Elephant Ride in Phuket - Elephant Trekking
I've never actually done an elephant ride. Might take the kids one day, I am sure we'd all enjoy it. There are elephant trekking places all over Phuket. Some are close to the main beaches, others get a bit more off the beaten track (better in my opinion, I don't want to be trekking with a view of Patong or within earshot of a busy road!). And it's good business for sure, riding an elephant is on many tourists "must do" list. My parents have been over here visiting a number of times, and it was on their 2nd visit in 2004 that they went off for an elephant ride. I asked mum to write about the experience.. although it was over 5 years ago now and she's forgotten a couple of things - can't remember exactly where the place was, but it was between Kata and Naiharn... and she's not sure of the price they paid, but said she did bargain a bit and the price seemed quite reasonable for a new and unique experience.
Some people are against using elephants in this way and say the animals are not treated well. My parents experience was only positive, but just last week there was an incident in Phuket where an elephant went wild, a couple of tourists were injured and the elephant threw a car down a hill. That is of course a very rare occurrence - I've never heard of such a problem before in Phuket, but remember that elephants are wild animals no matter how many years they have been working with people. If you want to book an elephant ride or any other tour, contact my friends at Easy Day Thailand.
OK, here it is - Our Elephant Experience in Phuket by Paula Monk.
When I was a child I would look through my books and see pictures of far away, wonderful lands. I was fascinated, but in the 1950s, growing up in post war Britain, it didn't seem possible that I would ever see any of those places for myself. I was filled with wonder at the sights of children riding on elephants and imagined how it would feel. That little dream lay dormant for almost a lifetime. The world has moved on during that life time and people travel far and wide – ordinary people like me.
Now we have family in Thailand (it was called Siam in my childhood) and on one of our visits I was determined to fulfil my childhood dream. I can't now tell you the name of the place where we went for our elephant ride. It was in the rural south of the island, in hilly terrain. I feel there couldn't have been a better place – the elephants were well looked after and so were we – my husband and I. The jungle was thick and lush and the views from the hill tops were superb.
We climbed up onto a platform of wood and bamboo to wait for our elephant and the young man who would guide us through our adventure. The back of the elephant was level with the platform and we climbed onto her back – I wish I could remember her name – and tried to get comfortable in the hard metal howdah. Even before we started to move we felt rather insecure, perched up there. It is high up and the seat is not strapped too tightly to the elephant.
Slowly we moved off. I was all grins and happiness! At first the ride seemed fairly smooth, but soon we were traversing the slopes of the jungle through narrow pathways. It was like a fair ground ride – I was thrilled and exited and scared stiff at the same time! Going down hill it almost felt like we would be lurched forward and roll over the beautiful elephants head! We hung on tight and enjoyed the thrill. Mostly our elephant strolled slowly along the familiar paths – sometimes she broke into almost a trot, accompanied by gasps and squeals from us.
Our elephant man started the ride sitting on the elephants head, between his ears.
Often we would stop completely when the elephant felt like a nibble at the trees – her trunk swinging to reach the tastiest bits. After a while our elephant man slipped down from the elephant and walked ahead. Oh my! Here we were, my beloved and I riding alone on an elephant though the jungle! Did I ever dream that I would be doing this? Soon our young guide came back and asked for my camera – a moderately simple digital camera. I wondered if he would know how to use it. But he was a superb photographer and we have a collection of fantastic photos of the pair of us on our elephant. The pictures definitely capture the excitement we were experiencing, far more than the fear.
Our ride lasted for a long time – about an hour we recall. As we realised we were coming to the end of the ride we became aware that we felt physically tired. It is hard work to keep the body stiff and alert and to be holding on tight. But above all, we felt exhilaration that in our 60s we had taken the chance to fulfil a dream.
We climbed from the back of our beautiful elephant onto the platform. The world seemed so still and at peace. We climbed down and gave her some bananas. Wow, she looked so big from ground level! Then she was led away for a rest and to wait for the next people to delight in the experience. We fed young elephants before we left and stroked their heads. It was a lovely place to be and has provided us with a treasured memory.
• More Things to Do in Phuket
• Phang Nga Bay Tour
• Phuket Gibbon Rehab Center
• Phuket Tours - Book Here
Some people are against using elephants in this way and say the animals are not treated well. My parents experience was only positive, but just last week there was an incident in Phuket where an elephant went wild, a couple of tourists were injured and the elephant threw a car down a hill. That is of course a very rare occurrence - I've never heard of such a problem before in Phuket, but remember that elephants are wild animals no matter how many years they have been working with people. If you want to book an elephant ride or any other tour, contact my friends at Easy Day Thailand.
OK, here it is - Our Elephant Experience in Phuket by Paula Monk.
When I was a child I would look through my books and see pictures of far away, wonderful lands. I was fascinated, but in the 1950s, growing up in post war Britain, it didn't seem possible that I would ever see any of those places for myself. I was filled with wonder at the sights of children riding on elephants and imagined how it would feel. That little dream lay dormant for almost a lifetime. The world has moved on during that life time and people travel far and wide – ordinary people like me.
Now we have family in Thailand (it was called Siam in my childhood) and on one of our visits I was determined to fulfil my childhood dream. I can't now tell you the name of the place where we went for our elephant ride. It was in the rural south of the island, in hilly terrain. I feel there couldn't have been a better place – the elephants were well looked after and so were we – my husband and I. The jungle was thick and lush and the views from the hill tops were superb.
