King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament takes place in northern Thailand

Taking place in the northern city of Chiang Rai from March 22nd to 28th, the event is known for its opening ceremony, during which monks sprinkle holy water over both players and animals.

The ritual also features a performance from traditional-style dancers, hill-tribe villagers in traditional costume and elephant spirit men, known as Khru Ba Yai.

Once the competition gets underway, players jump on to their elephants to compete for the coveted King's Cup trophy.

Holidaymakers staying in Chiang Mai hotels may like to make the journey to Chiang Rai for the tournament, which is always growing in size and last year featured 12 teams and players from 15 different countries.

It takes place on the banks of the Ruak River, which separates Thailand from Burma.

Sponsored by luxury Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet, the event is organised to raise money for Thailand's National Elephant Institute.

The animal is likely to be a familiar site for people staying in Thailand hotels, as it is estimated that the country has approximately 3,600 domesticated elephants and 1,500 in the wild.



AsiaRooms.com is a leading online accommodation site in Asia offering deals in over 30,000 properties across the region and worldwide, ranging from beach resorts to five star luxury hotels.

AsiaRooms.com offers customers a saving of up to 70 per cent off the normal room rate for a variety of independent and branded hotels. Customers can book online or by phone 24/7, whether booking 12 months or 12 minutes in advance – whatever time, whatever day.

AsiaRooms.com arms customers with information to help them choose the right hotel. Users can read from over 150,000 true hotel reviews, written by customers who have booked through AsiaRooms.com and actually stayed at the hotel.

For further editorial information please contact:
tom.sheppard@asiarooms.com
+ 66(0)38 377 666