Full-Day Phuket Elephant Sanctuary Tour with Lunch and Dinner

Wonderful Experience at Phuket Elephant Sanctuary

I had a great time spending the day at Phuket Elephant Sanctuary. I booked the full day tour, and in the morning was paired with a group on half day tour. After a great lunch, the afternoon was a bit slower, so I was by myself with some of the guides and volunteers, and got a much more personal experience. I learned so much and was just absolutely in awe of seeing the elephants up close. Transportation was easy to and from the hotel. Kati was fantastic and an excellent host.

The best in the island

This sanctuary embodies the ethical way on how to rehabilitate elephants and then natural habitat, and also learning as to why it is dangerous to have these animals working and abused in the entertainment industry. I had an up close encounter with the elephants and it was a great time ! We are habitat.

Highly recommend!

The sanctuary is beautiful and peaceful with happy and well loved elephants who were rescued. It was a great time feeding the elephants, making their meals, and also very educational. The elephants don’t look stressed and are happy souls there. The meals they provided were excellent! It really is a humane sanctuary for elephants!

Memorable day spent with gentle giants

The sanctuary was hot, sticky and magnificent. The elephants—old and disabled—are well cared for. There is a carer for every animal and these regal beasts are free to roam the sanctuary with their best friend. Visitors are numerous but the sanctuary is big enough to accommodate the tourists. The guides are friendly and knowledgeable. It was an honour to spend a day at the sanctuary—gathering fresh bamboo shoots, making dietary supplements, feeding the elephants, and observing these magnificent animals. Add this day to your Phuket stay. It's worth every bahrt.

A new core memory.

My husband and I were absolutely blown away by Phuket Elephant Sanctuary, our full day experience will be a core memory of mine for the rest of our life. The sanctuary itself is beautiful and well looked after and all staff members and volunteers are joyful to be around. I was incredibly happy to purchase this experience and help fund the sanctuary into buying more elephants out of the mainstream abusive tourism trade which is throughout Phuket. If you are in Phuket, this is a must do experience!

A real sanctuary for elephants!

100% what they say they are! No riding, no bathing and happy elephants doing what they choose to do! We had a whole day there and found it great value for the price. Our guide was knowledgeable and very enthusiastic and the whole staff were very friendly. The food was very good! I can't recommend it highly enough!

A bitter-sweet but heart warming experience.

A memorable day which was bitter-sweet. The organisation from the pick-up at my hotel to the sanctuary was very organised. My day was a bit 'stretched out', I felt I spent time sitting & waiting. The introduction informative video was very emotional, I couldn't watch it but I could hear the commentary 😢 💔 😞 Learning about each elephant throughout the day was very heart-warming, my guide Rita, certainly knows her role & clearly loves the elephants. The sanctuary is a wonderful place for these special animals who deserve all the love, care & attention they fully deserve.

A place where love and rescue injured elephants 🐘

This place and all the team are amazing. Our experience was outstanding. Every elephant was rescued for exploitation (spectacles, rides, construction) and they live in freedom and they do what the elephants do, enjoy eating, taking a mud bath alone, walking around. We did one day option: we fed some of them, we prepared special rice-banana-pumpkin balls for older elephants with special needs, we cut some bamboo for them. We learn a lot about their stories, how they communicate each other, their behavior, etc We will come back for sure, all was perfect. If you really love elephants come to see them here, being elephants and having the life they deserve. Thank you for this wonderful experience. We recommend 100% Phuket Elephant Sanctuary 🐘💫

