Khao Lak Elephant Sanctuary & Little Amazon Canoe Tour with Lunch
Description
This half-day tour combines two memorable Khao Lak nature experiences: a peaceful Little Amazon canoe route and a respectful visit to Khaolak Elephant Sanctuary. Choose with hotel transfer from selected hotels in the Khao Lak service area, or meet directly at the sanctuary. Begin with a canoe trip through the “Little Amazon” in Takua Pa, a quiet swamp and mangrove forest known for ancient banyan trees, tropical scenery, birds, reptiles, and local wildlife. After the canoe experience, visit Khaolak Elephant Sanctuary for a keeper-led elephant learning experience. Learn about elephant care, daily routines, and natural behavior in a respectful environment. This experience focuses on observation, education, and responsible elephant tourism. Elephant riding, shows, tricks, and forced bathing are not included. Any feeding or close interaction depends on elephant comfort, safety, weather, and keeper guidance.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Little Amazon Travel to Takua Pa District and explore the peaceful “Little Amazon,” a quiet swamp and mangrove forest known for its ancient banyan trees, tropical scenery, birds, reptiles, and local wildlife. Sit back in a canoe rowed by a local crew as you glide through the waterways. Enjoy the natural surroundings, take photos, and keep an eye out for wildlife along the way. Duration: Approximately 1.5–2 hours Admission Ticket: Included
Khaolak Elephant Sanctuary Continue to Khaolak Elephant Sanctuary for a respectful, keeper-led elephant learning experience. Meet your English-speaking eco guide and learn about the elephants, their daily care, and natural behavior. You may help prepare natural food for the elephants and observe them in a spacious natural environment. Any feeding or close interaction depends on elephant comfort, safety, weather, and keeper guidance on the day. Enjoy lunch during your sanctuary visit before the tour continues or ends. Duration: Approximately 2 hours Admission Ticket: Included
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pickup is available only for guests who select the transfer option when booking. For the transfer option, hotel pickup and drop-off are available from selected hotels in the Khao Lak service area. Please provide your hotel name during booking so we can confirm your pickup time. Pickup time may vary depending on your hotel location and daily route. The exact pickup time will be confirmed after booking. If your hotel is outside the Khao Lak service area, an additional transfer fee may apply, or we may ask you to meet at the nearest pickup point. If you select the no-transfer option, please meet us directly at Khaolak Elephant Sanctuary at least 15 minutes before the tour starts.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Guests must have basic mobility and be able to get in and out of the canoe
- This is an outdoor nature-based tour, so the route and activities may be adjusted due to weather, water levels, safety, or local conditions
- Wildlife sightings are not guaranteed
- Please bring insect repellent, sunscreen, and comfortable clothes
- A change of clothes is recommended, especially during the rainy season
- Not recommended for guests with serious mobility issues or medical conditions that may be affected by outdoor activities
Reviews(8)
We went to the Elephant Sanctuary on our own in the course of our stay in the neighboring hotel. Admission is free, but you can buy feeding baskets for 300 or 500 Baht. It's really fun to get so close to the animals and feed them. You can also see how lovingly the caretakers treat the animals. Donations also benefit the animals. All around a successful excursion, which you can also organize on your own.
Thank you very much for your detailed and thoughtful review. We’re glad you chose to visit us during your stay at the neighboring hotel and enjoyed organizing the visit independently. Yes, there is no entrance fee — and the food baskets (300 or 500 THB) are a voluntary way for guests to directly contribute to the elephants’ daily care. All proceeds go toward food, medical care, and ongoing welfare for our rescued elephants. It’s wonderful to hear that you enjoyed being close to them and that you noticed how lovingly our caretakers interact with each elephant. Their bond and dedication are something we are very proud of. We also truly appreciate you mentioning donations — every contribution helps us continue providing a safe and peaceful home for them. Thank you for your support, and we hope to welcome you again in the future. 🐘
Wonderful. It was a fantastic trip. We learned a lot, saw some great things and learned, it was an incredibly beautiful trip. The organization and our guide Toni were super great.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a fantastic excursion and learned so much. It’s great to know the organization and Toni made the experience even more special. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to see you again! 😊✨
We were very disappointed: the transfer announced as included was not. Despite the information from our hotel transmitted three days before, the guide arrived 45 minutes late and we were asked to pay an additional 1500 baht just before his arrival. A real bad surprise. The excursion itself was expeditious: 1 hour of canoeing in the mangroves and only 30 minutes with elephants, giving them bananas and watching one take a few steps... It was very expensive paid for such a limited experience. The meal, very good, was unfortunately taken away from elephants, at the entrance of the site, which completely broke the immersion. In summary: excursion too short, expensive, poorly organized and unjustified supplement. We do not recommend.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re truly sorry for the disappointment caused by the transfer confusion, delay, and unexpected extra charge. This is not the experience we aim to provide. We appreciate your comments regarding timing, organization, and immersion, and they will be carefully reviewed to help us improve communication and overall service quality.
First of all….wheeeee!!!!! I love elephants. And what a joy to be able to hang out, walk with them, feed them snacks, watch them get a bath. Bonus we had a super fabulous lunch and the ride in the mangrove during a super wild rainstorm was awesome!!!!
Haha, we absolutely love your energy! 🐘💚 We're so happy to hear you had a blast hanging out with the elephants — they're truly magical creatures, right? Walking with them, feeding them, and watching bath time is such a special experience. And wow, a mangrove ride in a rainstorm? That’s next-level adventure! 🌧️🛶 So glad you enjoyed the lunch too. Thanks for sharing your joy with us — come back anytime for more elephant love and wild fun!
Memorable morning feeding and walking the elephants followed by a great mangrove kayaking experience. Lunch and cleanliness of the toilets at the elephant sanctuary was first class. Our guide Toni was superb!
Thank you for your lovely review! We're thrilled to hear that you had a memorable morning feeding and walking with the elephants, followed by a fantastic mangrove kayaking experience. It's great to know that you enjoyed the lunch and found our facilities clean and well-maintained. Toni will be delighted to hear your kind words. We appreciate your feedback and hope to see you again at Khaolak Elephant Sanctuary for another wonderful experience!
Was amazing great tour guide. Loved the private tour. Tony and sprite were lovely and very informative thank you guys. We drank local coffee, ate local foods from a road market. saw the tsunami museum very interesting but sad, we had lunch there which was fresh and hot. Perfect ladies. And the best was feeding the elephants and watering them. Could watch them for ages. Very interesting animals. Thank you guys. Xx
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing experience with us! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the private tour and found Tony and Sprite to be lovely and informative guides. It's wonderful that you had the opportunity to experience local coffee, foods from a road market, and visit the tsunami museum. We're glad you found the experience both interesting and poignant. Feeding and watering the elephants sounds like a truly special moment, and we're delighted to hear that you could watch them for ages. Your kind words mean a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you back for more unforgettable experiences at Khaolak Elephant Sanctuary in the future! xx
