A family river camp on the Mae Taeng
No office in town, no fleet of minivans — just a base camp on the riverbank and a team small enough to fit around one dinner table.
Tubing Chiang Mai is a family-run river camp on the Mae Taeng, about an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half north of Chiang Mai’s old city. We have run tours from the same stretch of river since 2019 — a base camp on the bank, a lead guide, a cook, and a caretaker who keeps the tubes patched and the grass cut.
Who we are
The camp is run day to day by its owner, alongside a lead guide who has floated this river more times than anyone can count, a cook who makes the lunches and the villa breakfasts, and a caretaker who keeps everything running. That is the whole company. When you email us, the person who replies is the person who will be standing on the riverbank when you arrive.
Small has its advantages. We are rated 5.0 on GetYourGuide from 520 reviews and 5.0 on Tripadvisor from 337, and ranked #1 of things to do in Kuet Chang. That comes from doing a short list of things carefully, not a long list of things fast.
Our elephant policy
Near the end of our tubing route, the river passes a small, locally run elephant camp. The elephants live free along the bank, and the river is theirs as much as ours.
Our policy is observe-only. Never riding. Never feeding. Never shows. Guests watch from their tubes as they drift past, or — on our elephant programs — from a respectful distance on the riverbank for about half an hour, while a guide shares the history of elephants in Thailand and how places like this are changing.
If the elephants are in the river when we come through, we stop and wait until they have moved on. If one takes an interest in the tubes, everyone gets out and we walk around. Their river first — that rule is not negotiable.
Why so strict? Because the moment an animal becomes a prop, the experience stops being real. An elephant doing exactly what it wants, at its own pace, fifty metres away, is worth more than any staged photo. We think that is the only honest way to share them, and our guests seem to agree.
What we run
Half-day and full-day river tubing, jungle treks, waterfall trips, ATV and zipline combos, and two-day overnights — all starting from the same base camp. And when the day is done, there is Huay Kub Kab the Villa, our small place to stay five minutes from the river: three villas, a 16-bed dorm and a pool.
Find us
- Base camp: 192 Moo 1, Ban Muang Kued, Kued Chang, Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai 50150 — about 1 h 15 to 1 h 30 north of the old city
- Phone: +66 80 760 0132
- Email: info@tubingchiangmai.com
- Licensed tour operator — TAT licence no. 23/03937 (operated by Eco Quest Travel)
Hotel pickup is included on most tours, or you can drive up yourself — directions come with your booking confirmation.