What ethical elephant encounters look like in Thailand

Seeing these beloved creatures in Thailand can be tricky. In times past, encounters were focused on money making animal ‘shows’ and not necessarily on the conservation and protection of these great giants. The balance is shifting though, and you can do it right, but it’s still easy to be misguided into booking nonethical experiences. Research and knowledge are key; ensure your clients are informed and they’ll be forever grateful. Before my trip, I spent hours reading up on the options, sifting through to find truly humane and non-exploitative rehabilitation centres.

PES houses sick, old and overworked elephants, some of which have been abused at the hands of the tourism and logging industries. Leading the way in correctly treating and rehabilitating retired and injured elephants, visitors can pick experiences ranging from 90-minute tours to multi-day volunteering programmes that immerse them in sanctuary life.

Travellers can’t touch or bathe the elephants at PES. At the time of my visit, guests could still feed them, but as of April this year that has been stopped to make it an entirely hands-off encounter. 

Memories made

With a four-year-old and an almost one-year-old in tow, we opt for a short tour and take the canopy walkway (the longest in Thailand) to watch these epic animals from above. We see them graze on almost everything in their sights, bathe in freshwater lagoons, cover themselves in mud and communicate with one another.

Set on 30 acres of lush jungle neighbouring the Khao Phra Thaeo National Park, the 500-metre observation walkway allows for the mammals to roam freely without disturbance. The grounds are also home to Phuket’s first elephant hospital, which opened in March 2025 to provide full-time veterinary care to PES elephants and others across southern Thailand.

Each of the elephants has been named after a flower, while some also have playful nicknames, such as 53-year old Drama Queen (also named Cattleya) who apparently wholeheartedly deserves her moniker. She’s never far from her best friend Bossy Girl. The elephants range in age from mid-40s through to the oldest resident, 73-year old Sunflower, who is “a cheeky lady” according to KT. He tells my son Theo that Sunflower gets grumpy when she isn’t fed quickly enough.

Each elephant comes here after PES has paid for its freedom, offering owners up to 500,000 baht (£11,500) per animal. Many of them are blind or suffer with cataracts, and all arrive shy and nervous. “It takes time for them to build their confidence, but they’re all very happy to be here,” KT says. “They quickly love their new home, and we see their characters and personalities shine.”

The elephants’ joy at being at PES is abundantly clear. Their ears flap and their tails swing rhythmically from side to side as they munch on vegetation, as well as watermelons, bananas and cucumbers.

After strolling the length of the canopy, we’re able to walk among the elephants on the ground – a magical experience that still ensures the animals aren’t compromised. Close enough to see the detail of their thick wrinkly skin, we watch in awe as they stomp around.

Our experience ends with feeding these giant beauties. We hold out bananas and wait for their trunks to snuffle them away. Theo squeals with excitement, completely awestruck by these epic animals. He turns to me and says: “This day has been magic, mummy.”

Four months after our trip, Theo still regularly talks about our elephant experience. It appears to have had a profound effect and has led him to ask questions on the treatment of animals on holiday and how he can help when he’s bigger. It’s conversations like these and the conservation work by organisations such as PES that will hopefully have a wondrous effect on our planet.

A 90-minute encounter not only opened Theo’s eyes to the value of being a conscious traveller, but it also reinforced to me how important it is to pick the right tourism options for my family in the future.

Book it: Experiences lead in at £60 for the shortest Canopy Walkway Tour, with hotel transfers, snacks and drinks included.
phuketelephantsanctuary.org