한국어
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Pattaya
A Perfect Pattaya Tour for Families with Kids
MAY 2024
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Pattaya
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary pattaya is a refuge for elephants rescued from abuse or challenging conditions in the wild. With locations all across Thailand, it’s an incredible place to visit, especially for families. Since we were staying in Pattaya, we decided to check out the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary there.
If you’re planning a family-friendly activity, especially with kids, this tour is an absolute must! Liam had been going on and on about wanting to see elephants, so I started looking into options. When I found this tour, where you can see elephants up close, feed them, and even touch them, I knew it would be something special—and it didn’t disappoint.
Liam had the best time! Even now, he occasionally brings up moments from that day, which tells me just how much it meant to him.
How to Book and Get There
To book a visit to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary in Pattaya, it’s best to make your reservation online at least a day or two in advance. There are several websites where you can book, so it’s a good idea to compare prices and choose the most affordable option.
We had to keep a close eye on the weather during our trip because it was forecasted to rain throughout the week. We couldn’t book the tour too far in advance because of the uncertainty with the weather. After all, we had Liam with us, and if it rained on the day of the tour, that would’ve been a disaster! 😅
So, we kept checking the weather every day and made the booking only when we were sure there wouldn’t be any rain. It was a bit of a gamble, but we made it work!
How We Booked Our Tour
While it’s convenient to compare prices online and book in advance, we ended up booking our Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Pattaya tour last minute. We went to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Pattaya office in Pattaya City on the morning of the tour and booked the tour for that afternoon!
Since the tours can vary by location, it’s a good idea to check the official website and select the right one for you.
Official Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Website
The tour we booked was the Feed Me Experience, which focuses only on feeding the elephants. Many people opt for a half-day tour where you also bathe the elephants and interact with them, but since we had young Liam with us and the weather was pretty hot, we weren’t sure if a half-day tour would be suitable. So, we chose the one-hour feeding experience instead.
Feed Me Experience Tour
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Pattaya: Feed Me Experience
Price: 690 Baht (Same for adults and children)
Note: Pickup and drop-off from your accommodation are not included.
We had a rental car, so getting there wasn’t an issue for us. But if you’re taking a taxi, it might be a good idea to ask the driver to wait for you until the tour ends. The sanctuary is in a pretty remote area, so catching a taxi on the way back could be tricky.
Tour Details
At Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Pattaya, each person is given a bucket filled with cucumbers, bananas, and pineapples to feed the elephants. The guide provides a brief explanation about the sanctuary and its efforts to protect the elephants. You spend about 30 minutes feeding the elephants, and then the rest of the time is spent making paper from elephant dung—an activity that’s both fun and educational.
It’s a perfect program, especially for young children!
Each group has its own guide, and the guide assigned to our family was a young man who was very enthusiastic. He explained the names and histories of each elephant in detail and made sure Liam had plenty of opportunities to bond with the elephants and get involved in the experience. (From what I could see, the experience really depends on the guide, so there might be some variation.)
He was so kind, walking around with Liam, showing him the elephants, and making sure Liam had the chance to touch them. We were really grateful for how much he helped make the experience special for Liam. ^^
We were a group of three, so we had three buckets full of elephant snacks, but Liam ended up feeding almost all of them. He was absolutely thrilled—it was such a joy to watch!
There are a few rules to follow when spending time with the elephants, like not turning your back on them and not teasing them by pretending to give them food. However, these two rules were a bit tricky for Liam to follow.
The elephants are well-trained, and we had a guide with us, so it was safe, but I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous since Liam struggled with both rules. ^^
After feeding the elephants, we had some extra time before making elephant dung paper, so we wandered around and enjoyed more time with the elephants.
The elephants roam freely across the wide open field, and since the guide is always with us, we felt completely safe. It was such a peaceful and beautiful experience watching them in their natural habitat.
One of the staff was spraying water on an elephant to help cool it down, and our guide told us to follow him. He handed Liam the hose so he could try spraying water on the elephant, which was such a fun experience! It was amazing to watch—the elephant seemed to know exactly when it had enough, and once it did, it just moved away from the spot on its own. It was such a cool moment!
After about 15 minutes of making the paper, the tour came to an end. Our guide, who had been explaining everything nonstop for the entire hour (I totally forgot his name…), was incredibly kind and helpful. We were really grateful for his attention and care throughout the tour!
End of the tour
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Pattaya tour is definitely something I’d love to do every time I visit Thailand! If you’re traveling with kids, while water activities are great, this kind of experience will leave lasting memories for years to come.
파타야 센터 포인트 프라임 호텔(Centre Point Prime Hotel Pattaya) – 4살 아이와함께 10박 11일 태국여행
