Welcome to
Hidden Forest Elephant Reserve
Feed, walk with, learn about & observe our beautiful elephants
We are a genuine ethical elephant sanctuary in Phuket, co-founded by elephant experts Kong from Thailand, and Louise Rogerson from the UK, and we opened in December 2023.
Our stunning forest is hidden away in Chalong, in the South of Phuket, and home to eight gorgeous rescued elephants who previously worked in the logging and riding industries.
A key focus is to socialise our elephants to form natural herds, restoring social bonds they were denied for most of their lives.
Our sanctuary is peaceful and we keep our visitor groups small. You will enjoy an incredible experience - feeding our elephants respectfully, walking with, learning about, and observing as they roam, bathe, socialise and play. Every tour ends with a delicious Thai vegetarian / vegan buffet at our Forest Restaurant overlooking the ponds where the elephants cool off and throw mud over themselves in our free-roaming area.
We look forward to welcoming you into the magical world we have created for these beautiful endangered animals that we are dedicated to protecting.
A genuine ethical elephant sanctuary
Our breathtaking elephant sanctuary is nestled in the hills of southern Phuket and is home to eight beautiful female elephants who are all rescued from the tourism riding industry. They are now able to roam freely, socialise with each other, and play naturally in the ponds, streams and muddy wallows throughout our land.
After an an introduction video, you will meet and feed our elephants before going on a scenic walk through the forest, stopping at our Bamboo Observation Huts dotted along the way where you can sit quietly as our elephants go about their day.
Step into our world, a true paradise forest home for elephants, and also a safe haven for an abundance of wild birds with daily sightings of eagles soaring the skies, egrets swooping to the pond, and butterflies and dragonflies dancing in the breeze. We can't wait to show you the magic we have created for our elephants here at Hidden Forest
Why We Don't Offer Bathing With Our Elephants
In 2016, our co-founder, Louise Rogerson brought the first non-bathing project to Phuket. She holds a firm belief that elephants should enjoy their time bathing and playing on their own, and not with humans crowding around them.
Bathing freely allows elephants positive mental and physical stimulation after a lifetime working hard and being controlled. Wild elephants bathe in rivers, ponds, streams and muddy wallows without human interaction and this is exactly what our rescued elephants should enjoy too.
Elephants need space to splash, roll around, submerge, play, socialise, and cover themselves in mud and they are perfectly capable of doing this without people in the water or mud crowding around them. It is not only dangerous but also very stressful for the elephants as it inhibits their natural behaviours and the mahouts must control the elephants so nobody gets hurt. It is also unhygienic to bathe with elephants as they urinate and defecate when in the water, and people may suffer from eye or skin infections and sickness.
Bathing with elephants does not put the welfare of the elephants first. We want our elephants to enjoy their day just as much as you, which is why we do not offer this activity at Hidden Forest.
The video of Ton Oi really says it all! Imagine if there were people in the water with her, she wouldn't have any freedom to wade through the pond, fully submerge herself, play with the reeds and clumps of roots, and she certainly wouldn't be able to chase away wild egrets! You may also notice the silence in our video too. There aren't crowds of people bathing with or rubbing mud on the elephants, instead there is nothing but the silence of the forest... just as it's meant to be for elephants.