Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Phuket — Attraction in Kathu

An Afternoon with Elephants, Laughter, and a Hangover Lookalike – An Unforgettable Jungle Experience! 🐘😂

My wife and I booked the afternoon half-day tour at the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, and let me tell you—this was no ordinary trip to the zoo. This was hands-on, muddy, heartwarming, hilarious, and borderline spiritual. And if you’re wondering whether to go, let me make it easy for you: BOOK IT. NOW.

From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed by the warmest and most attentive staff. These people clearly care—about the elephants, the guests, and most importantly, delivering an experience that you’ll be talking about over dinner for the next six months (at least).

Now, let’s talk about Mr. Chow. Yes, you read that right. We called him Mr. Chow because he looks suspiciously like the character from The Hangover—minus the chaos, plus a degree in elephant wisdom. This man was a walking comedy show with a PhD in pachyderm knowledge. He could probably teach a uni course called “Elephantology with a Side of Sass.” His commentary was informative, engaging, and had us laughing the entire way. If you’re worried about dry, dull tour guides, rest assured: Mr. Chow is like David Attenborough meets stand-up comedy.

We started off by feeding the elephants, which, let me tell you, is an experience like no other. You think you’ve lived a full life until an elephant gently takes a banana from your hand with more grace than your cousin at a buffet. The elephants were majestic, gentle, and clearly loved. No chains, no pokey sticks—just happy, well-cared-for gentle giants munching away and occasionally photobombing us.

Then came the mud spa and river bath. Yes, I said mud spa. At some point during the tour, I realised I was ankle-deep in mud, massaging it onto an elephant’s back while my wife laughed at how my face had a streak of mud that made me look like a jungle warrior who’d lost his battle to an overly affectionate elephant. It was messy, hilarious, and surprisingly therapeutic. Also, elephants give no personal space, so prepare to get close—real close.

Michael, another standout member of staff, was fantastic too—full of energy, kind, and made sure everyone was safe and smiling. He took some great photos of us too, so shoutout to Michael: You are officially part of our family album now.

After all that exertion (and mud), we were treated to a delicious Thai meal. Honestly, I didn’t expect the food to be that good—I was just hungry. But it was fresh, flavourful, and beautifully presented. Even the facilities were impressively clean—yes, clean toilets in the jungle! Miracles do exist.

The sanctuary itself is incredibly well-maintained. You can tell they hold themselves to high ethical and cleanliness standards. It’s not a gimmick or a tourist trap—it’s the real deal. Elephants are rescued, respected, and rehabilitated here. And as guests, we felt more like part of the family than just people on a tour.

In conclusion: This wasn’t just a trip. It was a memory burned into my soul (and my shorts—thanks, mud bath). Between the elephants, the laughs, the kind staff, the delicious food, and Mr. Chow’s award-winning impersonation of… well, himself—this was easily one of the top experiences of our travels.

If you’re looking for an ethical, fun, and downright hilarious elephant experience, this is it. Just be ready to get dirty, laugh until your cheeks hurt, and fall in love with the world’s most magnificent animals (and maybe Mr. Chow too).

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 10/10. Would mud wrestle with an...

Me and my husband decided to take the half day program and were very pleased by all the services. First of all we were picked up at our hotel on time and headed to the sanctuary. I love that the program was organised very well, we were lead to the animals right away after the short and fun description of the facts about the place and safety rules. The guide Annie was helping us to enjoy every moment along with Khun KK and Nom (the photographer) , who took amazing pictures of us. Btw all of them are free and you are able to download them through the link you will be provided in the end. So you can leave your phone in the locker and enjoy your time fully, be sure you will get the best quality pictures in the end done by Khun Non. We had a blast feeding the elephants, washing them , playing in the mud together (omg I never did it even in my childhood but I was so happy) , then we swam together with the elephants and their caregivers in the pool and even showered together. Afterwards we even got a chance to cook real pad Thai , with the help of Khun KK. I was amazed by how easy it turned out to be. And then we had a good tasty Thai meal , btw there were 4 vegetarians in the group and staff made sure to cook the vegetarian options of Tom kha and some other dish as well for them. I think it’s very nice . I need to say that all of the elephants have their own sad story about their life before getting to the sanctuary, when they were forced to work in circus and entertainment. The staff will be happy to tell you all of this stories. And I am sure you will be happy to know that all the money that you pay for the ticket goes to keep those animals happy and healthy. Of course there is no riding here ! And that’s right , they are not ours to own them. We can just try to earn their trust being respectful and kind to them. The feeling when the elephant comes close to you and you can see that it is not afraid is the best. Thank you so much guys! Definitely would love...

Wow, Amazing Experience. We did the One Day Jungle Walk at the Phuket location on January 2, 2024. We feed them several times, did a jungle walk, gave them a mud bath, followed up by a cleaner bath and finally a wonderful shower; we also gave them protein rice balls and feed them again - full day of love. Our guide for the day was Smiley and she was outstanding as well as the 2 Mahouts that day. Please give a big shout out to the 3 of them, they are a huge asset to your organization. Smiley was so knowledgeable, great photographer, great sense of humor and you can tell she cares about the elephants deeply; the 2 Mahouts were so caring of the elephants and treated them with respect and the love they deserve. Our elephants appeared to be very content and happy!!! If you want to interact with elephants this is the Sanctuary you want to go to. We all loved being with the elephants and for us it was the best part of our trip and deeply spiritual and fulfilling; I cannot say enough about our visit and how well the rescued elephants appeared to be taken care of. We tipped our guide, and also tipped the 2 Mahouts (our caretakers of our 2 elephants) as they are a huge part of the elephants well being. Cheers to you all for taking caring of these gentle giants! Also, cannot forget the Thai food was amazing too - whoever prepares these meals are fantastic.

In closing, there are a lot of unethical elephants tourist places where they do not treat the elephants good at all and use them just for profit - Breaks my heart. Please, Please do your research before you visit and only go to the ones where they are compassionate, take good care and love the elephants. In a world where you can be...