Chiang Mai & Elephant Conservation 3D/2N

Customer Reviews

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  Danika

  · April 26th, 2019
  Our guide was amazing on Sunday. She was fluent in English but we also had a great time learning Thai with her while exploring the city. She was fun and engaging. Breakfast was ridiculously epic. The highlight for me was the chat with the monk for over an hour. The elephant sanctuary day had a rough start as when we went to the lobby a different bus came to get us then what we were told for a completely different sanctuary. Naturally we were confused when a different sanctuary was saying we should go with them. We were told Elephant Nature Park and Elephant Jungle Sanctuary was there instead. We went ahead and got in unsure if we were going to the right place. One of our members was too ill to attend the next day for the City tour because he had been soaked from Songkran the entire way to the sanctuary and back. We also got soaked the night before while exploring Chiang Mai. He broke out in a rash all over and had a fever. I personally didn’t have an issue with it, except I was unprepared and had no way to secure my belongings in waterproof bags. My jacket was ruined and stained and electronics damaged. Bamba failed to tell us about this monumental holiday in the city. We couldn’t even get dinner without getting drenched. Again - I would have been all for it if I had come prepared. We did try to explain and come to a solution with Bamba but they refused to offer any type of compensation for his missed City Tour on Sunday. They failed to take responsibility for this piece. His inability to attend was a direct result of their negligence To warn us about Songkran which is a huge city wise festival and should have been knowledge a tour company could provide to foreigners. He would have brought waterproof materials as he has health issues that require protection from situations like this. The elephant sanctuary ended up being a great day but for foreigners expecting a certain pickup. To have someone else show up can be alarming and scary. We did try to contact Bamba over the weekend as well at their designated WhatsApp number and no one even bothered to reply. Being in a foreign country can be unnerving enough and when the tour company fails to respond, it’s so disappointing. We should have just booked everything ourselves as we were left high and dry and no communication all weekend. Friday when we checked in no one even reached out or made an effort to ensure we arrived safely. The hotel they booked us at was also less than acceptable. My room had mold in the bathroom. The hallways were smelly and all the carpets were dirty - walls were not clean. We did mentioned this to them after the tour but they again said we should have told them - but without any response from Them all weekend how was this possible?? We did try. The least you can do is refund our friends UNUSED city tour on Sunday due to your complete negligence to warn us about city conditions. Your lack of communication resulted in his inability to attend. He didn’t “decide not to go” as you stated. He was literally in the bathroom sick and couldn’t leave the hotel. Please take responsibility and do the right thing here.
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  Bamba Travel commented on this review

  Hello Danika, Thank you for sending us your comments and I want to extend our sincerest apologies for the experience that you had. Your feedback is very valuable to us. Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention so we can continue to improve our... Show more
  Trip date: April 2019
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  Brooke

  · April 20th, 2019
  We were not informed that it was Sankran and therefore not fully prepared to be soaking wet everywhere we went and therefore some of us got sick and were unable to attend the following day's tour. The tour company switched our elephant sanctuary and did not inform us. The communication was very poor from day to day so we were unaware of what time we needed to be awake. With all that being said, the elephant sanctuary wound up being an unbelievable experience and we had the time of our lives plus the elephants were all treated well, looked healthy and very very happy. The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (where we actually went) does still allow you to swim with and bathe the elephants. Our tour guide for the following day bent over backwards to ensure that we had an amazing time in Chiang Mai. The guides really saved the day even though the booking agent dropped the ball. Our accommodation was very questionable; stains on walls and carpet, bathroom was moldy and there was such an odd smell thru the whole hotel, the food was not amazing and there was flies on it.
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  Bamba Travel commented on this review

  Hello Brooke! Thanks for your feedback! We apologise for the impression of your accommodation and the communication with us, we will work to improve our service on this matter. However, we are happy to hear you had a nice really wonderful time with... Show more
  Trip date: April 2019
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  Mrinalini

  · February 8th, 2019
  The tour was overall really well planned and itinerary worked out really well. Accommodation - Lana Palace Hotel was a decent place. Since another group requested my room I ended up getting an upgrade which was nice but also disappointing. The rooms shower head was broken and had a murky smell. 2star hotel that claims to be a 4star Meals - The included meals and the Elephant Conservatory and Morning tour was amazing. I loved the experience of watching alms giving, eating local porridge, and just emmersing in the culture of Chiang Mai. Would highly recommend the tour if you don't mind where you are staying!
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  Bamba Travel commented on this review

  Hello Mrinalini, thank you very much for your valuable review! We are happy to hear you had an great time! Your comments help us to improve our service to future guests. We would love to host you on another experience. Please have a look at our tours in... Show more
  
  Trip date: January 2019