Life-changing experience

Be prepared to have your heart stolen in the best possible way. This place has changed my life. My friend and I participated in the 7-day volunteer program which exceeded our expectations. My wish is that all animal sanctuaries are modeled off PES which is 100% ethically run with the purpose to provide a final, spacious and nurturing home for (currently) a dozen elephants who have spent their lives enduring exhaustive, abusive treatment in the tourism and entertainment industry. What a privilege and honor to roll up our sleeves and help care for these majestic creatures alongside the PES staff whose hearts are unquestionably dedicated to the wellbeing of these animals. Volunteers are treated like family and accompanied by a guide the entire time (shoutout to Rita, Rudy, Jaffy and Ice!!). We worked hard and were also encouraged to take restful breaks to recharge throughout the day between activities. Meals and breaks were spent in private, magical little huts overlooking a watering hole and in our spare time we walked the impressive canopy to watch the elephants being themselves. Volunteer activities included: making elephant food balls from rice, bananas and pumpkin; venturing into the jungle to chop down bamboo and feeding them to the elephants; cleaning elephant poo and leftover pineapple leaves (more ele food!) from their bedrooms; chopping and planting sweet grass on sanctuary grounds for elephant food (see a trend here? Elephants eat a LOT:); removing vegetation to make room for sand mounds and fresh plants; digging mud pits so they can frolic and enjoy themselves when it rains; helping morning and afternoon visitors feed the elephants; and lastly… getting to know the stories and personalities of each and every elephant resident. Housing, 4 meals a day and transportation to and from the sanctuary were all included in the program cost, which also is invested directly into caring for the elephants. We stayed in private rooms at the Dee Homestay (just a few minutes down the road) which was clean and comfortable and has AC! The staff greeted us with big smiles when picking us up for work in the morning and dropping us off around 5pm every evening. There are a few local markets and fruit stands nearby the volunteer accommodation which are neat to explore. Our guide Rudy even brought us a special fruit surprise one day after hearing about my friend’s love of fresh papaya! We loved learning about the surrounding landscape (rubber trees!) and the culture of the warm Thai people. One of the highlights and upsides of doing a longer volunteer program is the quality personal time spent with the guides who are super knowledgeable about elephant rescue and conservation. Questions of all kinds are welcomed and highly encouraged and wow, did we talk their ear off with plenty of those! The discussion with the staff throughout the week was rich and helped us understand in depth why and how a sanctuary like this is run. And, importantly, why more dignified and respectful sanctuaries like this are desperately needed. We walked away knowing that 1) we will absolutely be back; and 2) we’re ready to do our part to help spread educational awareness about the need by investing in PES to keep up the incredible work. To the PES guides: Your kindness, enthusiasm, patience and big hearts will always be remembered. To the kitchen staff: We felt the love in that fresh, delicious food! Thank you for accommodating our dietary restrictions and doing so with kindness. To the gift shop staff, bathroom attendants and wellie boot helpers: we see your hard work and appreciate all you put into making guest and volunteer experiences memorable. To the mahouts who spend their lives giving these elephants the respect and love they deserve: you inspire me. Thank you for sharing your heart and passion. And to Mr. Todtane: Thank you for choosing courage and compassion. We’re honored to join you in this journey of saving elephants. Until next time, khap khun kha!

Fantastic day out

I booked the full day tour and was treated to the most amazing experience with my guide Aoum. The morning was in a small group which was informative and relaxing and then after a delicious lunch being the only day tour participant I had a 1:1 experience. Making food and feeding the elephants was magical watching them swim was delightful but the highlight was seeing all those graceful ladies moving freely around and learning to build friendships.

Outstanding day!

Had a wonderful time and fulfilled a dream. The best part was making the food for the elephants and hand feeding them up close and personal. Trepidation at the start of the day, by the end of the day, we were best friends.

Highly recommend. Not cheap but well worth it

What a well run sanctuary. You can tell the elephants are well cared for Everyone there treats the elephants like a loved family member. We saw a car trying to go through and an elephant was standing there. The mahout tried coaxing the elephant to walk but the lovely lady was not quite ready. He coaxed her with cucumbers. Beautiful place.

Unforgettable experience

This is an experience I won't forget, the staff are really wonderful and friendly. The elephant keepers and guides care for the elephants really well. You can see this is an ethical park and the elephants are safe and cared for so well. We did the full day tour which meant we got to make food for the elephants and feed them, this was a magical experience to be so up close and personal with such beautiful animals. Would highly recommend to anybody coming to Phuket as this is the only ethical elephant sanctuary where you can see it's about the animals not the tourist and money.

Excellent Experience.

A must see experience in Phuket. Would recommend the full day experience. I’d stray away from any of the other places in town.

A must do

FANTASTIC Had an elephant come up and sniff me. Got in a pat and cuddle. Was able to feed a couple as well. Tour guide named ‘Tour’ was great. A lot of knowledge, love and care for these rescued beautiful creatures. DO NOT support Elephant Entertainment, it is cruel. Enjoy this amazing experience.

Memories for life

A must do during your stay in Phuket. The team helped to arrange for our transfer to and from the sanctuary on the day which was super helpful. I would definitely recommend the full day experience to truly get the most out of your visit. The morning consisted of feeding the elephants and then touring the grounds. In the afternoon we helped to prepare some food for the elephants and then went to collect bamboo from a local farm. You get a more personal in-depth experience with the elephants in the afternoon as well if you do the full day tour (as part of a much smaller group). You can really tell everyone who works at the sanctuary really cares about the elephants they have rescued. The elephants are free to reign as they please and you are taken to see them. Really good vegetarian food for lunch/dinner (plus snacks when you arrive for breakfast). Would recommend to anyone visiting Phuket.

whole day

I enjoyed the trip to the sanctuary very much. I was a bit worried that i would find the elephants not treated well. The elephants were in fact looked very happy there. I did the whole day tour. The morning we went through the sanctuary and met all the elepantes and learned about their stories. I was quite a walk around the sanctuary and we ended with lunch. Afterward I was able to make riceballs for the elephant's afternoon snack. We also went to the jungle and foraged for bambo leaves. Afterwards we went around the sanctuary and got to feed the elephants their afternoon snacks. After learning about the elephant body lanuage, one can clear see how happy the elephants were to recieve food, walk around freely, and enjoy their water baths. the tour guides were amazing, and knowledgably. Will be coming back for sure

Best day ever

AMAZING!!!! I highly recommend doing the full day tour. We made food the elephants, got to feed them, walked around and saw them in their natural habitat. It the best day ever

Wonderful excursion

Really wonderful excursion. You are able to interact with the elephants up close by feeding them and touching them. The sanctuary does an amazing job of protecting these precious animals.

