Highlights
- No riding, no chains, no hooks, no performances of any kind
- Watch them behave as they would with no visitors present
- Learn to read elephant body language from your guide
- One hour from central Bangkok — back in the city the same morning
Description
Most elephant activities ask what you get to do with the elephants. This
one is about what they do when nobody is handling them.
The shuttle leaves from Ekkamai BTS, at the Wat That Thong car park beside
the station, or from Villa Cha Cha on Soi Ram Buttri behind Khao San Road.
You pick one when you book. About an hour later Bangkok runs out and you
are in Nong Chok, at the edge of 17 acres of open grass and water.
Your guide begins with how the elephants here are cared for, what they eat
in a day, and why the sanctuary runs the way it does. You will help get
their food ready — cut and weighed the way the mahouts do it — and carry
it out to the feeding area. Then you set it down and step back.
Nobody calls them over. Nobody hands anything to an elephant. They come
when they decide to come, and you watch from a distance while they eat.
After that you walk. The elephants go where they want across the land and
you follow at a distance, stopping when they stop. Your guide reads it out
loud as it happens — what the ears are telling you, what the trunk is
doing, when one is relaxed and when one wants space.
You will not touch them, bathe them or pose with them at any point. There
is no chain, no hook and no bullhook anywhere on this land, nobody rides
the elephants, and nothing is staged.
Bring a camera with some zoom if you have one. The photographs you take
here are of elephants being elephants, not of you standing beside one.
The visit finishes with fresh fruit and cold drinks in the shade, then the
shuttle takes you back to where it picked you up. Morning groups are back
in central Bangkok in time for lunch.
Includes
Round-trip transfer from Ekkamai BTS or Khao San
Professional English-speaking guide
Bottled water
Elephant food
Fresh fruit and refreshments
Personal locker
Accident insurance
Excludes
Hotel pickup and drop-off — the shuttle departs from Ekkamai BTS or
Khao San only
Any physical contact with the elephants — this is an observation visit
Lunch and meals
Gratuities
Personal expenses and souvenirs
Important Information
- This is an observation visit. Guests help prepare and place food but do
not hand-feed, touch, bathe or pose with the elephants at any point
The elephants come to the food in their own time. Some days that is
immediate, some days it takes a while
Boarding is 07:30–07:50 (morning) or 12:30–12:50 (afternoon). The van
leaves at 08:00 / 13:00 and cannot wait for late arrivals
Guests must travel to one of the two departure points — we do not collect
from hotels
Wear closed shoes and clothes you don't mind getting dusty
Bring sun protection: a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses
A zoom lens is useful — you will be watching from a distance
Please follow your guide's instructions on distance at all times
Easy cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
