Chiang Mai      Popularly known as the Rose of the North, Chiang Mai is blessed with stunning natural beauty and unique indigenous cultural identity. Founded by King Mengrai the Great as the capital of the Lanna Thai kingdom by merging the various city-states in the region in 1296. Today Chiang Mai is the economic, communications, cultural and tourism centre of Northern Thailand.      About 700 kilometres from Bangkok, Chiang Mai is situated on the Mae Ping River basin some 310 metres above sea level. Surrounded by high mountain ranges, it covers an area of approximately 20,107 square kilometres. The terrain is mainly jungles and mountains, parts of which are within national parks which are still fertile and verdant with plentiful flora and fauna. There are many sites and locations where tourists prefer to visit to study the lifestyle of the tribal people who live on high hills.      Activities      Buffalo Training Camp      The buffalo training camp is in Mae Rim, about 21kms from downtown and takes 25 minutes by car.      Here you will enjoy, magnificent views of the scenic Doi Suthep mountains and the atmosphere of Thai country life as you watch farmers and buffalo working the fields in traditional style.      The objective of the camp is to preserve the traditional way of life of Thai farmers and the buffalo. You will watch a demonstration of the buffalos skills as they are taught working commands such as "Turn Left, Turn Right and Go Straight". Also there is a water wheel operated by buffalo plus farmer and buffalo teams working together to ploughing the rice paddy. The admission fee is Baht 200 for adults and Baht 100 for children and the camp is open daily from 08.00 - 17:00.      Elephant Riding      There are Elephant Camps in the mountain area near Chiang Mai, The Mae Sa Elephant Camp, 25kms from the centre of Chiang Mai      Watch the elephants trained for work and after the show, try a ride on the back of the great animal with the mahout. Through the jungle.      The admission fee to the camps is 80 Baht and 600 Baht per elephant ride (maximum 2 people).      Monkey training school      Visit the school which trains monkeys for agricultural purposes. The animals are cute and playful but follow the commands of their trainers. You can watch the monkeys show off their skill picking up coconuts and do some trick for visitors. Show times 11.00 / 13.00 / 16.00 p.m. The admission fee is Baht 250 for adult and Baht 150 for children.