The opportunity to see and interact with elephants is one of the greatest attractions in Thailand. The elephant is also the national symbol of the country.
It is therefore no surprise that visiting an elephant sanctuary is, for many travelers, an essential stop during a trip to Thailand, between visits to islands, temples, or paradise beaches.
Discovering this fascinating animal is an incredible experience to enjoy during your holidays in Thailand. However, choosing the right center can sometimes be complicated.
There are indeed many elephant parks and camps in Thailand where the animals are not treated with the respect they deserve.
To help you navigate the options, we have prepared a small (non-exhaustive) guide to the best elephant sanctuaries in Thailand to visit in 2024.
This will allow you to discover these majestic pachyderms in a different way while ensuring they are respected in refuges that truly care for them.
Elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand – Elephant Nature Park
This is one of the most well-known elephant parks in Thailand for its respect for animals. Elephant Nature Park rescues elephants and helps them rehabilitate after years of abuse and injuries.
Located on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, this elephant sanctuary is one of the largest in the region, with around thirty elephants living in the park.
In addition to providing a natural environment for elephants, the refuge also shelters dogs, cats, birds, buffaloes, and many other animals under the protection of its caretakers.
You can visit Elephant Nature Park as a guest or even volunteer there, allowing you to spend more time close to the animals.
You only need to read reviews from other travelers to be convinced to visit this elephant sanctuary.
What we like:
It is an incredible place to observe pachyderms in their natural environment. You can learn the individual history of each elephant, play with them, bathe with them, and feed them.
Packages offered:
Elephant Nature Park offers full-day excursions as well as two-day experiences with an overnight stay included.
These packages include all elephant activities, round-trip transportation from Chiang Mai, accommodation (if staying overnight), and meals.
Children under 11 benefit from a 50% discount on all prices.
Website: www.elephantnaturepark.org
Elephant sanctuary in Phuket, Thailand – Phuket Elephant Sanctuary
As its name suggests, Phuket Elephant Sanctuary is the first ethical elephant sanctuary in Phuket.
Opened in 2016, it serves as a refuge for retired, sick, injured, exhausted, or elderly elephants.
It is essentially a retirement home for elephants where they enjoy complete freedom.
Walk around, admire them, and feed them pineapples and bananas. Watch them roam freely through the sanctuary grounds, socialize with one another, and bathe in large freshwater pools while covering themselves with thick mud as they would in the wild.
If you plan to travel in southern Thailand, it is an excellent opportunity to see elephants without traveling to the north of the country.
What we like:
We particularly appreciate Phuket Elephant Sanctuary because it focuses on “at-risk” elephants that previously worked in tourism or logging.
The emphasis is truly on the elephants’ freedom, where visitors must adapt to their rhythm rather than the opposite.
Visiting this refuge is therefore an excellent way to directly support an organization fighting against cruelty toward elephants in Thailand.
Be careful not to confuse it with other elephant camps in Phuket that try to imitate the name Phuket Elephant Sanctuary to appear ethical.
Packages offered:
The sanctuary offers a half-day program including all elephant activities and a vegetarian lunch. Transportation is not included.
The full-day package includes two meals and round-trip transportation anywhere in the Phuket province.
Prices are reduced by 50% for children aged 4 to 12 and free for children under 4.
Website: www.phuketelephantsanctuary.org/en/
Here is a video of our latest visit to the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary, where you can observe one of the sanctuary’s elephants roaming freely in the jungle.
Elephant refuge in Phetchaburi, Thailand – Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT)
The WFFT (Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand) is not only an elephant sanctuary. It is primarily a rescue center helping many types of animals.
The center is built on land belonging to the Khao Luk Chang temple, about thirty kilometers from the city of Cha-am in Phetchaburi province.
WFFT has several missions: rescuing abused wild animals, providing a sanctuary for sick and disabled animals, rehabilitating and releasing them whenever possible, and caring for those that cannot return to the wild.
The foundation is open to visitors, allowing you to interact with a wide variety of rehabilitated animals—from monkeys and bears to reptiles, birds, and elephants.
Although it cares for many species, the foundation also serves as an elephant refuge in Thailand and is an excellent place to see well-treated elephants living in a natural habitat.
Currently, the refuge cares for around thirty elephants that were previously mistreated, offering them a dignified retirement.
What we like:
WFFT also seeks to educate the public about animal cruelty and discourage the use of animals for entertainment.
It is therefore an excellent option for anyone sensitive to animal welfare issues.
Packages offered:
WFFT offers full-day visits, half-day visits, and volunteer opportunities lasting one week. These include meals and activities for the day.
Phetchaburi is about three hours from Bangkok, so you will need to organize your transportation. As a travel agency in Thailand, Asiajet.com can arrange this for you.
The foundation can also arrange transportation for an additional fee.