Educational day

We had a wonderful experience at this sanctuary with great guides, decent food, and beautiful elephants. The sessions start with educational videos as well. If you are expecting a lot of interaction with the elephants, or are expecting to see a safari-style natural herd, please reconsider: this sanctuary is a retirement home for elephants who have worked their whole lives. The staff and volunteers here go to great lengths to ensure their comfort and safety- however as former working animals with disabilities, these beautiful elephants have to be handled differently to a healthy and/or wild herd. Each elephant has their own enclosure, free area, handler and meal time. You will get the opportunity to interact with some of them, but the elephants have the option to back away from the interaction if they want to. My only criticism is that there could be a bit more education on the day about how to help, where the money is going and what the organisations next goals are.

Wonderful day spent with elephants

I went with my adult niece(not an option on the menu, so chose friends). We volunteered for the day. Picked up from our hotel and driven to PES. The arrival/booking in system was a bit chaotic. Make sure you have your booking confirmation and photos of your passport. Free drinks and snacks were available. A short film about the sanctuary and the tortures and abuse these majestic animals suffer in the tourist was shown. We then fed elephants, saw them up close and from the canopy walk. Had a lovely lunch before making some supplements for them. Watched the elephants eat the supplements and fed some to one of them. Cut some bamboo leaves and then fed these to some elephants before having a delicious dinner. Bought souvenirs, fed elephants again before being driven back to the hotel. Wonderful day out, educational and the good was amazing. Worth every penny. Lots of great photos and great memories.

Amazing experience

Unforgettable experience, we learnt and made food for these beautiful rescured elephants. The staff were very friendly and the food was delicious. We highly recommend this tour and would do it again 😊

Fantastic rewarding experience with the additional sprinkling of education

A fantastic experience! So humbling to see how well these older, mistreated elephants are treated in order to ensure their last years are happy and restful! If you love elephants and want to see them happy in their natural environment, please consider going to the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary and avoid the tourist trap of paying for photos to sit on elephants.

Best place to spend your money to help mistreated elephants.

This sanctuary is a rescue place for injured and mistreated elephants. The morning tour included a chance to feed some fruit to a few elephants and then walk on the forest canopy/elevated walkways to watch the elephants as well as a walk through the trees. The afternoon was just the two of us making 'snacks' for the elephants, cutting bamboo shoots for them in the nearby forest area, and hand feeding one of the elephants. Lunch and Dinner were both excellent and authentic Thai.

Beautiful Phuket Elephant Sanctuary

A beautiful sanctuary where the elephants can feel safe and end their lives in a happy, stress- free environment. The morning was spent in a group going along the walkway and seeing the elephants. Nothing too close so the elephants didn't feel stressed or uncomfortable. Lunch was a delicious vegetarian buffet. There were free snacks and drinks available all day too. The afternoon was spent with a personal guide. We made up the elephants' food and went out nearby collecting bamboo for them. We then found out much more about each elephant and were able to watch them eat and bathe. Dinner was also a vegetarian buffet. It was a wonderful experience from start to finish.

Wonderful experience, up close with elephants, well-guided

Very well thought-out guided tour, with an introduction of each elephant and their history being rescued from the logging industry or animal shows. I'm so glad they are now living freely in the sanctuary. Our guide Um was so fantastic and good humored. There are a lot of guests in the morning so maybe can consider going in the afternoon. I love elephants so much

Beautiful elephants

Best part was being able to get up close to theses beautiful elephants. It was a dream come true for me. Thank you for this wonderful experience and thank you for rescuing them and giving them a chance to live their lives in paradise.

"Free" elephants close up. Great stuff.

This is a great place. The elephants are treated more than "good" and have total freedom of movement. My favorite is the old lady who can't lie down because of a leg injury (see pic). She gets to wander over to the hydrotherapy pool whenever she wants. I love the fact that the "tour" is not really pre-planned. You wander around with a guide and go check out elephants as they wander freely. Decent food. Won't be top-ten. But it's food. :-) Overall, a wonderful trek with the elephants.

Too much organisation and not enough time spent with elephants, bad trip

Too much time spent at the shop and restaurant, too many guests at the same time, too much of a business and not enough of heart to it.

