Half Day Elephant Care at Samui Elephant Sanctuary
Highlights
- Award-winning ethical sanctuary
- Prepare food and feed the elephants
- Watch them swim and socialize
- Transfers and vegetarian meal included
Description
Join us on a half day elephant care adventure at Samui Elephant Sanctuary! This park opened in 2018 and is a safe haven for elephants that were rescued from hard labour and circuses all over Thailand. This half day trip includes hotel transfers from any location on Koh Samui, preparing food and feeding the elephants, walking around the sanctuary, meet and greet with them and a delicious vegetarian lunch (morning tour) or dinner (afternoon tour). Please note that this is an ethical elephant sanctuary, which means there is no opportunity for bathing with the elephants. As a visitor you can watch the elephants doing what they naturally do - like eating local plants, swimming in their special pool, getting muddy, and socializing with each other.
Pricing
Adult
Age 12+
THB 2,895per person
Child
Age 5-11
THB 1,695per person
Infant
Age 0-3
Free
per person
Pickup from your hotel or villa
Pickup times09:0013:00Our driver will pick you up from your hotel or villa anywhere on the island. If your hotel or villa is on a hill or far from the main road, we set a meeting point close by. We'll send you the pickup time by email, no later than the evening before the tour.
On arrival we explain what we do at Samui Elephant Sanctuary. You will receive safety instructions and then it's time to meet the elephants!
Help our team to prepare food for the elephants. They eat 18 hours a day and are in need of lots of food! Think of fresh fruits and other nutritious food.
Walk around the sanctuary, see the elephants in their natural habitat and feed them. You can safely walk with the elephants around the park. Our guides are always present to answer your questions or when you need help.
If you booked the morning trip, we will prepare a delicious lunch at the end of the program. At the end of the afternoon tour you can enjoy a vegetarian dinner. Both can be enjoyed overlooking the sanctuary and close to the elephants.
- Drop-off times12:0017:00
After enjoying lunch or dinner it's time to say goodbye to the elephants. We will bring you back to your hotel or villa anywhere on the island. We hope you had an amazing half day experience!
Included
- Pickup and drop off from/to your hotel
- Friendly English-speaking guide
- Vegetarian lunch or dinner
- Drinking water & soft drinks
- Food for the elephants
- Accident insurance
Not included
- Personal expenses
- Alcoholic drinks
- Passport/ID for insurance purposes
- Clothes you don't mind getting dirty in
- Comfortable closed shoes
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellant
- Towel
- Reusable water bottle to use with our dispensers
- Camera
If your hotel or villa is on a hill or far from the main road, we set a meeting point close by.
Free pickup · 12 areasSee all 12 areasHide areas
Your exact pickup time depends on your area and departure time. You'll see it at checkout and we confirm it with your booking.
Prefer to make your own way there? You can skip the pickup and meet us directly at the start point.
We'll share the exact meeting point and a map link in your booking confirmation.
Please self-arrive 15 minutes before the starting time.
A trip to Samui Elephant Sanctuary is a way to contribute to the good work this Elephant Sanctuary is doing. This tour is perfectly suitable for families with young kids (kids up to 4 years old can come for free) and persons who care about the fate of these beautiful creatures. Bathing with the elephants is not possible at this location. The reason is that elephants love socializing and bathing, alone or with other elephants. To do this, they need room to splash, roll in the water and cover themselves in mud. When people crowd around them in the water, it stresses the elephants and stops them from acting naturally.
Elephants are very empathetic animals, and when people are close by during these times, they have to change how they act to avoid accidentally hurting anyone. We want our elephants to have a great time just like our guests do, so by reducing human interaction, our elephants can play freely. They get to be themselves, and it's really interesting to watch. Plus, it offers fantastic chances for taking photos and videos.
FAQs
At Samui Elephant Sanctuary we let the animals completely be themselves. No bathing or touching so they don't feel threatened or uncomfortable. This is a park where you can prepare food, feed them and walk with the elephants. It is mostly an observing experience, which is best for both you and the elephants.
Absolutely! Your children will love interacting with the elephants and can learn a lot from preparing their food and feeding them. We think it's a great idea to show them at a young age that elephants are not meant to be used for hard work but should be part of nature. That's where they feel free and comfortable. You don't need to book tickets for children below 4 years old as they are free to join if they are accompanied by at least one paying adult.
We are open year-round, rain or sunshine. The elephants enjoy the rain as they can have fun in the mud and water. Don’t worry about the weather: if it’s necessary we’ll provide raincoats and umbrellas. Visiting Samui Elephant Sanctuary during a rainy day is something special!
The lunch at Samui Elephant Sanctuary is a vegetarian set lunch with different Thai dishes available. The dishes depend on the season and availability. You can expect rice dishes and/or stir fried or curry dishes, together with fresh fruits and a drink.
No. A booking for our morning or afternoon tour is required in advance before arriving at the sanctuary.
Yes. Cancelling or moving your booking to another date is free up to 24 hours before the tour starts, and anything you have paid is refunded in full. Cancellations made less than 24 hours before the start time are non-refundable, and no-shows are not refunded. If we have to cancel, for example for weather or safety, you can move to another date or take a full refund.
