Krabi Elephant Sanctuary: Best Elephant Experience in Krabi
You want to spend an unforgetable day with elephants in Krabi? In search of a peaceful and ethical Elephant Camp which says no to elephant riding, we finally found the Krabi Elephant Sanctuary. It’s a place where former work elephants get the chance to live in a safe and animal-friendly environment, far away from abuse and violence. Here, visitors have the possibility to interact, feed and bathe with these beautiful animals and at the same time support this amazing project.
On our latest trip to Krabi we had visited the Krabi Elephant Sanctuary, the new home of the rescued elephants. In this blog post you are going to read more about what you can expect from a visit to this beautiful Elephant Camp in Krabi.
Visit to Krabi Elephant Sanctuary
Really on time, we got a pick-up from our hotel in Krabi and arrived after about 50 minutes at the Krabi Elephant Sanctuary. Straight away we felt very comfortable and the elephants seemed to be in a good condition. At the beginning we received lots of information about the plight of Thai working elephants and the terrible agony of elephant riding. At the end of the article you will find an interesting link to this topic.
After, fitted with bananas, cucumbers and homemade protein food, visitors are going to have their first contact with the pachyderms. To start with, we have to say that we had lots of time for each program point. All activities were really quiet and nice. Most important, you will have the opportunity to observe the behaviour of the elephants and to get know their character. The feeding time is a wonderful ceremony where the first exciting get-together takes place.
After that, we had a short walk with the elephants to a mud pit. Even when walking we noticed right away, the animals are forced to nothing. The elephants set the pace. As they feel like tramping, they trudge in the direction of mud bath, one faster, the other with several breaks. Bathing in mud is a kind of cosmetic treatment for these animals and a lot of fun too. They like to spray themselves (and visitors) with their proboscis, protecting their sensitive skin from heat and annoying parasites. These lovely elephants really enjoy their mud bath and also some of the visitors joined them.
Totally dirty and muddy, the elephants and the visitors wanted to cleanse. And believe us, there is nothing better than to take a bath with elephants – an unforgettable experience. Everybody had fun brushing and washing the elephants und also the elephants enjoyed the wash cycle. For sure, you never will get used to being that close to these impressive animals.
Conclusion
Getting that close to elephants, feeding, caressing, waching and bathing them was a special and memorable experience of our Thailand trip. Especially, it was nice to see that the elephants of the Krabi Elephant Sanctuary are doing well and that they are treated so well. The proceeds benefit this great project and help these animals to live a species-appropriate life. Maybe the ticket price with 2,500 Baht is not that cheap, but besides the personal experience you also support a good thing and that should count too. Right at the beginning, the visitors are also told what an elephant rescue, admission, care and food costs and that the entrance must cover the immense expenses.
Elephants have been an important part of the Thai culture for centuries. For many it would be desirable that Thailand’s elephants are no longer abused for elephant riding. They should be treated with love and respect and this can happen, if tourist avoid activities like elephant riding. The topic of elephant riding. An interesting contribution has written our colleague Barbara in her article about elephant riding in Thailand – Yes or No, where she shares amazing insights of her own experiences.
Opening Hours
Visits to the Krabi Elephant Sanctuary are offered twice daily. There is a morning and an afternoon visit. The first one starts with a hotel pickup at 7:00 am and ends at 12:00 noon. At the second appointment you can experience the elephants from 13:00 – 18:00 clock.
Prices
The cost for visiting the Krabi Elephant Sanctuary is 2,500 baht per person. Included are, the transfer (from / to the hotel), water and fresh fruits, accident insurance, English speaking guide and food for the elephants.
Booking & How to get there
Getting from Bangkok to Krabi is comfortable by taking a flight. Tickets for flights can be easily found at Skyscanner or Kiwi. Another possiblity is going to Krabi by night bus, tickets can be booked at 12go.asia.
The booking of the tour can be made directly on the homepage, but is also offered in some hotels or travel agencies in the Krabi region. In any case, you will be picked up directly from your hotel.
