Half Day: Elephant Village Sanctuary

The best elephant place

The experience was super cool, you see the elephants in their natural habitat and free, the guide explains many interesting things about them, you feed them, you prepare their medicine and they also give you food there harvested by them that is very good. Also I like that the elephants are free and not in a terrarium just for tourists. Without a doubt the best place.

via Tripadvisor (translated)

Proper experience of elephants in beautiful surroundings

This was a fantastic experience to meet the elephants in a natural surrounding The trip started badly as we were told to be ready from 6.50 and no-one tuned up until gone 8am. However from that point it was great. We arrived in the village and after a very steep climb down we arrived to a small talk about the elephants. Then we went on a trek through the jungle to find some elephants in their natural setting which was hard work but magical. We found two sisters one who was pregnant wandering in the jungle eating bamboo shoots and then we could watch them eating standing right next to them. They extended their trunks to say hello and smell us. Then we followed them for a while and then trekked through the jungle to find the remaining two. Please note this experience is only suitable for those with moderate fitness and you need good shoes and long trousers. We returned to the village via a waterfall stop to cool down for lunch tasty of egg fried vegetable rice and fruit. Then we learned how to cut Bamboo and how to make elephant medicine from herbs. Two elephants returned to the water and we gave them the bamboo and then they wandered off again. A real experience where you could get close to the elephants and learn about them without exploiting them. Fantastic well worth visiting this one.

via Tripadvisor

This experience was once...

This experience was once in a life time! Such a cool experience, felt natural and ethical to the animals. Staff was wonderful. Only thing of note- you are in the jungle and you walk some terrain that was way more treacherous than anticipated, would recommend hiking boots and or rainboots of your own to wear.

via Viator

Great experience, very wholesome and ethical

Really lovely day and very kind people. They really care about the elephants and it’s all very authentic and interesting. Highly recommend

via Tripadvisor

Irresponsible Tour Company

I would have given this tour company zero stars if not for the guide, Cha who went out if his way to make sure I was safe. First of all, I signed up for morning tour but no one showed up. I had to Google the number to reach them but was informed they moved me to afternoon because no one else signed up. Another person told me, Ken missed my booking. At the sanctuary, the tour surprisingly included a difficult uphill trek in the jungle to a waterfall which I did not sign up for due to a heart condition. Thankfully, the guide stayed with me to make sure I was ok and offered me his water. The trail was so steep and slippery, I fell once. The elephant experience was wonderful and the caregivers were very kind. I’m disappointed this tour could have turned so much better.

Response from the operator: Dear Cynthia, We are very sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience. We apologize again on behalve of our partner for missing your booking. That was unacceptable and we have taken steps to ensure it does not happen again. We are also concerned that you did not receive the correct information about the tour. We have clearly indicate that this tour involves trekking and is not suitable for travelers with heart problems or other medical conditions. We always advise our customers to check the details and requirements of the tour before booking and to inform us of any special needs they may have. We are glad that our guide Cha was helpful and attentive to you during the tour and that you enjoyed the elephant experience. We appreciate your feedback and we hope you will give us another chance to serve you better in the future.

via Viator