We climbed up onto a platform of wood and bamboo to wait for our elephant and the young man who would guide us through our adventure. The back of the elephant was level with the platform and we climbed onto her back – I wish I could remember her name – and tried to get comfortable in the hard metal howdah. Even before we started to move we felt rather insecure, perched up there. It is high up and the seat is not strapped too tightly to the elephant.
Slowly we moved off. I was all grins and happiness! At first the ride seemed fairly smooth, but soon we were traversing the slopes of the jungle through narrow pathways. It was like a fair ground ride – I was thrilled and exited and scared stiff at the same time! Going down hill it almost felt like we would be lurched forward and roll over the beautiful elephants head! We hung on tight and enjoyed the thrill. Mostly our elephant strolled slowly along the familiar paths – sometimes she broke into almost a trot, accompanied by gasps and squeals from us.
Our elephant man started the ride sitting on the elephants head, between his ears.
Often we would stop completely when the elephant felt like a nibble at the trees – her trunk swinging to reach the tastiest bits. After a while our elephant man slipped down from the elephant and walked ahead. Oh my! Here we were, my beloved and I riding alone on an elephant though the jungle! Did I ever dream that I would be doing this? Soon our young guide came back and asked for my camera – a moderately simple digital camera. I wondered if he would know how to use it. But he was a superb photographer and we have a collection of fantastic photos of the pair of us on our elephant. The pictures definitely capture the excitement we were experiencing, far more than the fear.
Our ride lasted for a long time – about an hour we recall. As we realised we were coming to the end of the ride we became aware that we felt physically tired. It is hard work to keep the body stiff and alert and to be holding on tight. But above all, we felt exhilaration that in our 60s we had taken the chance to fulfil a dream.
We climbed from the back of our beautiful elephant onto the platform. The world seemed so still and at peace. We climbed down and gave her some bananas. Wow, she looked so big from ground level! Then she was led away for a rest and to wait for the next people to delight in the experience. We fed young elephants before we left and stroked their heads. It was a lovely place to be and has provided us with a treasured memory.
• More Things to Do in Phuket
• Phang Nga Bay Tour
• Phuket Gibbon Rehab Center
• Phuket Tours - Book Here
Elephant Ride in Phuket - Elephant Trekking | Jamie's Phuket Blog
Comments on Elephant Ride in Phuket - Elephant Trekking
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Sounds like a very similar elephant camp to one that lies just off the main road south of Kata from memory. The big platform and spectacular viewpoints. Definately a pleasant experience, and often you will be allowed to ride on the elephants head also.1 hour ride was around 900 baht each in Oct 2007 from memory. This was a fixed price with no negotiations available. definately a good fun
I rode an elephant at this place (it also has a snake show, right?) in 2009. I can't remember the price but it seemed reasonable at the time and I will probably go back again this year. There are a few different (longer, more into the jungle) treks available. An elephant doesn't seem that tall until you're sat on it's back, but I felt quite vulnerable up there! It was fun though, although I was a little uncomfortable when I found out the elephants are chained to a post in between walks. Still, other than this they seemed to be treated fairly well.
Now I see where your good writing skills come from. Great story from your Mom. Tell her we said thanks for sharing!
hey there, tour looks great, do you have any contact info to the company that does this specific tour?
Hi Steve - this elephant ride story was written by my mum - and is all about a ride they did in 2004 - she can't remember which exact place it was!
For tours, I recommend you contact Easy Day Thailand - ask for Ingo or Diego and they'll sort you out,
Cheers
Jamie
Hi Jamie, do you know of any elephant trekking that is done on the beach? Kind regards, Robyn
Hi Robyn,
Sorry I don't know of any elephant trekking on the beach, never seen an elephant on the beach anywhere in Phuket....
:)
Jamie
Jamie, is there an Elephant trek where you can help wash the elephants in Phuket? Cheers Susie
I have seen photos of elephants in rivers at Khao Sok national park which is a few hours north of Phuket.. I can't find anything online about washing elephants though....
hi jamie - What a great blog! I am really enjoying your stories and photos. My boyfriend and I are going to thailand in april and I can't seem to concentrate on anything else but reading about it!
We would like to meet some elephant friends during our visit but I have read fair share of animal cruelty articles stating that they are often mistreated and different "methods" of torture they have to bear. In particular, I came across a review that said the guide was shuving a metal stick in their ears?
As much as I would like to ride our giant friends I am nervous. I think we are just going to go there and try to speak to the guides before we agree to anything... it's really a shame that elephants are not treated as our friends! Sora
I have not heard about elephant cruelty in Phuket though some people are more sensitive than others .. I think if you try Kok Chang elephant safaris you'll find the elephants well cared for .. or Bang Pae safari. Ask my friends at Easy Day Thailand for tours...
I can verify that Kok Chang was an excellent elephant trek. We had a fantastic time with our guide and our young elephant named "Pancake". Elephants were well treated and obviously happy with their trainers who work with these animals for years, if not their lifetimes. Our trainer was only 18 and had worked with pancake for two years already, when asked how long he will work with her "long time" was the answer.
The ride was not down a well beaten path and you were able to observe a small farm and rubber trees being actively farmed. Our guide did hope down to take pictures and I was directed to sit on Pancakes head... they make riding the elephant look way too easy. Lots of fun and quite a memorable experience. It was 1000 baht for each of us for a 50 min trek, we did not haggle. As well at the end you have the opportunity to feed the elephants bananas based on donation.
We (hubby and myself) are sensitive to animal cruelty and WILL NOT participate in funding it in anyway. I will happily bring family and friends there in the future.
Thanks for the comments on Kok Chang, nice to hear something positive.