Website: www.thaielephantrefuge.org
Elephant sanctuary in Khao Sok, Thailand – Elephant Hills
On the edge of Khao Sok National Park lies the luxurious elephant sanctuary known as Elephant Hills, which also operates as a hotel.
Elephant Hills shelters Asian elephants that previously suffered abuse and inhumane treatment. The refuge follows a strict no-riding policy, allowing elephants to roam freely and live as happily as possible.
The site offers a “glamping” experience—luxury camping with comfortable tents in the heart of the jungle. Elephant Hills aims to recreate the atmosphere of an African wildlife reserve combined with Thailand’s tropical forest.
However, the best part of Elephant Hills is not the comfortable tents but the opportunity to spend several days with elephants.
At first glance, luxury accommodation combined with an ethical elephant refuge may seem unusual.
Yet the place offers visitors an immersive jungle experience close to elephants and nature—their original home.
You will have the opportunity to bathe, feed, and walk with these majestic giants.
What we like:
Since early 2017, it has been one of the very few elephant parks in Southeast Asia free of chains. It is also one of the most awarded sanctuaries in Thailand for animal welfare.
Since 2014, Elephant Hills has won the “Thailand Green Excellence Awards” every year for animal protection, awarded by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
This reassuring recognition allows us to classify it as one of the most ethical elephant sanctuaries in Thailand.
Packages offered:
Several packages ranging from two to four days are available.
All packages include accommodation, meals, activities included in the selected package, an English-speaking certified guide, drinking water throughout the site, and transfers from and to Phuket, Krabi, Khao Lak, Surat Thani, and even Koh Samui.
Website: https://www.elephanthills.com/
Here is a short video illustrating what awaits you at the elephant sanctuary of Khao Sok.
Elephant sanctuary in Sukhothai, Thailand – Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary (BLES)
Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary (BLES) is a safe and natural refuge for Thai elephants.
Located in the village of Baan Tuek in Sukhothai province, the sanctuary cares for rescued and retired elephants, allowing them to live freely on nearly 250 hectares of forest land.
One of the most interesting aspects of BLES is that it is not simply a day trip—it is a 24-hour experience with an overnight stay included.
The sanctuary offers a homestay-style experience where visitors become residents of the refuge.
You live and spend time with rescued elephants in rehabilitation and are encouraged to help care for them and maintain their facilities.
You share all aspects of an elephant’s life—preparing food, feeding them, and cleaning—while respecting their natural behavior.
It is an incredible opportunity to see behind the scenes of an elephant sanctuary in Thailand.
As the refuge itself says: there are no shows—just elephants.
What we like:
As a non-profit organization, BLES relies entirely on funds generated by visitors and donations from individuals, foundations, and agencies.
100% of the money received is reinvested in helping the elephants and other animals at the sanctuary.
BLES is also deeply involved in the life of the local village community.
Packages offered:
Stays are overnight only. There are no half-day or full-day visits—you become a resident of the sanctuary, which is part of its philosophy.
The stay includes all meals, non-alcoholic drinks, accommodation, laundry, elephant-related activities, and round-trip transportation from Sukhothai airport or the city of Uttaradit (which has a train and bus station).
Website: www.blesele.org
Burm and Emily’s Elephant Sanctuary (BEES) in Mae Chaem, Thailand
Burm and Emily’s Elephant Sanctuary (BEES) is one of the most unique sanctuaries on this list.
Founded in 2011 by Burm, a Thai native from Mae Chaem, and his foreign wife Emily, the refuge is located in the rural district of Mae Chaem southwest of Chiang Mai.
The sanctuary serves as a retirement home for elderly, injured, and retired elephants. It allows them to live peacefully in their natural habitat as wild elephants would.
What we like:
There are no half-day or full-day visits here. You must volunteer to visit Burm and Emily’s sanctuary.
This makes the experience even more immersive, allowing you to meet wonderful people, support the local community on various projects, and help elephants rescued from tourism and logging industries.
A truly humanitarian experience.
Packages offered:
Their main volunteer program usually lasts one week from Monday to Sunday. However, you can volunteer for at least two days and one night, or even up to a month for long-term travelers.
For pricing, you will need to contact the BEES sanctuary directly as costs depend on the available accommodation in the village.
Website: www.bees-elesanctuary.org
Conclusion: where and how to see elephants in Thailand?
Of course, the list of ethical elephant sanctuaries and refuges in Thailand does not stop here.
You will certainly find other places that treat elephants well and rescue them from terrible conditions.
However, be cautious: many camps in Thailand have understood the growing interest tourists have in animal protection and sometimes pretend to be ethical elephant sanctuaries.
A good rule to follow is to avoid any sanctuary offering elephant rides, which goes against the principle of respecting animals. Proper research is essential.
If you know other elephant sanctuaries or refuges in Thailand that deserve to be on this list, feel free to recommend them in the comments so we can add them!
