Have you ever wanted to bathe and hang out with elephants? Have you ever wanted to see what it’s like to stand next to these amazing creatures, what their skin feels like, or how big they actually are in person?
Elephant Sanctuaries in Thailand should be on everyone’s bucket list. It is truly the most surreal experience I have ever had in my life, and I am so thankful to have been able to experience it. Nothing can compare to hanging out peacefully with a 4-ton creature that has the ability to completely crush you with one step but doesn’t. Remember, elephants are extremely gentle creatures and there is no need to worry around them (but still always be respectful). Elephants are gentle giants. They are some of the most lovable, smart, and social animals on Earth.
Elephant sanctuaries are such an authentic experience because these elephants are not in a zoo…these elephants are not domesticated. They are wild animals, but are more used to being around humans.
Things to know before you go
Do not ride the elephants
Some of the sanctuaries (I have not seen any, but I know they exist) allow you to ride the elephants along with bathing and feeding them. This is said to be horrible and veryunnatural for them. In order to get the elephants to become rideable for humans the elephants’ backs are broken at a young age. This causes them to never be able to do a lot of the things wild elephants are able to do. This makes them a forever tourist attraction which really, in my opinion, makes their lives unmeaningful. Why would you ever want to do that to anyone? There are so many amazing things you can do to help the elephants while still having an unforgettable time while letting them live a natural happy life. You don’t need to ride them and add to the evil Thai market.
Bring flip flops and a swimsuit / shorts
Of course you can wear whatever you want when you go to these elephant sanctuaries, but to get near the elephants you need to wear flip flops, and if you want to swim with the elephants and bathe them wearing a swim suit is the most ideal! Most sanctuaries will give you a shirt to wear while hanging out with the elephants, and the guides might have some flip flops to use, but I would bring my own just in case!
Plan in advance
Some of the sanctuaries are pretty hard to get to from the capital city of Bangkok, Thailand. The journies to the sanctuaries could take a day or even more depending on which one you go to. They could also potentially require you to stay outside of the city for a night.
You also have to sign up in a group to get on one of the tours because these types of things are organized because you cannot just run up to an elephant in the wild for obvious reasons. (this does not mean you need to go with anyone. You just have to sign up for a specific time slot that is available and will be with other people on the tour) Plan where you are going and how you will get there. It is usually just a bus ride away, but it depends on which elephant sanctuary you choose to go to.
I went to the sanctuary in Pattaya which was only about an hour or so bus ride from Bangkok. It is the easiest sanctuary to get to from Bangkok, but there are others on various islands and up north in the jungles of Thailand. Weigh out your options and decide which Thailand Elephant Sanctuary is the best for you. They are all relatively similar. Some of the companies run the elephant sanctuaries at each location, but of course there are several companies to choose from and no two experiences will be exactly the same.
Be nice
You will get to bathe, feed, swim, and maybe even more with the elephants, so try not to crowd them and always listen to your guide.
Clean up after yourself and take pictures!
Don’t leave anything behind on your tour. The elephant sanctuary should be left exactly how you found it. You are also welcome to take as many pictures as you want on your tour. The guides are usually very nice and will take a bunch as well for you.
“Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints”
Have fun!
This is cliche, but you are about to take part in an event that some people have on their bucket list for their whole lives. Take lots of photos, have lots of fun, and cherish your time with the elephants and in Thailand.
Where are the sanctuaries located?
There are elephant sanctuaries all over Thailand, so no need to worry about being able to find one! Be sure to plan in advance for your journey though. Preferably, it is better to plan more in advance especially depending on the season because some of the elephant sanctuaries get booked up if you wait until the day of or a few days before you want to go. I went to a sanctuary in the south of Thailand in the city of Pattaya. There are others in the Northern Jungles of Thailand as well as various islands in Thailand.
No matter which location you choose all of them are extremely satisfying and something you have to put on your bucket list.
The sanctuary I went on in Pattaya, Thailand
There are many elephant sanctuaries in Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket and more.
The tour I went on was Pattaya | Elephant Jungle Sanctuary
This tour is unique because it has a lot of locations all over the country of Thailand.
They have sanctuaries with the same company in the Thia cities of Chiang Mai, Phuket and Ko Samui!
You can read about their different tours and even more in dept on what they offer here : Home | Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Thailand
You can do a morning or afternoon tour! We chose the afternoon tour as we were not staying in Pattaya and had to get there from Bangkok. This left up some time in the morning to get to the sanctuary.