Contact details
Email: krabielephantsanctuary@gmail.com
Address: Krabi Elephant Sanctuary 83/13 Moo 4T. Ao Loek Tai A.Ao
Where to stay
A visit to Krabi Elephant Sanctuary is best to be organized from Ao Nang Beach or Klong Muang Beach. We especially liked the quiet and beautiful , but also Ao Nang is recommended. As mentioned above in these holiday regions the pickup is included in the price. We have put together a selection of the best places to stay.
- Ao Nang: A popular vacation spot and a good starting point for exploring the Krabi area. Here you will find a huge selection of accommodation. Especially nice and with a good price is the Holiday Inn Resort Krabi. This chic hotel is located directly on the white sandy beach of Ao Nang. Backpackers on the other hand love the TAN Hostel x Cafe – cozy ambience, comfortable beds and delicious breakfast, what more could you ask for.
- Klong Muang: A really quiet resort in Krabi. Perfect if you are looking for recreation. In addition, Klong Muang is a great base for exploring the Krabi area. Recommended is the Krabilife Resort – a small family hotel with only a few rooms. As a cheap alternative, the Reset Hostel offers very clean rooms, nice location and unbelievably good value for money.
Check out where to stay in Krabi for more information about the best hotels and accommodations in Krabi Province.
Other recommended Elephant Sanctuaries in Thailand
Find the best Acommodationi Krabi:
More about the Krabi Provinz:
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20 Best things to do in Krabi
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Where to stay in Krabi: Best Hotels, Areas & Beaches
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Krabi 4 Islands Tour: A Perfect Boat Trip in Krabi
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Thailand Island Hopping: Krabi to Ko Lipe (Route & Tips)
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Krabi Tours: 10 best Day Trips & Excursions
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Hong Island – An unforgetable day tour from Krabi
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Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Sua) in Krabi
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Emerald Pool Krabi: Visiting the Emerald & Blue Pool
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Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. Meaning that if you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
10 Comments
We’ve never been to Thailand, but when we do, we’d love to tour the Krabi Elephant Sanctuary! So many tourists go to Southeast Asia to ride on elephants… the poor animals are often treated so badly! Visiting an elephant sanctuary however is a way better experience! And taking a bath with these lovely animals must be unique! Thanks for sharing the opening hours and prices too!
Oh my gosh! My husband and I went to Krabi Elephant Sanctuary in October! It seems like you had a great time just like us! I agree that it was hard to find an ethical elephant sanctuary in the area but we’re glad we found this one. They’re new but they seemed to be trying hard to get everything great for the elephants.
This sounds like such a wonderful experience. I would love to be able to pet and have fun in the water with an elephant. They are such beautiful creatures. Also happy to see that this is a sanctuary for elephants 🙂
THIS is what I’ve been looking for! I want to spend some time with Elephants humanely and bathing them is one of the things I wanted to do most. Back when I was in Thailand, I wasn’t in Krabi but couldn’t find something like this. It’s amazing that the elephants get to set the pace and dictate what happens. Yay for them! It looks like you are basically in the wild there and I love that!
What an incredible experience! Elephants are such beautiful creatures and it must be amazing to be so up close and personal to them whilst knowing you are behaving responsibly and contributing to their wellbeing. Great post and great info!
I love the idea of a sanctuary that bans elephant riding, and allows humans to interact with the elephants in a safe and controlled environment. And I love the idea of bathing them … I so want to do that.
Paying $80 is not expensive when you factor in that they are caring for the elephants in the best possible way, and you get transfers to and from your hotel, food and an English guide. I love elephants and this looks like a great choice for interacting with them in an ethical way.
Wow, what an incredible experience. I never thought of such an activity. Definitely added to my bucket list!
I would absolutely love to have a once in a lifetime experience like this. The chance to actually meet with the elephants, pet them, bath with them … it’s amazing. There’s so much more to meeting these beautiful animals than riding them. To see them enjoy their own environment would be so awesome.
I am so pleased that you wrote a post about this sanctuary. Elephant rides are so a horrible thing and this place looks so natural and real. Your pictures are so cool too, looks like a once in a lifetime opportunity!