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Half Day Elephant Home Sanctuary in Samui

Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Koh Samui, Thailand
Popular pick
Booked 10+ times last week!
  • 4 hours (approx.)
  • Pickup offered
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.9
·
· Keith_D ·
Mar 2026
A fantastic experience, very well organized, the Elephants are so well treated. It was so much fun making the food for the elephants and then feeding them. Very efficient staff, wonderful Thai Lunch. All in all a most enjoyable day.
· Glen_R ·
Jan 2026
This was a fabulous experience. Throughout the whole time you move from activity to activity, alternating from learning about the elephants to engaging with them. Their focus on respect for the elephants and animal welfare carries throughout. The guides are friendly and you feel the animals are respected. They also take great care of you as a guest. Would highly recommend for an authentic and respectful experience.

Overview

Get acquainted with the elephants of Samui during this half-day sanctuary tour. A local haven, this sanctuary is a place where anyone can come and see elephants freely roaming in the jungle. Immerse yourself in their history and learn how to care for these large creatures alongside your passionate instructors. Plus, you can feel good patronizing a venue that helps to nurture and protect Asian elephants.
  • Observe as the elephants roam freely in the jungle in the local sanctuary
  • Learn the history of the elephants and how to take care of them
  • Have some vegetarian set of food after exploring the sanctuary with a guide
  • Roundtrip transportation to and from hotel in an air-conditioned vehicle

What's Included

  • Roundtrip transfer from the hotel
  • English speaking guide
  • Full insurance
  • Welcome drink
  • Vegetarian food after the program

    Meeting and Pickup

    You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

    Pickup points

    Select a pickup point

    Pickup details

    Hotel pick up time depend on the hotel location: Maenam & Bophut: Morning session (7.45-8.00 am) / Afternoon session (12.45-13.00 pm) Bang rak & Chong Mon: Morning session (7.45-8.00 am) / Afternoon session (12.45-13.00 pm) Chaweng & Nathon: Morning session (8.00-8.15 am) / Afternoon session (13.00-13.15 pm) Lamai & Lipa Noi: Morning session (8.15-8.30 am) / Afternoon session (13.15-13.30 pm) We recommend for everyone to waiting us at the lobby of the hotel around 15 minutes during the pick up time at the hotel.

    or

    Meeting point

    • Samui Elephant Home
      11, Tambon Na Mueang, Amphoe Ko Samui, Chang Wat Surat Thani 84140, Thailand

    End point

    This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    What To Expect

    1

    Ko Samui

    Additional Info

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Most travelers can participate
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

    Cancellation Policy

    You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

    Traveler Photos

    Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
    Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
    Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
    Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
    Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

    Featured review

    Lindsay_W
    One of the best experiences of my life! As other reviews have said, the team showed so much care to the elephants as well as the guests and it was such a fun afternoon. Highly recommend for any animal lover to book this tour if they have the chance

    Reviews

    4.9
    based on 703 reviews
    Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

    Great experience!

    Paulina_R, Mar 2026
    It was a great experience feeding the elephants and watching them free. I hope the rescue Center can continue rescuing more elephants.

    For the love of elephants

    Richard_S, Mar 2026
    This was a wonderful experience. The facility was well run, the staff was efficient and friendly and the elephants were treated with love and respect. We had lots of opportunities to observe and interact with the elephants and extra activities like preparing snacks for them and hosing them down. The lunch was delicious and the video is very much appreciated. This tour exceeded all our expectations. Thank you for a wonderful time!

    Great Day

    Keith_D, Mar 2026
    A fantastic experience, very well organized, the Elephants are so well treated. It was so much fun making the food for the elephants and then feeding them. Very efficient staff, wonderful Thai Lunch. All in all a most enjoyable day.

    Great Elephant Tour

    Jennifer_S, Mar 2026
    This was a great way to see and interact with the elephants. Staff was amazing. Learned alot about elephants

    The Elephant Home in Ko...

