riding, ever
River-valley setting; elephants decide all interaction. Confirmed in live itinerary.
- ✓The herd decides
Feed the elephants and bathe with them in the water when they choose to go in (elephant-led, never forced).
- ✓Free-roaming habitat
25+ hectares; open grazing with natural family grouping. No night enclosure.
- ✓Limited contact
Hand feeding and elephant-led river bathing; no bathing tubs or staged photos.
- ✓Retirement sanctuary
All elephants from ex-logging or ex-riding backgrounds. Retirement care, not procurement.
Data verified 2026-09-14. Questions? Ask on WhatsApp ↗
Big Boy Chiang Mai ethical standards
How each camp runs the day: no riding, no shows, and the published guest activities on the product page.
- ✓No bathing · No riding · No walking with elephants
No bathing with elephants, no riding, and no walking with elephants are offered, as these activities require controlling the elephants which goes against the sanctuary's principles of respecting their natural behavior and freedom.
- ✓No riding, ever
Karen-operated; no saddles. Guests watch from a distance, feed vitamin balls at the feeding table, and help with habitat care. Guests cannot touch the elephants.
- ✓Small groups only
6–8 guests max; intimate vs. large bus tours.
- ✓Hand-made daily care
Vitamin balls made by Karen family each day; personalized attention.
- ✓Natural foothills habitat
Doi Inthanon foothills; open terrain with grazing freedom.
Data verified 2026-09-14. Questions? Ask on WhatsApp ↗
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