Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Pattaya Camp 1 — Attraction in Chon Buri Province

Amazing, conservation sanctuary for elephants. NO Riding. I did the AM half day tour. Early start with a 6.30 pick up from hotel (and drop back to hotel) I'd recommend this if you have kids / children as it is cooler, sometimes less people on the AM trip, also you are back by noon so you still have lots of the day left. Location is approx 30 minutes outside of Pattaya/Jontien (after all pick-up). Bring with you - sunscreen + bug spray, older clothes or Change of clothes, swim shorts or something to wear in the water. On arrival there is tea, coffee or water that's complimentary. Nice new covered visitor area. There are clean toilets+ showers & changing area. Lockers are available ( deposit required,yes you get it back) . There is an introduction by the staff, including safety details. WASH YOUR HANDS. Then you meet and feed the elephants . You can then make paper out of elephants poo !! It's hygienic so don't worry! You can then do some tie-dye & leave it to dry in the sun. Then change (if you want, water shoes or bare feet. Swim shorts/suit old t-shirt) as you will help give the elephants a mud bath !! Then go in the elephant swimming pool , with the elephants, to wash them off. All good fun. Back to the visitor centre to change or shower and have a nice Thai lunch (massaman , stir-fry, spicy, spring rolls, rice , noodles, vegetable , fresh Papaya salad + + drinks). There was plenty of time during the experience to take photos with the elephants & the staff will help you by taking the pictures on your camera or phone for you. There is a small gift shop and I thought the prices were good. No pressure selling. The staff were very friendly & professional & it's a very good experience. I booked via Booking .com , there are other venues on there but I would highly recommend this one 👍🏼. Then the ride back to the hotel. At the end of each day the venue upload all the pictures they themselves took of the AM/PM tours so you may find some natural pics of you with the elephants here as well, would can access via the venue FB page . Hope you enjoy...

The Elephant Jungle sanctuary is an awesome place to visit. Here you can get up close to the elephants and feed them by hand.

When we arrived we were directed to a bungalow where the other tourists were waiting. There is coffee, tea and water available for the guests. After a brief orientation on what the expect and some safety reminders from the mahout, we Wald a short distance to the paddocks to where the elephants were. We were given instructions on how to feed the elephants with fruits that they had on hand. It was a great opportunity to take photos and videos with the animals.

After feeding the animals, we went back to the bungalow to wash up and change as the next activity was the elephant spa. We changed to swim shorts in the rest rooms at the back of the building. The elephants had been led by their handlers to the area where mud can been rubbed on to the animals. It's another great way to be up close to the magnificent creatures. Expect to get dirty and wet. The elephants playfully flung mud at themselves. If you're standing close, you will get splattered as well.

After that activity the elephants go to the adjacent pool area where you get to splash water and brush off the mud. Buckets and scrub brushes are available. Just pick one up and start throwing buckets of water at the beasts and your fellow guests.

You can shower off the mud and change to dry clothes at the shower and restrooms.A buffet will be waiting for you once your done.

The last activity is paper making. You go off to a nearby shed. There they will teach you how to make paper from dried elephant dung. The dung had been dried over two weeks and had no smell to them. You get to wash up after that with soap and water at the wash area facilities nearby.

Overall, it's a fun half day tour...

Incredible experience!! Me and my partner decided to do the feed me program. Highly recommend!! The elephants will come up to you on their own choice. We were very lucky to have the feed me program all to ourselves which was lovely. The elephants seem very calm and enjoy the company of the trainers. It was amazing to get so close to these gentle giants.

For those wondering about morality. I have travelled south east Asia for 4 months and have seen some horrific sanctuary’s. I am VERY PLEASED to say this is the best!! They treat the elephants with respect and not hitting the animals. The elephants free roam the sanctuary, guided only by food. We were told they have a pool a mud bath area and the animals seemed very happy. We were informed that the elephants are all rescues. One was rescued from abuse and so she is kept away from tourists so she can be in peace which I heavily respect! The others are handed over from the villagers that cannot afford to feed them any more. Saved from work and given the respectable was of life.

The tour guide are very knowledgable and told us the history of all the animals including characteristics and what their diet and veterinary needs were.

One tip, the location has changed revelry and so taxi apps like Grab or Bolt are not updated for the correct location. I would suggest getting the taxi to pick you up, then call the office to explain to the driver where you need to be taken. Would also suggest asking the driver to wait for you, you can do the experience within the hour, and getting a taxi from o pick you up on the old road will be hard.

Over all 5/5. Clean and safe site. Happy and well kept elephants. Staff were incredible and loved our guide Yan and Kong for their info and the lift home when we...