    Michael_M, Mar 2026
    The Elephant Home in Ko Samui is wonderful place to visit. All of the elephants have been rescued and receive the best of care. Each has its own caregiver. This is a truly remarkable rescue facility and I learned so much about the plight of many elephants.

    This is how to see elephants up close!

    Timothy_H, Mar 2026
    This sanctuary takes very good of orphaned elephants. It was such a joy to interact with and see them in as natural habits possible. The staff is very efficient, lunch was great and the elephants were perfect!

    Where else can you get this close to majestic elephants?

    Alan_M, Mar 2026
    What an amazing experience we had at the elephant home sanctuary. We were warmly greeted and given information on the rescued elephants with an explanation of each of their histories. We got up close to the elephants when we fed them food treats we had prepared and also in the plantation where they roam freely. All the while a video of our visit was being made and there were plenty of photo opportunities with the elephants. It’s clear that the staff running the sanctuary really have the best interests of the elephants at heart. A vegetarian lunch and drinks were provided to round off a really fantastic visit. Not to be missed.

    One of the best tours we've ever been on

    eierman, Mar 2026
    In 30+ years of traveling this is one of the best days we've ever enjoyed. A chance to truly interact with the elephants amongst a team of incredibly high energy wonderful people. You must must must go on this trip.

    Fantastic excursion- a must do if you visit Koh Samui !

    MelWhicher, Mar 2026
    Wonderful experience from start to finish. You hear about the stories of the elephants they’ve saved and about their habits. Everything was superb- from making their supplementary food to feed to them, to the seed bombs to grow more food which you catapult into the jungle. Watch them wallow in the mud and take a bath then finish off with a bath. A delicious lunch rounded it off nicely. The staff were amazing and so passionate about the elephants- it was hands up a magical experience. Can’t recommend it more highly. A must do if you visit Koh Samui

    Amazing!!

    Sarah_B, Mar 2026
    Great day!!! The whole experience was fantastic with ani.al welfare at the heart of the experience. X

    One of the best...

    Lindsay_W, Feb 2026
    One of the best experiences of my life! As other reviews have said, the team showed so much care to the elephants as well as the guests and it was such a fun afternoon. Highly recommend for any animal lover to book this tour if they have the chance

    Great elephant experience

    Bruce_P, Jan 2026
    A great team of enthusiasts people provided a good understanding of each elephant and where it had been rescued from. The elephant feeding experience is great where you get to meet them up close before following them out in the local environment. The food was also great and plenty of drinks provided.

    Up close & personal visit with rescue elephants

    Albert_L, Jan 2026
    The staff are very knowledgeable and helpful. This tour was the highlight of our trip. Hearing the back story of the rescue elephants created a greater sense of connection.

    Excellent experience, and the love for the elephants was heartwarming.

    Kelly_M, Jan 2026
    If you care about elephants and want them to be cared for rather than exploited, this is the tour for you. I could spend a lot of words describing the enjoyable experiences like feeding and bathing elephants, or seeing them just living in a natural environment. However, the best part of the tour was seeing the love for and the joy of caring for the elephants in all of the Samui Elephant Home personnel, from the leadership through the staff, caretakers and volunteers. It was inspiring. (But seriously, feeding the elephants was very cool!!) This is a great tour and so worth your time.

    Great excursion!

    Glen_R, Jan 2026
    This was a fabulous experience. Throughout the whole time you move from activity to activity, alternating from learning about the elephants to engaging with them. Their focus on respect for the elephants and animal welfare carries throughout. The guides are friendly and you feel the animals are respected. They also take great care of you as a guest. Would highly recommend for an authentic and respectful experience.

    Couldn’t recommend this tour enough.

    Samantha_C, Nov 2025
    This tour was perfect in every way. Firstly, they were very accommodating and kindly accommodated us changing our booking due to food poisoning. On the day itself the experience was insane - we made the elephants food, learned about their back stories, fed them, saw them out in 14 acres of land where they’re free to wonder and then helped hose them down. It was beautiful seeing these magnificent animals rescued and respect and admired how much the sanctuary deeply cared for the elephants. We could only touch them when feeding them and they made it very clear you do not play with their food or tease the elephants. They also have 24hr care for the elephants and only bring the elephants for feeding if they’re in the mood that day - it’s all clearly with the welfare of the elephants in mind and we loved that.

