Phuket Elephant Sanctuary — Attraction in Pa Khlok

I really enjoyed visting Phuket Elephant Sanctuary. I'd greatly recommend it.

The elephants looked calm, relaxed and truly happy. It is definietly a place where a lot of emphasis on ethics is placed. You could feel that the elephants are well cared for and respected here.

With that said, I would like to adress some of the 1-star reviews that claim that the sanctuary is not ethical. Even tough I am no expert I feel like they lack common sense. (Keep in mind that some of the negative reviews seem to be based on experiences from completely different elephant attractions, which have nothing to do with Phuket Elephant Sanctuary - especially those mentoning washing the elephants or seeing them chained - no such practice takes place in Phuket Elephant Sanctuary."

Firstly, I've read an argument that elephants here lack space, are cofined or should be in the wild. While I agree that the last situation would be ideal, the reality is that due to heavy urbanization and habitat loss, I don't consider it to be realistic or safe anymore. They are massive animals - it is safer both for themselves and people living around. In the wild, they could be also captured again.

Secondly, I've read an argument that the Sanctuary makes a profit. I find this argument to be outrageous - it is obvious that they earn money. They have to! - in order to feed the elephants, buy and rescue new ones and improve their overall wellbeing. It also has to be said, that Phuket Elephant Sanctuary is currently building the first hospital for elephants in Phuket - which will be free for every elephant. They need to earn money in order to make it possible. Even tough the tickets might be a bit pricey, I am sure that most of the money earned goes back to the elephants.

Thirdly, some claim that the elephants are constantly follwed by staff, implying a lack of freedom. What I saw was different, in the morning the elephants roamed freely on their own. Obviously later, during the tours, they were calmly walked around by their caretakers - they don't force them to go anywhere but gently guide them to ensure everyone's safety - both the elephants and the visitors. As I've said earlier, they are huge animals - they could easliy kill a person unwillingly. And at the same time if they fall, they might seriously injured because they are so heavy. Each elephant has a "personal" caretaker it trusts, and the bond is clearly visible.

As a proof of how well the elephants are being treated here I would like to share a story. At the end of our tour, I saw one of them playing like a child - even tough she was about 50 years old - splashing joyfully in the water with a giant log. In this moment I was sure that the elephants are happy and free here.

Would it really be better if this place didn't exist, and the elephants were still suffering in logging camps or tourist shows?

Some other notes:

Everything was well organized - I chose the option with a transfer from my hotel. The bus arrived 30 minutes before the arranged time, so I needed to leave breakfast early, however I did not mind.

The staff and guides were really nice, lovely, knowledgable, attentive and funny. My guide, Thomas, had a lot of interesting stuff to say about the elephants and was eager to answer any questions.

The tickets may seem to be a bit pricey - however I feel like for many it's a once in a lifetime experience, so it is definietly worth it, especially while keeping in mind that this is the most ethical sanctuary in Phuket.

The vegetarian lunch was good - obviously nothing like a michelin star, but I left full. You also get unlimited drinks, sweets or coffe.

To sum up, I would greatly recommend this place! It was a wonderful, unforgettable,...

Everything we wanted, truly ethical.

My priority was an authentic experience with elephants that were treated humanely. This lived up to my expectations.

You have to get yourself to the office, which is easy to find. There, they check you in. I was initially nervous with the amount of people (but found that wasn't a problem). You wait in the office and they take people 8 at a time on a 5 min drive. You wait in a nice covered area with souvenirs for sale and a huge variety of free snacks, fresh fruits and drinks. Once everyone is there they start a presentation. The leader spoke about the history of the sanctuary and then there was a 2 part video. First part was made by the sanctuary to inform on rules and how to respect the elephants. Second part was from a show that featured the sanctuary. It shows how poorly elephants are treated in shows and how the sanctuary rescues them.

Then the full group of ~60 splits into 3 groups, which I appreciated so the elephants aren't overwhelmed. Then you just move from elephant to elephant with the guides to answer questions for about 1.5 hours. The guides make sure you stay away to give them space when they're walking. You are able to get maybe 10 feet away for pictures. I enjoyed just observing them how they naturally are. No tricks, nothing forced, just appreciating them for the majestic beasts they are.

On a note of them being ethical. I found another "ethical" sanctuary first in my online research that had many reviews describing inhumane treatment that dissuaded me from going. Here, I saw absolutely nothing unethical. The most they did was prompt with food, and even then sometimes the elephants refused and the mahouts (trainers/elephant companion) didn't care. They all spoke very respectfully about them, continually said things regarding letting them do what they naturally do and sounded honestly saddened when talking about the places they were rescued from.

We then went up to a fence to have a chance to touch and feed them. The elephants seemed to just know the drill and followed. I never saw them prompted to go. In fact, the mahouts just lazily followed the elephants over to the fence. The elephants stood and patiently waited. Everyone was given fruits and veggies to feed them. We were told of their individual preferences (one didn't like bananas), and how to touch them, minimally, after washing our hands.

After that we went to the covered area for an incredibly tasty meal. I expected light food and this was actually a bountiful buffet. A dozen main course options with sides and drinks. So many tasty local dishes, all vegetarian and there were even more Western things like french fries and spring salad for the kids.

This was an unforgettable experience and it left me feeling proud and honored to participate in. This review was agreed on by the three other people...

There are pros and cons to this place. Firstly, I want to say, they cannot claim to be fully ethical yet. Some things they do, are ethical and helpful, but there are some things they do that do not meet that standard.

Pro: it is a place where old and overworked elephants can receive medical treatment. They have the first elephant hospital in Phuket.

Con: there is not enough space for all these elephants. They currently have 14 but the guide told us they have room for up to 25. However, a quick Google will tell you that Asian elephants need between 184-407 square kilometres to live in. The Phuket Elephent Sanctuary boasts they have 30 acres for the elephants to live in. 30 acres = 0.121 square kilometre. So that's 14 elephants living in less than 1 square kilometres.

Pro: they buy enough food from farmers to support the elephants appetites, as there isn't enough food here for them to forage.

Con: tourists are allowed to feed the elephants. This IS NOT ethical. On the Phuket Elephant Website they have given notice that tourist elephant feeding will end in March 2026, but my question is: why don't they just end it now if they know it is unethical?

Pro: there is an aerial walkway above the elephants so that you can observe the elephants without being intrusive, however...

Con: ... whilst the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary make it appear on their website that this walkway is a key feature of your visit and interaction with elephants is 'limited', this simply isn't true. We did the half day tour and we spent more time on the ground, within metres of the elephants, being very intrusive in my opinion, and much less time on the walkway observing them. I asked our guide we were being allowed to do this and why we weren't just on the walkway watching from afar and he said they were building more walkway. But there is already lots of walkway, enough in my opinion to end 'on the ground' viewings altogether. We witnessed one group get so close to an elephant while she was eating that she got nervous and tooted her trunk. We know she was nervous because our guide told us she was.

Con: 'complimentary snacks and lunch'. First off, it's not complimentary if you've paid for it. Which we did, I'm sure, with our pricey entrance fees. I'd happily do without the snacks and food if it meant more of my money went to the elephants. For half a day visit, I don't need snacks and food other than water.

In conclusion, I don't doubt the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary is doing some old and abused elephants some good. Certainly it has to be better than the life they were leading before they were rescued. BUT, if you don't have enough land and resources to properly look after these magnificent creatures, should you have opened a 'sanctuary' here in the first place? Furthermore, your practices aren't truly ethical yet, so you cannot and should not...