Dec 5, 2024
A must do! - So many feels during this entire experience. A good balance between education and interaction (from a safe, respectful distance of course) with the elephants. What majestic creatures. What a powerful experience. I cannot recommend PES and the wonderful work that they do more.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 5, 2024
Beautiful morning - One of the only reviews I have left, but felt obligated to do so because we feel the cause is very important. Alex was very informative, the food was delicious, and again all for a great cause! Sanctuary relies on tourists.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 4, 2024
Amazing experience! - We had a lovely morning at the elephant sanctuary. Picked up from hotel, and after registering in the office, 10-minute ride in the back of a truck to get to the place. Food was available when we got there (snacks, fruit and drinks).
Given gumboots to put on and able to leave shoes and belongings in lockers. We were split into groups of ~10-15 with a tour guide so it wasn’t a massive group walking around which was great.
The only contact with the elephants was feeding them some fruit, otherwise the tour involved observing them mostly from a distance (but got very up close at times with one walking straight past us). We saw many different elephants, mostly eating but some also swimming etc. Definitely felt like an ethical place that cared deeply about the elephants.
Even though it’s pricey, would 100% recommend going as the profits go towards maintaining the sanctuary and trying to rescue more elephants.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 3, 2024
Amazing experience - One of the most amazing experiences in my entire life!! You can see all the hard work and dedication they put to make this place a forever home for the elephants.
I strongly recommend taking this tour, the elephants roam freely on this land and you get to follow them and just admire their routines. Besides the elephants, the crew is great, they know each elephant and their particularities, great vegeterian lunch to!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 3, 2024
Bucketlist ✔️ - I would give this 6 out 5 if I could!
My favourite animals are elephants and I've followed this rescue on social media for some time. I had no hesitation in booking this when I was planning my trip to Thailand.
I booked my visit through the sanctuary website and found it really easy and straightforward.
I was picked up from my hotel in Patong and then dropped off to check in. You are given a colour coded sticker to display on your top then driven by small truck with other visitors to the actual sanctuary.
On arrival you are given some socks and rubber boots to change in to.
Light refreshments were available and then we watched a video about the sanctuary and how/why it was started. We were then advised of who was our guide by the colour of our stickers and the tour began.
First off was feeding the elephants and to say I was excited was an understatement!
I could feel the elephant's breath on my hand when I was feeding her. A truly amazing experience I will never forget.
We then went on a guided walking tour of some of the sanctuary and got to meet a few of the lovely elephants up close. Not too close though but close enough to take lots of photos and watch them enjoying bamboo in their natural habitat. Our guide was very knowledgeable about all the elephants and gave us a detailed history of each one. This can be upsetting to hear but they can live out their lives happy and safe here.
You are also given bottles of water and cold cloths to cool down.
After that a quick change out of the boots and time for lunch. I was very impressed with the food on offer and it was lovely to sit eating in the peace of the jungle.
There is also a shop that has lots of lovely elephant related things to buy which goes to support the sanctuary.
All in all, I would say to anyone who is thinking of booking this trip then do it. It's an amazing experience and helps to provide care for the elephants who have all been rescued from bad situations.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 3, 2024
The only sanctuary to visit in Phuket - What a lovely gentle sanctuary for elephants this place is. A brilliant informative visit with good food, great guides, and a genuine love for abused elephants. This sanctuary is the real deal when it comes to ethical care for abused elephants. Please support these lovely people in helping them look after these lovely gentle giants. Thank you so much for sharing each individual elephant's sad story. Hopefully, with support from guys like us, you can continue to provide excellent care for your elephants.
Lee and Paula
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 3, 2024
YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED - This was an incredibly moving experience. What they do for these amazing creatures is outstanding. If you are looking for a place to support the important work of tending to these gentle giants and connect in a responsible way, this is the tour for you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 2, 2024
Gentle and caring sanctuary - One of the highlights from our trip. Absolutely spectacular to see these gentle giants in their habitat. Very informative speeches talking about the history of each elephant and their growth within their new home (most coming from being entertainers for people inhumanely). We fed them which was great and watched then take a bath which was awesome. Nice to do a tour where we did not touch them, all elephants at this sanctuary are rescued. Highly recommend this sanctuary and do your research beforehand to ensure it is ethical.
Review provided by Viator
Dec 1, 2024
A really cool experience!... - A really cool experience! Highly recommend this experience as a well-designed and enjoyable trip. Very organized from hotel pick up to hotel drop off we felt well supported during our time. The elephants were great but there is some significant walking involved through the "forest". There are some trails that you walk through to see the elephants in their natural habitat. It was hot and the trails are all natural so it is uneven, tree roots, and at some points quite steep/narrow. I felt fine navigating them, but a couple had a toddler with them and they had to carry the toddler at several points. If you were severely out of shape, older, or have mobility problems - then that would be challenging to navigate (although they may make accommodations for that and have you walk in the upper walk ways that are above the forest). I will say there were elderly people on the trip and they seemed to be fine, but they weren't in our group and didn't see how they navigated some of the steep parts of the trails. I am also curious if different groups take different trails so maybe the guide assessed our group as being able to take some of these trails where other groups maybe stayed on some of the bigger/more flat areas. This is not a reason not to go - but I would recommend wearing light long pants to protect your legs from bugs/foliage. Would definitely recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Dec 1, 2024
Happy elephants - The Elephant Sanctuary in Phuket is a wonderful place that impresses for its respectful treatment of elephants. Feeding and observing the animals in their natural environment was unique. The guides were friendly and informative – an absolute must for animal lovers!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