Amazing experience

Today was incredible. Not only are the elephants well treated, but their well being comes before everything else. If the elephant is social, then you can come closer ; if not, a private home will be made to make it feel safe. I learned a lot and ate very well. The guides are able to answer all your questions, and know the elephants by names, background, medical conditions, and habits. I was able to prepare food for them and feed them by hand. The half day tour is very good too ; the difference is that you get closer, for longer, with the day "in the footsteps of giant". You also participate more and take an active role, understanding better what it means to care for elephants. SO, I really recommand this experience. And if not this one, than the half day one ! Worth every penny, and more, since it all goes to help sustain these elephants' sanctuary (and promotes ethical tourism).

Awesome experience

What an amazing experience we did the full day tour and fed the elephants and walked in the jungle with them. So privileged to see the elephants being cared for properly no riding of elephants and it is all about them which is the way it should be. Bathing with elephants only stresses them this one is perfect

You won’t regret it 👍👍

What a truely incredible experience. I saw nothing but kindness and professionalism in how the sanctuary was run and the care shown to the animals. The property is breathtaking, just sitting while you enjoy a fresh juice would almost be enough but noooooo YOU GET TO SEE ELEPHANTS TOO 🤩. Do yourself and the elephants a favour and support this sanctuary. You won’t regret it 👍👍

Enlightening elephant experience

Loved this experience to highlight the absolutely awful conditions that elephants have to endure in tourism. Loved that the elephants are left in peace to enjoy their lives. Great work by this sanctuary to give the elephants a safe haven. Loved this.

Elephant sanctuary Phuket

Amazing experience seeing the elephants in a comfortable and caring environment, tour guide was very helpful and informative and I could not recommend visiting the sanctuary more.

Phuket Elephant sanctuary

The staff were very kind and welcoming and look after the animals so well. They showed us around the whole sanctuary coming across multiple elephants. We got to feed the animals and say hi 100% recommend

Mindblown

This place is out of the world.. The effort taken to safeguards and nurture Elephants here is commendable..They exceeded our expectations in every aspect. I didn't plan to do any of the activities there but being there in person and seeing what they do gave me great pleasure to be a small part of what they do on a daily basis..

Amazing experience

We had heard a lot of scary things about elephant tourism in Thailand so it was such a relief to find PES. They take great care of their elephants and the entire set up I’d orientâtes around the elephants being as free as possible and happy! They are not forced or asked to do any tricks or interactions. As a visitor you get to feed the elephants fruits and grass but only if the elephant comes to you. I highly recommend visiting and supporting the sanctuary !

Best sanctuary ever

This was an amazing experience. You get to be up close with the elephants, there are caring wonderful employees! I learned a lot about elephants. The food was delicious! I highly recommend it.

Please help protect Elephants 🙏🏼

God Bless this Sanctuary. They buy the old female elephants (as males are precious because of their ivory that keeps on growing even when it is cut and so are not sold while the females who have lugged all their healthy lives and reproduced can now go but at a price) who are handicapped in some way, and look after them. In the full day program, we made food for the elephants, went to cut bamboo leaves and fed them at a distance. The elephants were not tied in chains and were happy. We saw them in the open space, bathing themselves in water, doing hydrotherapy. I really pray and wish all animals are happy and safe and free, and I send love to all the elephants of this earth. Blessings to this Sanctuary. As they need money to feed them and buy them, they need our financial support. Please go to this sanctuary to help support it. It’s sick that after abusing these elephants , the original owners still want money to let them go- elephants that have lost an eye or leg is injured or ear is cut - doesn’t matter to these ‘humans’- the original owners still want money to let them go to a sanctuary 😔💔. People, please don’t ride elephants or be interested in watching them do tricks. They are abused to show you 2 minutes of tricks. Please rather come to a sanctuary where you can see them in their natural habitat and your ticket money will provide for their well being. I sincerely pray things change and all animals are taken care of. Safe and free and healthy. May Love reign.

Magical Time

This was such a moving, beautiful day. To be able to spend time with these rescued elephants was truly magical. My husband and I were both so moved by the experience we had-- and it will be a memory we carry always.

Full-Day Experience

I highly recommend the full day experience - it was the perfect balance of education, observing the rescued and retired elephants in their natural habitat, and interacting with the elephants through feeding them. The full day also provided an opportunity to head into the jungle to gather a selection of leaves and plants for the elephants and to prepare nutritious rice balls for elephant snacks - you don't want to miss that! The sanctuary is very well-run and it is clear that the elephants are like family - they are cared for and respected, with their work histories and life experiences understood and forming part of how they are cared for. The guides are knowledgeable and passionate about their work. The lunch and dinner were delicious and beautifully presented. All round an excellent experience - from booking, through pick-up and drop-off at my hotel.