The five days we spent in the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Myanmar (Burma) and Laos meet were absolutely magical! We stayed at the Four Seasons Tented Camp, a place that words simply can’t describe. When we arrived at the camp we were immediately greeted by the Assistant Manager Vikas and Chef Pisan to completely personalize our stay – they helped us with a perfectly planned itinerary including all of our food preferences for all the special meals to come. The chef shared the recipes for a few of my favorite dishes that I can’t wait to share with you. Until then, I’ve included a couple of video links and breakfast pictures if you’d like a closer look into some of the moments we witnessed during our stay…
Our Tent – Staying in a luxury tent in the middle of the jungle was out of this world. The outdoor shower, sounds of all the animals, the rain and thunder every night, and the noise the elephants made walking by is something I’ll never forget. It will be really hard to ever go back to real camping after “Glamping” like this.
Riding Bareback on Elephants – Staying at the Four Seasons didn’t just bring the best in ultimate pampering, but also meant supporting a terrific cause. The camp is the founding member of the The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation and was built in order to find a refuge for elephants rescued from the streets of Thailand. The funds generated at the resort support the cost to feed the elephants and maintain the camp grounds for them to live peacefully. Being on top of an elephant alone brings so much closeness and a bond that isn’t the same as riding them with a saddle. I fell in love with my elephant, Yuki.
Breakfast with the Elephants – We just left and I’m already missing breakfast with the elephants. Feeding and interacting with them daily before beginning the day’s adventure an absolute treat and something I was incredibly excited to wake up to every morning.
Cucumbers were a favorite for the elephants and they ate laundry baskets full of them…
Watching the elephants eat bananas was quite hilarious, after they got a bit full, they would take a few of them by their trunk and scrub them down their legs to remove the peels.
One elephant loved to blow on me, so I would blow right back… so fun!
Breakfast for me at the camp was just as exciting. I had freshly made green juice – cabbage, cucumber and carrot
And carrot and cucumber juice… This elephant almost stole a sip. HILARIOUS.
Beautifully prepared fruit plates every morning – Local Thai pineapple, papaya, grapefruit, dragonfruit and watermelon.
Yogurt parfaits with local fruit, homemade granola, and topped with my travel size Chia Seeds packets…
A delicious and crispy rose apple from the fruit basket in our tent…
And one morning for a treat, I tried the french toast with blueberries – it was a perfect portion.
Lychees for mid morning snacks…
Each breakfast provided perfect nourishment for lots of elephant riding in the afternoon…Believe it or not, but my abs got the best workout from riding – they were sore for days!
Becoming so close to the elephants at the tented camp will always be one of my favorite travel memories… What’s one of your favorites?
