Spend a half-day interacting and caring for Phuket’s majestic elephants
Phuket is mostly popular for its pristine beaches as well as its beach and pool clubs, making it one of the most ideal vacation destinations in Thailand, especially during the summer. But the island is more than those! It is also home to many majestic elephants under the care of wildlife reserves. One such reserve is the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary!
The Caretakers of Elephants
Elephants are one of the most important animals in Thai culture. They are involved in many Buddhist ceremonies, plus they also are integral to agricultural practices. The Karen tribe lives in perfect harmony with these adorable colossal creatures, so they’ve been referred to as the “Caretakers of Elephants.” They believe that, as human beings, we should find it important to develop peace, love, and understanding with animals, and they wish to showcase this to anyone visiting the island.
The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Experience
In this elephant sanctuary in Phuket, the Karen people will do just that! Members of the tribe will brief visitors about the mission-vision of the sanctuary as well as its history before providing them with traditional Karen garbs to wear. Throughout the duration of the experience, they will help the tribe prepare the natural supplements that they provide to the animals, all while being introduced to the elephants. It’s during this part where the tribespeople will talk about the pasts of these animals as well as teach you their behavioral patterns and characteristics so as to help you how to go about ethical interactions with them.
Guests may also take a dip into mud spas together with the elephants and cleanse the mud off their bodies after!
After helping out the tribe with their preparations and hanging out with the elephants, guests will be treated to an authentic Thai meal (with vegetable options) before the experience ends.
What to Bring
Considering that visitors will enter a jungle, it’s best to pack some insect repellent as well as a hat. Since there’s a bathing activity in mud, bringing a bathing suit, a towel, and extra clothes is also highly recommended.
Book It, Klook It!
If you’re looking forward to meeting Phuket’s famous elephants and want to interact with them through ethical means unlike riding, then you’re in for a treat because through Klook, you can book a half-day activity that will allow tourists to enter the reserve and interact with the elephants under the accompaniment and guidance of the tribespeople.
You may even select between morning and afternoon visits, just feeding them, or the mud spa bath and wash! The selections are comprehensive enough to suit your schedule preference!
Whichever adventure you pick, you’ll be sure to end the activity with a better understanding of elephants and how to ethically interact with them, may they be the ones in Phuket or when you encounter them in other parts of the globe.
New Normal Protocols
In the meantime, tourists who booked this activity will have to adhere to the health and safety protocols of its operator:
- A temperature check will be carried out at the hotel/pick-up point by the operator’s staff before entering the vehicle. If a visitor’s temperature is higher than 37.5 °C, he/she would be tested again after 5 minutes. If the temperature remains at 37.5°C or above, Elephant Jungle Sanctuary reserves the right to refuse the customer from participating in the activity, and in the case of a high temperature, a full refund is available only for that specific visitor, not for the whole booking
- All visitors are expected to wear a face mask throughout the duration of the activity, excluding eating time. If they do not have one upon pick-up, visitors can purchase a mask from the driver for 20 Baht. If visitors refuse to wear the face mask, they will not be allowed to enter the camp and the activity will be cancelled without refund
- Each car will seat 5 to 6 visitors depending on the car type. No visitors will be allowed to sit in the front with the drivers
- Visitors are expected to clean their hands with the alcohol gel provided before getting into the vehicle
- ALL visitors will be expected to write their full name and passport number on the operator’s log as per government protocol
- Visitors will be separated into groups of 6
- All visitors are expected to wash their hands with soap and water before proceeding to touch the elephant’s food
- All visitors are encouraged to observe social distancing with at least a 1-meter gap between each other
- The facility is sanitized at the start and end at the end of every session
- The provided buffet during the activity will be swapped for pre-packed meals so as to prevent cross-contamination
- Showers with the elephants will allow the customer to join with rain shower or hose pipe only
- Mud spa with the elephants will be changed to observe elephants playing in the mud
