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Reviews — 8
My wife and I are in Khao Lak on holiday and stopped here during a hike to the waterfall. So glad we did! Our guide Emma was fantastic, spoke excellent English, and is obviously passionate about the sanctuary's mission. Well worth the admission fee to see and support elephants that are being cared for ethically.
Very nice place to see, feed and wash elephants. Elephants are really taken good care here 🥰
Such a wonderful place to visit, the staff here do a really good job in looking after the Elephants. Highly recommended a visit.
We visited this place in July 2023, and in summary: My two daughters were delighted and satisfied, as they got to see and feed three big elephants.
However, this is not a “sanctuary”. The elephants are kept in a tiny booth the entire time, and only brought out of it to bathe twice a day. They eat and sleep in that small booth; no walking around, minding their own business.
We have elephants in zoos in Denmark, and they have much more room to live in.
I would recommend spending time looking for a more ethical place to see elephants. This place says they don’t have any ‘trekking and riding’, but to be honest I think the elephants would prefer that to being stuck in a tiny booth all day.
However, this is not a “sanctuary”. The elephants are kept in a tiny booth the entire time, and only brought out of it to bathe twice a day. They eat and sleep in that small booth; no walking around, minding their own business.
We have elephants in zoos in Denmark, and they have much more room to live in.
I would recommend spending time looking for a more ethical place to see elephants. This place says they don’t have any ‘trekking and riding’, but to be honest I think the elephants would prefer that to being stuck in a tiny booth all day.
We can not recommend this parc! The stuff threw stones and sticks on the elephants against the head. We all were really shocked and the Kids were scared!
This has nothing to do with correct animal treatment. One employee was also riding on the elephants back.
Never again...
This has nothing to do with correct animal treatment. One employee was also riding on the elephants back.
Never again...
Wouldn't call it Sanctuary. There's a big misunderstanding and misuse of the word SANCTUARY. This is very misguiding. Better than places that offer trekking but closer to a zoo or petting zoo more like.
We took a taxi on our own from Khao Lak and told the driver (and showed him on google maps) Eco Elephant Sactuary Khao Lak. First, we were driven to what he believed we mean- a lonley and chained elephant next to the street (on google maps this place shows as Eco Elephant Sanctuary too). We were shocked by this and showed him again where we wanted to go. He then drove us 1 km further to, according to google maps, Eco Elephant Sanctuary. Ok.
Entry was 1200 baht/adult.
For a real Sanctuary, I'd have no problem paying that. I have visited animal sanctuaries and they were very different. In a sanctuary the animals have lots of space and do what they want and come close if they want. That's what makes it different to a zoo or animal show... that's what makes it a sanctuary. They are not on display the whole day long for tourists to watch and touch.
The feeding (you get a bucket of bananas) is nice enough. The elephants come close to fetch the bananas. As all 7 elephants were standing in the enclosure it was hard to see whether they could go somewhere else too or if their space was bigger. There's no information about that.
The space seemed rather small for 7 elephants, although we didn't see chains. But no need for them, when the place provides such display.
The bath: for each group of tourists one or two elephants are moved to the bath. (Behind the trees is a little path where carers move them to the bath. They elephants don't just go there, they are controlled with hooks on sticks which they put aside as soon as they are on display for tourists) It seems they want to offer the tourists some kind of attraction. We didn't see poking devices or needles during the bath but they were frequently pulled and pinched in their ears while they bathed, a sensitive area for elephants. As this is a common way to control these animals the "sanctuary" sadly gets a showcase- character.
Sadly, we could not find a true sanctuary, which deserves the word SANCTUARY.
I guess, as long as tourists EXPECT to see something and get something worth their money, places cannot turn into true sanctuaries. For this to happen, people who choose to visit such places, have to understand that these animals might not come close but have to be watched from a far. If they don't want to bath right now, then they don't. We went to the place because we wanted to see whether the bad reviews were true... and sadly, Sanctuary doesn't mean the same as at home.
However, we hope the money we paid is used for something good as the people who work there and run the place surely just try to do the best they can.
We took a taxi on our own from Khao Lak and told the driver (and showed him on google maps) Eco Elephant Sactuary Khao Lak. First, we were driven to what he believed we mean- a lonley and chained elephant next to the street (on google maps this place shows as Eco Elephant Sanctuary too). We were shocked by this and showed him again where we wanted to go. He then drove us 1 km further to, according to google maps, Eco Elephant Sanctuary. Ok.
Entry was 1200 baht/adult.
For a real Sanctuary, I'd have no problem paying that. I have visited animal sanctuaries and they were very different. In a sanctuary the animals have lots of space and do what they want and come close if they want. That's what makes it different to a zoo or animal show... that's what makes it a sanctuary. They are not on display the whole day long for tourists to watch and touch.
The feeding (you get a bucket of bananas) is nice enough. The elephants come close to fetch the bananas. As all 7 elephants were standing in the enclosure it was hard to see whether they could go somewhere else too or if their space was bigger. There's no information about that.
The space seemed rather small for 7 elephants, although we didn't see chains. But no need for them, when the place provides such display.
The bath: for each group of tourists one or two elephants are moved to the bath. (Behind the trees is a little path where carers move them to the bath. They elephants don't just go there, they are controlled with hooks on sticks which they put aside as soon as they are on display for tourists) It seems they want to offer the tourists some kind of attraction. We didn't see poking devices or needles during the bath but they were frequently pulled and pinched in their ears while they bathed, a sensitive area for elephants. As this is a common way to control these animals the "sanctuary" sadly gets a showcase- character.
Sadly, we could not find a true sanctuary, which deserves the word SANCTUARY.
I guess, as long as tourists EXPECT to see something and get something worth their money, places cannot turn into true sanctuaries. For this to happen, people who choose to visit such places, have to understand that these animals might not come close but have to be watched from a far. If they don't want to bath right now, then they don't. We went to the place because we wanted to see whether the bad reviews were true... and sadly, Sanctuary doesn't mean the same as at home.
However, we hope the money we paid is used for something good as the people who work there and run the place surely just try to do the best they can.
Nice opportunity to see these beautiful animals.
You can buy some fruits for feeding the elephants. It’s also possible to book a walk with them…
You can buy some fruits for feeding the elephants. It’s also possible to book a walk with them…