An Experience of a Lifetime
Spend your entire Morning or Afternoon with our Elephants, including Dining With Elephants at our Forest Restaurant overlooking the pond.
(includes delicious Thai buffet)
Itinerary
You will arrive at Hidden Forest and enjoy complimentary tea and coffee.
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We begin with a presentation and educational video about our project, our work to protect elephants, and important safety guidelines
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Enjoy an amazing encounter as you feed our elephants respectfully - no hugging or touching
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Take a scenic forest walk while learning about our elephants - their history, individual stories, friendships and unique personalities
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Relax in our Bamboo Observation Huts as the elephants graze, play in the mud or bathe nearby, with stunning views of the forest and across the valley towards Big Buddha
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Make sure your camera is fully charged! There are lots of wonderful photo and video opportunities, with plenty of time to simply enjoy our peaceful nature reserve.
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We have abundance of butterflies and dragonflies, and often see eagles soaring the skies, or egrets fishing in our pond
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Enjoy the entire morning or afternoon in the company of our beautiful elephants.
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End your visit with a delicious vegetarian/vegan Thai buffet at our Forest Restaurant, dining in one of our natural Bamboo Salas overlooking the pond, where you can watch the elephants bathe and play
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Your visit directly supports our work to rescue and rehabilitate elephants and raise awareness of the plight of the Asian elephant
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We rely entirely on our visitors for funding, and we’re incredibly grateful for their support. Since opening in December 2023, this has enabled us to rescue eleven elephants, each now living a beautiful life in the forest.
ADULT
CHILD
2,900 thb
1,600 thb
3 yrs & under - FREE - Surcharge applies for child seat
Includes Shared Transport in Selected Areas & Thai Buffet
Private Transport and Your Own transport options available
PAYMENT
We use Stripe, one of the world’s leading secure online payment platforms. You do not need a Stripe account to make a payment, and your payment information is securely processed by Stripe. You can book your Hidden Forest tour with confidence knowing that your payment details are protected.
Please note that a 3% payment processing fee is added at checkout to cover increased payment processing charges.
An Amazing Way to Spend a Rainy Day!
In the event of a tropical downpour, instead of staying in your hotel or villa, come and visit us! Elephants often behave differently in wet weather and, when it’s cooler, they can become more active and adventurous. They may venture to different areas if they smell a fresh muddy spot or if the river is flowing higher, and it's such a magical experience to see elephants in the forest with the fresh smell of rain.
Just a note that we have large umbrellas and sell ponchos. Remember to wear clothes and shoes that you don’t mind getting a little muddy or wet - all part of the adventure!
We promise a fabulous and very memorable day out!
Why We Don't Allow Guests to Bathe 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 as it does not put the welfare of the elephants first.
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 are in the water or mud crowding around them.
It is not only dangerous and unfair to ruin their bathing time, but also very stressful for the elephants as it inhibits their natural behaviours, and their mahouts (handlers/carers) must manage the elephants to keep everyone safe. There are also hygiene concerns, as elephants naturally urinate and defecate in the water.
There is another important part of their rehabilitation too: friendship. Elephants used in the logging and riding industries have often lived isolated lives, deprived of the opportunity to form natural social bonds. At Hidden Forest, we carefully socialise our rescued elephants and give them the opportunity to form friendships and live together as a herd - a very important part of ethical elephant tourism.
It’s important that our elephants enjoy their day just as much as our guests. So, instead of bathing with them, you can sit back and watch them cover themselves in mud and splash around in the pond.
The video below shows our newly formed herd - Wassana, Nong Fai, Boon Yen, Wan Mai, and Ton Oi bathing playing, rumbling and trumpeting together - living the life they truly deserve.