Swimwear under a quick-dry top and a pair of ordinary trainers or closed shoes for the morning — the river is in the afternoon, so swimwear goes on before pickup.

Any comfortable clothes work on the tube; swimwear isn’t compulsory, but quick-dry fabric in darker colours is the sensible choice. In the rainy season the river can run brown, and white or very light clothes may stain and not wash out completely. Cotton and jeans soak through and stay cold — leave them at the hotel.

Ordinary trainers or any closed-toe shoes for the zipline. No special boots — the partner provides all the safety gear. Flip-flops are fine for the river in the afternoon.

Closed shoes are for the morning only. For the tubing, normal flip-flops or sandals are all you need — you do not need to buy special water shoes. When you get on the tube, our staff check whether anyone’s flip-flops might slip off and float away; if so, we tie them together and float them along with the team.

A dry change of clothes, sunscreen, insect repellent, a little cash for drinks, and a padlock if you have one.

• Swimwear plus a full change of dry clothes for after the river (we give you a towel)
• Trainers or closed-toe shoes for the zipline — no special shoes needed — and flip-flops for the afternoon tubing
• Sunscreen and insect repellent, sunglasses — and a hat if you’d rather not borrow one of ours
• A light rain jacket in the rainy season; a warm layer in the cooler months
• Cash for drinks on the water — water and snacks are free; soft drinks and beer are sold on the tube and paid for at the end
• A small padlock for the free locker, or rent one at base camp for a small fee

Booked the elephant version? Two extra things: the elephant visit happens straight after the float, without a stop back at base camp, so if you’d like to cover up over your swimwear bring a sarong, t-shirt or light cover-up — our team carries a dry bag on the float and keeps it dry for you until the elephant stop. And carry your insect repellent with you on the float and apply it before the visit — mosquitoes tend to gather around the elephants (the free waterproof pouch works well for this).

We provide a life jacket, a waterproof phone pouch, a glasses strap, a hat and a towel, free to borrow; Thai lunch, water and snacks are included.

The zipline partner supplies all the zipline safety equipment and runs the briefing. At base camp you’ll find a waterproof pouch for your phone, a strap for your glasses, a hat and a life jacket (put on at camp). After the river there’s a towel for everyone and four hot-water showers with shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Lunch is a Thai meal at base camp between the zipline and the tubing — normally pad Thai and fried chicken, prepared non-spicy, with seasonings on the table. Tell us in advance about allergies and we can usually prepare a separate meal.

Jewellery, watches and big bags — anything you’d hate to lose in a river.

The lockers at base camp are free, but valuables are safest back in your room. A large suitcase that won’t fit a locker can stay in our office during the tour. You can bring your own phone, GoPro or camera on the water if you like, but it’s at your own risk — attach it to your tube with a strap.

Ages 4 to 65, and 120 kg or less for the zipline. Pregnant guests can join up to six months — if you’re unsure, message us before you book.

The zipline is run by our partner on a 39-platform course in our village, under five minutes from base camp, and takes about 1.5–2 hours. Their team gives the safety briefing and fits the gear. The river has no strict weight limit — we have larger tubes for bigger guests. Any heart condition, asthma or other serious medical condition: check with your doctor or message us before you book.

On the With Transfer rate the zipline partner collects you in Chiang Mai in the morning; on Self-Drive you meet us at base camp at 10:00 and we take you to the course. Either way: zipline first, lunch at camp, tubing and the waterfall slide in the afternoon, back in the city around 18:30.

• Pickup — this tour is different from our others. On the With Transfer rate the zipline partner collects you in Chiang Mai city and drives you straight to the course, not to base camp first — your confirmation email has your pickup point and window. Driving yourself? You make your own way to base camp — Getting here has the map and parking.
• Zipline, 39 platforms, about 1.5–2 hours
• Short drive to base camp for Thai lunch
• Briefing, change, lock your bag, life jacket on
• 2-minute truck ride to the put-in (the stretch of river beside camp is white-water, so we drive past it) → 50 minutes to 1 hour 15 on the tube depending on the water level, with the guide floating beside you, a waterproof speaker and a cooler of cold drinks
• If the elephants are in the river, we stop and wait for them — sightings on the float are never guaranteed
• The SaGee waterfall slide, a 5-minute walk behind camp — included for everyone on the zipline-and-slide tour; on the elephant version only if you’re driving yourself (with transfer there isn’t time after the elephants). You cool off and wade in the shallows — it’s too shallow to swim. Two sections — a children’s one with no minimum age and an adults’ one. Nobody is made to slide; the guide demonstrates first.
• Hot shower, a snack (fried banana and cold watermelon), then the drive back — about 18:30 in the city, earlier with a small group and clear roads, later in heavy traffic. Times are a guide, not a guarantee. Planning dinner or another activity? Book it for 20:00 or later.

Elephant version: about 200 metres before the end of the float you step out on the right bank and walk into the riverside area of the elephant camp with the guide for around 30 minutes, watching the elephants going about their day — foraging, dust-bathing, going into the water. You don’t feed, touch or ride them. Then it’s back on the tubes for the last 200 metres to the usual take-out, and the truck back to camp.

Yes — everyone wears a life jacket fitted at base camp, the tubes are tied together, and the guide is in the water with you the whole time.

We float the calm stretch of the Mae Taeng: under grade 1 in low water, grade 1–2 at most in the rainy season. This isn’t rafting — the grade 3–4 rapids are on a different stretch of the same river, run by the rafting companies.

Zipline from age 4; the river takes children from age 1 with an adult, depending on the water that day.

In the calm cool and hot seasons even toddlers join the float; in the rainy season the guide checks the river level on the day and may set a higher minimum. If a child can’t go on the river but the adults can, they can wait at our base camp office. Travelling with younger kids? Message us before you book and we’ll tell you honestly what works.

Normal rain doesn’t stop us. On the river, only a serious storm cancels and the guide decides that on the day, on safety alone.

We check the river against the community water-level marker at the bridge. If it’s too high we tell you in advance and move your tour to another day free of charge; if it stays unsafe, we cancel and refund in full. If the river itself can’t be floated, the rest of the day still runs and we drive that stretch instead.

Yes — accident insurance for every guest, up to ฿500,000 medical per incident and ฿1,000,000 cover.

It’s included at no charge, for everyone on the tour — there’s nothing to add on and nothing to arrange. We still strongly recommend having your own travel insurance as well.

The guide films the tubing (and the elephant part, on that version) on an Insta360. If you booked on our website, the highlight video and your tour photos are included and sent to you after the tour.

With a small group you’ll usually have them before you leave camp (AirDrop for iPhone); on busy days we send a Google Drive link afterwards. We don’t film the waterfall slide, and the zipline is run by our partner.