How to Get to the elephant sanctuary from Bangkok
If you are like us and traveling to Pattaya from Bangkok the easiest way to get there is by bus. Getting to Pattaya by bus from Bangkok takes about 2.5 hours in one straight shot.
Bus that goes from Bangkok to Pattaya
You can get a bus ticket at the Ekkamai Bus Station – Bangkok Eastern Bus Terminal | THAIest to get to Pattaya from Bangkok. The buses leave every 30 min – 1 hour. It is about 180bhat (~$5) per person. Make sure to get there early so you do not miss the bus. Also bring cash to buy the tickets. You can use a card to pay, but everything in Thailand is easier if you have cash.
Elephant Sanctuary in Pattaya Thailand
Pattaya Bus Station in Thailand
Once you are at the bus station in Pattaya (Pattaya Bus Terminal) Tell your guide that they can come pick you up. The elephant sanctuary tour guides will pick everyone up in a big unlabeled car. They will tell you where they are and how to find them via WhatsApp so be sure to keep in contact with them so they know when you arrive. Then once the tour guides have picked everyone up they will head to the sanctuary.
Be sure to tell you are at the bus station (or wherever they told you they will come pick you up ) even if it says they will come at a certain time because they will not come if they do not know you are there the day of. In order to communicate with them you can use email or WhatsApp. This should be communicated a day before your event as well as the day of. It is easy though so do not worry! Just be like an elephant and Don’t Forget!
Once the tour guides pick you up they will bring you to the elephant sanctuary by car. Everyone in your tour will be placed in the car together and brought to the elephants! It is a long road into the jungle.
What the elephant sanctuary tour consists of
1. Getting ready
When you get to the sanctuary the elephants will most likely be out farther away on their own. You can see some in the distance but give them time to relax. There could be any number of elephants depending on when you go. There could even be baby elephants!!
Once everyone is situated the tour guides will tell you to change your clothes (into a bathing suit if you prefer / flip flops). They will even give you an authentic Thai elephant shirt to wear!
2. Feeding the elephants
Once the elephants are brought closer to you your guides will motion for everyone to come over to feed the elephants. Everyone will be given a few small bananas and there will be buckets more to grab once you finish with your first batch. Don’t be scared giving the elephants food. The elephants will grab the bananas with their trunk and feed it to themselves so they cannot bite you! Just hold out the banana and let it go once the elephant takes it! It is a lot of fun!
The guides will be around to take pictures for you as well, but you can also bring your own camera to take pictures of your own during the entire process!
3. Walk with the elephants
Once everyone gets plenty of time to feed the elephants the guides will bring everyone on a walk to the next area. Here you can walk alongside the gentle giants.
4. Bathe the elephants with mud
At this point you will have walked to a mud pit. Elephants are washed here with mud. You can grab some from the ground to put all over the elephants (and yourselves) and the guides will have buckets more if you need! This was one of my favorite parts of the tour because feeling the elephant’s skin, being so close to them, and just hanging out with you was surreal.
5. Swim with the elephants
After you finish putting mud over all of the elephants they will need to be washed off! The elephants will walk over with you to a water pit where they will wash themselves off. You can watch them, but you can also go in and swim with them! Just be sure to let them wash themselves because worst case scenario you could get crushed by one of the elephants if you get in their way accidently.
This was also one of my favorite parts of the experience because how often do you get to swim with elephants? They are moving a lot more in this stage than ever before so make sure you don’t get bumped by the elephants. They are very gentle but be careful and watch out for them !
6. Authentic Thai Lunch / Dinner
After a good amount of time swimming and cleaning off the elephants everyone on the tour will come back and walk around the area where everyone will be given a beautiful and authentic Thai dinner ! I am not going to lie, the first time I ever had Thai food was in Thailand, and I know I have been missing out! The food is so delicious, and I had so much! Thai food is now one of my favorite kinds of food ever!
Overall, you cannot miss the ultimate bucket list item of going to an elephant sanctuary in Thailand! It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and something everyone with the desire should take part in!
Have fun in Thailand and have even more fun on your amazing elephant sanctuary adventure!
Have you been to an elephant sanctuary? How was your experience? Which one did you go to? Is there anything you want to add that I missed? Let me know!
If you have any further questions, please contact me!
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