Phang Nga Elephant Park — Attraction in Phang-nga Province

Phang Nga Elephant Sanctuary is an absolute must-see! We booked through our Destination Asia representative, but I had done extensive research beforehand to ensure we were visiting an ethical sanctuary—one that doesn't offer elephant rides or use hooks and shackles. My search led me to Phang Nga Elephant Sanctuary, which turned out to be the same one our rep suggested—what a coincidence!

We took the earliest tour, which meant an early 6:10 AM pick-up from our hotel in Khao Lak. The drive took about an hour to reach the sanctuary. Upon arrival, we were greeted by our guide and an elephant recently brought in from the jungle. While waiting, we had the pleasure of meeting the sanctuary's owner, who shared the story behind the sanctuary, its mission, and the incredible work being done there. It was wonderful to hear firsthand about their efforts to protect and care for the elephants.

We were assigned to Choosri (pronounced "Choosy" with a silent R) and introduced to our mahout, Po. I highly recommend choosing the early tour because it includes a special experience—walking into the jungle with the mahout to help "collect" your elephant. During this walk, we learned a great deal about elephants, mahouts, and the sanctuary itself.

Make sure to wear flip-flops or Crocs as the walk involves crossing a shallow river! Once Choosri was collected, we walked back to the camp, where it was snack time. We fed Choosri an entire bucket of bananas and sugar cane while our friendly guide snapped plenty of photos.

Next, we changed into swimwear and joined Choosri in the cold pool for a cleaning session. Our mahout expertly guided Choosri the entire time, and our guide captured some great memories in photos and videos. Afterward, we showered and changed into dry clothes, so be sure to bring a change of clothes and a towel.

Following that, we were taken to the sanctuary’s restaurant and walked along aerial walkways over the paddocks, where we learned more about the elephants. It was heartwarming to see them enjoying their space. Two elephants were kept in enclosures for specific reasons: one was a new arrival who hadn’t yet been fully accepted by the group, and another was kept nearby due to her curiosity while construction was taking place. Rest assured, any limitations on roaming are for the elephants' well-being.

We finished our visit with a delicious traditional Thai breakfast at the restaurant, accompanied by a choice of hot or cold refreshments. The coffee was exceptional! As it was my birthday, the staff surprised me with a sweet birthday song and cake—an unforgettable ending to a perfect morning.

Before we left, we picked up our bags and visited the gift shop. I highly encourage supporting this remarkable sanctuary—it’s clear how much love and care goes into the care of the elephants, and the staff are truly dedicated to ensuring they live fulfilling lives.

If you visit, please remember to show your appreciation to the mahouts and guides—they make the experience possible. Also, if you're offered a breakfast box from your hotel due to the early pick-up time, even if you don't need it, please consider taking it. We gave ours to the mahouts, and they were truly grateful.

Don't miss out on visiting this sanctuary. They offer a variety of tours, so even if you don’t go super early, you can still have a magical experience with...

Today my two children (aged 7 and 10) and I visited this park. I had chosen it because every article I could find about this place ranked it as being one of the most ethical - a claim they strongly make on all their marketing and throughout the visit. However I felt very duped almost immediately on arrival and feel conflicted that (although I didn't participate) I have now contributed to this business. Everyone is strongly encouraged to ride the elephants (we did not but had to say no several times). Our guide said the elephants had not had their spirits broken but bonded with their mahouts through trust - a lie, because an elephant will NOT let you ride it unless it has had its spirit broken. Plus, the sharp spike they press into its ear implies they do what they do through fear and force, not trust (this was used to make an elephant squirt water in the lake to 'amuse' us, and another elephant had a bleeding inner ear). The elephants are tethered by chains outside the mahout huts for most of the day - our guide said this makes them feel safe and they are like lapdogs and want to be close to the mahouts all the time. I'm not buying that. One elephant (constantly swaying and tethered) had two big open wounds on her head. When I asked how she got those the guide started saying it was probably from banging her head on a branch but then decided to 'confess' that she had been beaten by a mahout and they then sacked him. I'm not buying that they sacked him. Three of the elephants were swaying constantly - the guide explained this was just a bad habit due to stress they'd experienced when they had previous owners. Yep, I'm not buying that either. The only positives I can say are that the elephants seemed to be well fed and not over worked, but I felt sick that I thought I was supporting ethical tourism but actually we were lied to by our guide throughout and these elephants do suffer for our experience. I'm amazed there are not more negative comments about this place, but the guides are very charming and convincing. Please find a better...

Whilst in Thailand, we wanted an ethical elephant experience that involved mostly observation. Being animal lovers, we are sceptical of anything offering too much human-animal interaction in captivity. We are entirely against the riding and human-bathing of elephants that is seen too often. Staff at our hotel, along with our rep, highly recommended Phang Nga Elephant Park. We checked the website and asked local people questions about the park before our visit and were told about the terrible situations the elephants were rescued from. It felt as though this was entirely ethical, a place where elephants could truly be at peace after torture, and therefore something we would want to fund. We booked the 'Unique Dawn Experience', which we thought would simply involve a stroll through the jungle, a quick feed for the elephants and then observation. This is how it was advertised. You can therefore imagine our horror when we arrived and witnessed swaying elephants chained to the ground, keepers carrying bullhooks, people piling into the elephant bath and elephants being instructed to do tricks (spray water, show teeth, etc.). We were devastated and felt disgustingly uncomfortable, but stayed and asked as many questions as we could. One of the more disturbing things we found out is that the elephants are chained overnight to stop them from wandering and 'destroying' land that the owner would need to pay for. The more we observed, the more it felt like the elephants were on a conveyor belt, just going from one experience to the next for the benefit of tourists. As far as we could see, there was no time for the elephants to socialise with one another properly, which is wholly unnatural for them. The website states they provide the exact opposite (picture). If you truly care about the wellbeing of elephants, DO NOT visit Phang Nga...