The Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp, established by young tourism professionals from the area in an effort to protect the natural environment, elephants and traditions of local people living around Kalaw. A large part of their propert is a private protected forest where native vegetation can grow undisturbed, creating a natural habitat for animals that could otherwise be easily hunted down and killed. The project includes creating a natural environment for some Myanmar elephants who are retired from the lumber industry, so they may live out their days in a more native environment.
On arrival to the Camp I had a wonderful lunch with Nepalese influences typical for this region. Then we hiked down to the elephant camp with my guide to meet the elephants and their mahouts (elephant keepers). Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp (Laura Cahill)
I arrived around feeding time so I was able to help the mahouts feed the elephants. It was awesome and a little scary to feel their trunks grabbing the food., mainly pumpkin and squash. The guide told me about the different elephants and their habits. It was nice to spend some time to see their different personalities and appreciate their massive, yet graceful manner. I then got to follow the mahout and his elephant to help with the washing in the river. After the bath, I had the rare chance to ride for just a brief time. As late afternoon came around the elephants started to wonder a bit away from the pavillion camp. The guides and mahouts said it was time to say goodbye to my new elephant friends, as they will spend the rest of the day and night in their forest protected by Green Hill Valley. Elephant feeding time (Laura Cahill) Elephant Bath Time! (Laura Cahill) Elephant bath time! Laura Cahill (Laura Cahill) Quick ride (Laura Cahill)
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.