It often surprises me that so many people are unaware that northern Thailand offers some of the most thrilling white water rafting in Southeast Asia.  Being born and raised at the foothills of the Rockies in Alberta, Canada I am no stranger to white water rafting and, while the Mae Tang River is not quite the Kicking Horse River at Canada’s Continental divide, it is nonetheless a surprisingly wild ride.  One of the main differences from Canada is that in Thailand we don’t hesitate to throw ourselves overboard, wearing only swimwear, and enjoying a swim in the calm parts of the Mae Tang.  Such antics in the glacier fed Kicking Horse River would be to risk hypothermia, even clad in a wet suit.

4 years ago I left Canada and the Rockies and now work in the travel industry in Chang Mai, Thailand.  In August of this year, when I mentioned the prospect of going white water rafting as a company outing I was surprised to learn that none of my staff (12 Thai nationals) had ever been.  I have been rafting several times and just last year I rafted the Mae Tang River with my father during one of his visits to Thailand.  At the time my father had never been white water rafting and the trip turned into what was an extremely enjoyable and exciting adventure that he still talks about.

At the first suggestion that a rafting trip would be a good team activity, some of my staff received the idea with trepidation.  “Not to worry”, I told them, “we have at least a 90% chance of coming home alive”.  Naturally, I was only joking and it did not take much time before we were all revved up for a group outing on the wild side.

I am fairly convinced that any danger aspect to this sport can be managed through strong safety programs.  In fact, the good people at Chang Mai Adventure, our hosts, go out of the way to make this a completely safe and utterly enjoyable way to spend a day.  The journey begins with a 40 minute drive by air-conditioned van to a small market north of Chang Mai for lunch supplies; then we are driven about another 30 minutes to the base of the 10 km  long stretch of river that we were to raft that day. At this point we transferred into the more heavy-duty four-wheel-drive vehicles that will take us up the remainder of the mountain road.

At the top, we arrived at the launching area and settled in for a very nice lunch of chicken, spring rolls, salad and fresh fruit.  After lunch, the entire group including our contingent and approximately 14 other adventurers (mostly Australians in this group) attend a safety and rafting technique orientation.  The orientation is very thorough and once we are fitted in life vests and helmets we all feel quite prepared for what lies ahead.

The first part of the journey is fairly gentle, with just enough rapids so that we can practice our techniques and get prepared for the more technical sections.  The middle part of the river contains class three and four rapids that are enough to get anybody’s adrenaline pumping. At the more challenging rapids sections Chiang Mai Adventure takes great care to ensure there are rescue teams lining the river banks, ready to throw a lifeline or to assist in any way necessary.  We were there seeking thrills and spills and a whole lot of fun; Chiang Mai Adventure did not disappoint.

Overall, the day was an overwhelming success and I would recommend white water rafting as a group outing and team-building exercise for any company looking for an activity that is a little beyond the norm.  For us it was a welcomed change of pace and the Mae Tang River is very beautiful indeed.  Located in the mountainous sub-tropical jungle north of Chang Mai the setting is very lush and serene… a terrific break from the office.

I can now safely say that our entire staff has become white water rafting fans thanks to Chiang Mai Adventure.  They even provided us with a video and photos DVD of the day for a small fee.  You can see a clip from our rafting trip on the video page.

Our gracious host, Chang Mai Adventure, is the premier white water rafting and ATV adventure company in northern Thailand (Please, not to be confused with Chiang Mai Adventure Tours).  Learn more about Chang Mai Adventure at http://www.chiangmaiadventure.co.th.  You can also book rafting and ATV adventures online through ChiangMai-Vacations.com at http://www.chiangmai-vacations.com/activities/adventure-activities.php; or call 053-814-870 when in Thailand.

Thai Dragon Travel & Tours would like to thank Khun Tum and Khun Dao and all the staff at Chiang Mai Adventure offices;  Khun Tor and Khun Win who helped make it all come together in the field; and all of the very excellent river guides who made sure we were safe… and made extra sure we all got very, very wet!!