Phuket Elephant Sanctuary Half-Day Tour

Mud Spa & Bathing

Join our ethical half-day tour at Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Phuket. Feed Asian elephants, enjoy a mud spa, bathe with them, and share a Thai buffet!

Phuket Ethical Elephant Tour

Half-Day Visit

Spend elephant quality time with our most popular half-day program enjoying a mud spa, bathing, and a Thai buffet.

Slowing down your busy day with an unforgettable experience at Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Phuket. Our ethical Half-Day Visit invites you to spend quality time with friendly elephants. Led by a professional mahout and guide, you will discover the unique history and behaviors of our resident herd while building a deep, personal connection. Hand-feeding the elephants, getting messy in a mud spa, brushing them clean in a refreshing outdoor pool, learning how to cook Pad Thai (demonstration), and relaxing over a delicious, freshly prepared Thai buffet.

🏆 Ethical Standard: Elephant Jungle Sanctuary is Thailand’s ACES Gold-certified ethical elephant sanctuary — no riding, no performance, just elephants living as elephants.

📊 Quick Tour Information

Duration	Trip Difficulty	Booking Cut-off Time
3 Hours	Easy (Great for all ages)	12 hours before the activity starts

📌 What’s included?

✓Fluent English-speaking Tour Guide
✓Drinking Water
✓One Traditional Thai Meal
✓Elephant Food
✓Transportation (Pick up-Drop off Hotel)
✓Insurance (Require Passport Number)

❌ Exclusions

✕Personal Expenses: Additional spending for personal items or services not explicitly listed in the program.
✕Tips and Gratuities: Optional tips for the tour guides, mahouts, or kitchen staff.

⚠️ Important Notes:

•Wheelchair accessible
•Stroller / pram accessible
•Interactive Experience: Be prepared for a hands-on experience, as this program includes feeding activity. These engaging activities help foster a memorable connection with the elephants.
•Health & Safety: All interactions are conducted under the guidance of our experienced handlers to ensure safety for both the elephants and participants.
•Environmental Respect: While engaging in bathing and mud spa activities, we maintain the highest standards of animal welfare and environmental respect to ensure that our impact is positive and ethical.
•Children must be accompanied by parents/guardians
•Our program will continue even in heavy rain. There will be no cancellations due to rain.

🎒 What do I need to bring?

•Hat
•Bathing Suit
•Sunscreen
•Insect Repellent
•Towel
•Personal Medication
•Change of Clothes
•Walking Shoes
•Copy of Passport Photo Page (or Passport Number)

💳 Cancellation policy

•We will charge a cancellation fee of 100% if booking is cancelled 1 day or less before the event.
•We will charge a cancellation fee of 50% if booking is cancelled 2 days or less before the event.

🚌

Hotel Pickup

Enjoy comfortable, air-conditioned transport from your Phuket accommodation directly to our sanctuary.

🙏

Arrival & Welcome Briefing

Meet your professional guide and learn about elephant behavior, safety guidelines, and our ethical mission.

🐘

Meet, Feed & Health Check

Interact with our friendly herd, hand-feed them snacks, and learn how we conduct basic health examinations.

🍌

Dietary Supplement Prep

Assist our team in preparing nutrition supplements for the elephants.

📄

Elephant Poop Paper Activity

Participate in a fun, eco-friendly demonstration showing how we recycle elephant waste into unique paper.

🤎

Mud Spa Experience

Get messy alongside your new friends as you apply a skin-nourishing mud treatment to the elephants.

🌊

Elephant Bathing

Walk with the herd into a refreshing water pool to help wash, brush, and splash with them.

🚿

Refresh & Wash Up

Take a regular shower and change into your dry clothes using our clean on-site facilities.

🍳

Pad Thai Demonstration

Learn the secrets of traditional Thai cooking during an interactive Pad Thai cooking demonstration.

🍽️

Thai Buffet & Farewell

Enjoy a delicious buffet of traditional Thai food and seasonal fruits before saying a final goodbye and heading back to your hotel.

💬 Please note: The itinerary activities are approximate and may change slightly depending on weather and conditions.

🚌 Complimentary Hotel Pick-up & Drop-off

✓ Service Area: Available from hotels/accommodation in the Phuket zone ONLY.
👥 Join Transfer: Our service is a Shared/Join Transfer. Please be ready at the lobby at the starting pick-up time. The driver cannot wait due to other passengers on the route.
⚠️ Important Waiting Rule: Guests MUST wait at the hotel lobby starting from the EARLIEST pick-up time mentioned in the schedule or confirmation email.
⏰ Estimated Pick-up Times: • Morning Session: 06:45 – 07:15 AM
• Afternoon Session: 11:45 AM – 12:15 PM
🛡️ Camp Selection: EJS reserves the right to assign the sanctuary location (Camp) for all guests using our hotel transfer service.

📍 Self-Travel to Meeting Point

• For guests traveling to the sanctuary by themselves, please inform us in advance which camp you would like to visit (Kathu or Thalang).
• Required Arrival Times: • Morning Session: Please arrive by 07:45 AM
• Afternoon Session: Please arrive by 12:45 PM

🗺️ Sanctuary Locations:

• Kathu Camp: View on Google Maps ↗

• Thalang Camp: View on Google Maps ↗

✕ Pick-up Exclusion: Service is NOT available from Phuket International Airport, Rassada Pier, and Royal Phuket Marina. An additional charge applies for different pick-up and drop-off locations.

FAQ

Do you offer a pick up/drop off service?

Yes. We offer a free transfer service to/from hotels and most other places of accommodation within a 5km radius of
Chiang Mai’s Old City.

Visitors requiring transport from locations outside this area will incur a small transport surcharge.

Do you offer a transfer service to/from the airport, bus, or train station?

We recommend staying in Chiang Mai the night prior to your visit to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. Planes, buses, and trains are often delayed, and we are unable to wait for you outside of your assigned pick up time. If you wish to be dropped off at the airport or another location following your visit, please inform us of this at least 24 hours prior to your visit. Please note that we cannot offer you priority treatment, and all guests will be dropped off in the most efficient order possible.

Can I arrange my own transport to EJS Chiang Mai?

No. Unfortunately it is not possible to arrange your own transportation to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Chiang Mai, even if you have booked a visit with us. As many of our locations are very far from the city, and utilise unmarked or unpaved roads, a specialised vehicle with a professional driver who knows the routes is essential to ensure safety and timely arrival/departure. We offer a free transfer service, and can collect you directly from your place of accommodation in Chiang Mai.

How long does it take to reach the Sanctuary?

On average, it takes approximately 1.5 hours to reach the Sanctuary from downtown Chiang Mai. Time taken may vary depending on which location you visit, as well as variables such as traffic, weather, and current road conditions. We offer visitors a short break around halfway to the Sanctuary, where food, refreshments, and bathrooms are available.

What are the roads to the Sanctuary like?

For the majority of the drive to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, we use paved public roads, however the final portion of the drive to each of our locations includes unpaved road conditions. As some of the roads we use can be quite mountainous and winding, we recommend bringing medication if you are prone to motion sickness.

What kind of vehicles do you use?

Unless otherwise specified, EJS uses comfortable, spacious, air-conditioned vans driven by professional drivers.