    Samui Elephant Home is a heartwarming experience

    maryross2, Nov 2025
    We visited Ko Samui on a cruise and we booked this tour last minute. It was such a great experience and one of our favorite memories from Thailand. There are a number of Elephant Rescue programs in Thailand which is commendable. It was educational and heart warming. You have the opportunity to make elephant appetizers, feed the elephants, walk with them in the fields, practice a little sling shot, bathe the elephants and have lunch. The team at Samui Elephant Home is gracious, kind and very loving to their nine elephants. It's a wholesome, informative experience in Thailand. It was definitely a highlight on our tour of Southeast Asia.

    Fantastic experience and...

    Debbie_S, Nov 2025
    Fantastic experience and elephants beautifully cared for. Learnt lots and staff keen to share. Would recommend.

    A memorable afternoon

    Ross_W, Nov 2025
    We spent a magical afternoon with the elephants and wonderful staff. A must see trip. It was a real treat to understand and learn about the elephants.

    Amazing day with elephants

    Dean_S, Oct 2025
    The day flew by! We learned so much about elephants and all the activities with them were great. The staff was very kind, educational and so caring for the elephants. The food was also delicious!

    Great experience

    Joseph_R, Oct 2025
    I did this experience as a family with 2 girls 9 and 12 and absolutely loved it. The staff where super friendly and answered all my kids questions with a smile, the activities where great and the interactions with the elephants left ever lasting memories. Cannot recommend this enough!!

    Wonderful Elephants

    Jolie_B, Sep 2025
    Wonderful experience! It was great, seeing the elephants in their jungle area, as well as feeding them. They seemed very well taken care of and happy.

    An Experience Not To Be Missed

    JuneFeroze_P, Sep 2025
    Very informative Guides very very good Value for money for sure Highly Recommended & kids will have lots of fun too

    Lovely Elephants but Facilities Could be Better

    Orlaith_R, Sep 2025
    A wonderful experience seeing the elephants and they appear to be very well cared for, with limited interaction by visitors. However the day we visited it was extremely hot out and a lot of people had to abandon the outing and return to the main reception area. There’s no indoor area to cool down and it was very difficult to cope with the heat. There are some fans but up high and they don’t offer much relief.

    Amazing Elephant Tour

    Scott, Aug 2025
    Awesome tour. Well worth the money. Staff were amazing and food was lovely. Highly recommended! Great value

    Amazing interactions with elephants in natural surroundings

    rinawelles, Jul 2025
    We loved our unique and special time in the elephant sanctuary learning about and interacting with multiple very well taken care of elephants. The guides were fun and did a great job coordinating our interactions feeding, walking with and watching bathing elephants. We even got to make elephant food and sling shoot treats into the bush the elephants could enjoy on walks in the beautiful surroundings. We loved how the guides personalized each elephant story! Highly recommend and would definitely repeat this experience.

    Fabulous half day at best elephant sanctuary

    Ewa_t, Jul 2025
    Fantastic day ! We learnt so much and really enjoyed interacting with the elephants! Staff were so lovely ! So glad we picked this activity !

    Must do in Samui

    Natalie_X, Jun 2025
    We had the most amazing experience. Very well organised tour. We loved getting close to the elephants. The staff were all brilliant.

    This was such an amazing...

    Alexa_S, May 2025
    This was such an amazing experience on our honeymoon, feeding the elephant was the highlight of our day.

    Get up close with elephants

    Vanessa_K, Apr 2025
    Fantastic! Got a quick history of the place before we prepared the food for feeding the elephants. Then moved to feeding them what we’d made, as well as other items the staff provided. Then went for a walk to see them roaming around free. Plenty of opportunities to touch and be close to the chants, followed by a good lunch. Great experience!

    From $96.02

    per person

    up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

    Book ahead!
    On average, this is booked 24 days in advance.

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