A beautiful afternoon with our elephants
Overview
Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
We offer a natural experience with elephants. We put the welfare of our elephants as number 1. We have social herds that spend the day with each other and we get to be a part of that.
Our elephant handlers give our ladies space and freedom to behave like elephants with as much natural behavior and play as possible. A truely genuine sanctuary for elephants. No touching, no bathing, no riding, just happy elephants.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Hidden Forest Elephant Reserve
We offer a peaceful tour of our forest land. Observe our elephants as they go about the day socialising with each other, playing in the mud or grazing in the forest. An incredibly informative and genuine experience with elephants. No cooking, no gimmicks, just 100% elephant time.
What‘s Included
Admission fee
A beautiful Thai Buffet overlooking our elephants and ponds.
This is a 'No Transport' option and is reflected in the price. You must organise your own transport to us
We are a no alcohol and no Soda environment
Options
A beautiful afternoon with our elephants
Reviews
39 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Amazing experience and wonderful staff
Nicky M,Apr 16, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Amazing day seeing these majestic animals who are free to roam and are cared for so beautifully having been rescued from very hard lives.
Truly ethical and wonderful elephant sanctuary
Riccettiagar,Apr 15, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We travelled from the north of phuket to go to this elephant sanctuary and we are so glad we did. We have been to other elephant sanctuaries before which have not been very nice but I can confirm this one is super ethical. They absolutely look after their wonderful elephants that they have rescued from logging, elephant rides and other cruelty. No chains only care and love. You can't ride them or wash them and quite rightly so, that is not fair to elephants. Instead you get to feed them a few bananas and watch them in all their glory being happy and looked after elephants. The staff genuinely care about their animals. Our kids loved it and we would highly recommend visiting this sanctuary in the knowledge it is truly ethical. Also the lunch we were served was delicious. Thanks so much for a wonderful morning, we loved it. Xxx
Heart full. Peaceful afternoon wandering around with these graceful creatures
Jill P,Apr 10, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I researched a lot of so called elephant "sanctuaries" in Phuket when deciding where to take our 8 year old. We wanted her to understand how important it was to chose an animal experience that actually benefited the animals. That is why we visited this beautiful sanctuary. There was no doubt that the staff and owners truly respect their role of the rehabilitation of these beautiful creatures. The tour was amazing and staff were incredibly helpful. The buffet meal was delicious too! We booked private transport (through the website) for convenience. It was all very seamless. This sanctuary does not do bookings through third party agents as they want all proceeds returning to the care of the elephants. So kudos to them.
Rescued elephants living what remains of a previously exploited life
Simon189,Apr 9, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A truly amazing experience with rescued elephants in natural habitat living out what remains of a better life following one of exploitation
Such a beautiful experience
karinalizetteramos17,Apr 9, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Such a beautiful afternoon watching the elephants living their best life. Please only support sanctuaries that don’t allow riding or bathing !!! Hidden Forest really cares about these animals wellbeing and doing what is best for them instead of exploiting them !
Incredible ethical elephant sanctuary. A must see in Phuket
Travellingsav,Apr 2, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00ETHICAL ELEPHANT SANCTUARY! Our primary requirement for visiting a sanctuary in Phuket was to ensure that it was ethical. Hidden Forest Elephant Reserve is 100% ethical and there is no riding, bathing or touching here. Feeding is permitted and the team are extremely knowledgable about elephants and the animals are all clearly treated extremely well, have been rescued from dire circumstances and operate really as a reserve/sanctuary to support the elephants. I 100% recommend this particular sanctuary. It is run by a British lady named Louise who was on the tour with us. She is absolutely and completely invested in this project and knows each elephant well in terms of their personality and background. Louise and the team care deeply for all their animals. They have a wonderful setup with different stations, where you can feed the elephants, see them close up eating, breaking branches, bathing etc. they have a well thought through program with drawing/colouring for the kids as well as an incredible Thai lunch prepared by the Mahouts wife where you can sit and watch the elephants bathe in a completely natural environment. This is an absolute must see in Phuket.
Ignore the elephant rides, this is how a real elephant sanctuary should be
Marc D,Mar 31, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A wonderful trip to see elephants well looked after and cared for. Reject the elephant rides and bathing at other places, learn about how a real sanctuary should work. You can feed the elephants, but otherwise it's no contact. But you can see them up close and have a wonderful thai lunch while you watch them play in the water
100/10 Experience
DAV2933,Mar 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00As my 7 year old son says, 100/10 for Hidden Forest Elephant Reserve! We loved everything about it. They had beautiful elephants that we felt were very respected. We loved that we could feed them and watch them in their natural environment. It was very special to see Pearl enjoying her swim! Her trumpetings of joy were unforgettable. We highly recommend visiting this place especially. Oh and the food was very good too. 100/10!
Absolutely amazing
Shez971,Mar 19, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We did the afternoon tour yesterday. What a truly amazing place and what a fantastic job all the staff are doing to ensure the rescued elephants are living their best lives now. Thoroughly enjoyed this experience and the elephants are happy and well cared for. I only wanted to visit an ethical sanctuary and I found that here. Plus the buffet food was the best we have had in a trip. Brilliant.
A truly memorable experience
BabsBeveridge,Mar 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This is an ethical elephant experience, all of whom have been rescued, with passionate guides and a fabulous opportunity to be near these magnificent animals without significantly interfering with their normal activities or causing them stress. It was beautiful to see and very educational. The vegetarian buffet was excellent and very tasty as a bonus. Would highly recommend this as a wonderful way to see these elephants.
From THB 2,700.00
Want a private experience? Upgrade to a private tour
Related Experiences
Operated by Hidden Forest Elephant Reserve