サムイゾウ王国エシカルサンクチュアリとスカイウォークツアー

We wanted to visit elephants without a contrived side show. We rode out to the site and climbed the final hill to the sanctuary. We paid for a basic walk round the sky walk and feeding the elephants. The place looked well run and smart, it was quiet due to low season I guess but that was nice as we had the place virtually to ourselves. The price seemed fair as the infrastructure, running costs and staff commitment is high. I genuinely enjoyed watching and feeding the elephants in an unhurried and peaceful atmosphere.

I booked this directly with our hotel as I trusted them to find me an elephant sanctuary which was ethical but I now realise there is a lot of greenwashing and people are using words like ethical and sanctuary without it being truly the case. The animals look to be in a safe environment and it was my understanding that there was no direct interactions with the animals. We did feed them from a raised platform which seemed okay. There was no riding, bathing or bull hooks in sight but every elephant did have a Mahout alongside them. I was concerned, however, when we were allowed into the elephant enclosure and allowed to touch them and physically interact with them. Some wrapped their trunks around us. I wish I’d not necessarily trusted the hotel but had done more thorough research. It is not normal for elephants to interact with humans in this way so now I’m concerned about the methods used to do this. They obviously use food to train them and these elephants are all originally captured elephants who have been around humans all their lives. However, I think people would still pay to see safe protected animals and there’s no need to allow crowds to go into the enclosure. I appreciate the animals cannot return to the wild and the establishment needs to make money to keep them but there’s no need for these hands-on photo opportunities.

The tour went really well! It was in September, so we were a small group of about ten people, perfect for enjoying the sanctuary! We even had nothing but sunshine all afternoon! The guide was very friendly and spoke English very well; she was able to introduce us to all the elephants and the whole afternoon went really well. The elephants seem to be well taken care of and well looked after by the sanctuary staff; that was a bit of a concern for me, but they don't seem to be exploited here! Nothing to complain about regarding the hotel pickup and the return at the end; the taxi was comfortable and well air-conditioned.

Beautiful experience. Finally, a truly ethical sanctuary. Well-organized visit. The guide Ing was professional and nice. Above-average buffet.

Fabulous day out! Would highly recommend! Very hot in the jungle but worth every second. Tanya was a great guide!

We had a fantastic private tour for our family of 17. Our brilliant, friendly and knowledgable tour guide was Oanna. She looked after all of us (from age 4 to 70+) very well and the sanctuary itself was beautiful, clean and offered an exceptional, up close and personal experience with the elephants who all seemed happy and well cared for. We made elephant protein powerballs and fed them to the elephants, enjoyed the treetop walk walk and feeding the elephants sugarcane, bananas and corn from up high, and also some up close photographs followed by a delicious, traditional Thai lunch. Would definitely recommend this experience.

From the pickup at the hotel to the staff, tour and the food, it was a great experience. If you are in Koh Samui, you should not miss this. You not only learn about elephants but you are able to feed them and also pet them. A very ethical sanctuary which really takes care of the elephants.

Me and my partner had a great time I’m off a farm in Australia and deal with animals all the time and these gentle giants where amazing to be around

We had a great time at the Elephant Sanctuary. Felt that the animals were well treated and enjoying their life

It was a wonderful experience everyone there was so nice and pleasant our Guide Tonya did a wonderful job. She’s a very. Energetic which makes the experience that much better. The food there was wonderful. I was not expecting that but truly was amazing. The elephants are so pleasant and friendly. I would definitely recommend this to anyone.