Our family stay at Elephant Hills in Thailand

What does Elephant Hills offer? 

Elephant Hills offers a range of programmes suited to travellers of any age, but their most popular one is the 3-day/2-night Jungle and Lake Camp Safari. On this trip, you spend one night at the Elephant Jungle Camp and the next night at the Rainforest Camp, where you sleep in a tent floating on the lake. It’s an all-inclusive package, so transfers, accommodation, food, and activities are included. The only thing we paid for were drinks at the wonderful cocktail bar!

The highlight of any stay is the ethical elephant experience, which brings you close to amazing Asian elephants, with time for you to observe and feed them. It’s an incredibly memorable experience, especially as a family. Besides the elephants, you can swim in the pool or the lake, join a guided kayak tour, or try a jungle and cave trek. In the evening, you can watch a Thai cooking demonstration or simply enjoy a sundowner in your tropical surroundings.

Getting to Elephant Hills 

We’ll help you fit your Elephant Hills experience into the rest of your Thailand itinerary. Logistically, it works perfectly with a classic Thailand trip that combines the cultural north with the sun-drenched islands of the south. After a few days in Bangkok, you can head for Khao Sok to get a little more active with some soft adventure in the jungle. Next, you can make a beeline for one of Thailand’s famous islands, all easily reached from Khao Sok. 

Your Elephant Hills package will include comfortable air-conditioned road transfers from Phuket, Krabi, Khao Lak on the West Coast, or Surat Thani and Koh Samui on the East Coast to Elephant Hills Jungle Camp. They will happily drop you off at a different location after your stay, which makes it really simple to include Elephant Hills in the middle of your multi-centre Thailand itinerary.

Our family trip to Elephant Hills

After a few days exploring Bangkok, we took an early flight to Phuket airport, where we were met by a lovely representative in the airport arrivals halls, holding a sign with our name on it. I never get tired of this part of travelling - it always feels so regal!

We met another family joining the same 3-day programme, and we had an incredibly smooth drive to the main camp. The roads were excellent, and we had suitable stops at good-quality service stations along the way. 

Upon arrival at the camp, we were met by the wonderful Mona, who would be our guide for the next three days. She spoke great English and gave us a rundown of how the rest of the day would flow.

Staying at Elephant Hills Jungle Camp

After our brief introduction, we were shown to our luxury safari tents. These include one double bed, or two twin beds, so we booked two tents between our family of four. I fully understand why some people are hesitant about staying in a tent in a tropical jungle, but these are like no other tents I’ve stayed in before. They feel like deluxe hotel rooms, with ensuite hot showers and proper toilets. The tents are fully sealed, so there’s no chance of bugs or rain getting in. In fact, I didn’t see a single mosquito.

After a quick freshen up, we were served a wonderful buffet lunch with an amazing choice of freshly made Asian and Western food. There was a special kids area which had some more homely options such as pizza, chips and chicken skewers. There was loads of fresh fruit on offer too. 

My wife is a coeliac and she was delighted when individually wrapped plates of food were brought out for her, clearly marked as gluten-free. It really put her mind at rest. During our whole stay, the food was absolutely top notch and very plentiful!

Our ethical elephant experience at Elephant Hills

After lunch, we drove a short distance to the Sok River where we hopped into large canoes. Each canoe had its own crew member to do the paddling for you, so don’t worry if you’re a novice! The crew constantly pointed out the local wildlife, and we saw everything from lizards to tropical birds and cute wild monkeys.

After an hour of drifting peacefully downstream, we jumped out and drove a short distance for our ethical elephant encounter. There is a large area with waterholes for the elephants to roam around and bathe. We observed them while enjoying a cold beer and ice cream from the blissfully air-conditioned centre next to the feeding area.

Afterwards, we were shown how to prepare their food. This was a mix of bamboo, banana, pineapple, tamarind and salt, all wrapped in a banana leaf to aid digestion. We watched the herd of around ten elephants as they enjoyed a wallow in the waterhole and waited for them to approach the feeding station. We were then shown how to present the food to the elephants and had the chance to feed them ourselves.

Being near to Asia’s largest land animal can initially be a little intimidating, but they are very gentle. Having experienced a rather unethical elephant encounter in Thailand many years ago, this was completely different. I felt much more comfortable with this kind of set up - no riding, no chains, and no hooks.

Our night at Elephant Hills Jungle Camp

After a quick drive back to camp, we had some free time before the evening activities began. There was a Thai cookery class open to everyone, where we learned how to prepare some of Thailand’s famous dishes. Whilst enjoying some pre-dinner cocktails in the bar, we watched a short video presentation about the local area. We were then entertained with a performance of traditional songs and dance by a local school.

We all slept really well in our tents that night and, the next morning, we were woken by the sounds of the jungle. It was a perfect dawn symphony of insects, monkeys, and birds! We sat outside our tents with a coffee and watched the early morning mists evaporating around the tall limestone cliffs (karsts) that surround the camp. It was just blissful.

The journey to Elephant Hills Rainforest Camp

The next day, we were told to leave our main bags behind and pack a small overnight bag (a few toiletries, swimmers, and a change of clothes). That night, we would stay at Elephant Hills Rainforest Camp, in luxury tents on a floating raft pontoon located far out in the stunning Cheow Lan Lake.

The journey to get there was one of the highlights of the entire trip. We travelled by colourful long-tail boat across Cheow Lan Lake, which has been largely overlooked by tourism, so it’s maintained its remote serenity. It reminded me of Halong Bay in Vietnam, with huge limestone cliffs covered in lush green rainforest shooting out of the water.

Elephant Hills Rainforest Camp is a long floating pontoon with the same type of luxury tent as the Jungle Camp. There's a central gathering point that serves as the restaurant and bar, as well as somewhere to socialise in the evening. Each tent comes with a couple of life jackets and a personal kayak, so you can go for a paddle whenever you wish.

Cheow Lan is a freshwater lake, so we enjoyed a few hours of swimming and jumping off our pontoon into the water. There is nothing else anywhere near the camp (apart from the wildlife), so it is beautifully quiet and peaceful. 

My son and I opted for a two-hour jungle hike, whilst my wife and daughter opted for more chill time by the water. You’re free to pick and choose how much you do or don’t do. Plenty of people choose to simply sit on the porch and enjoy the serenity.

Hiking in the jungle

The hike took us up a well-established path through the jungle. All the time we could hear far away cracking and crashing noises. The guides explained that these were being made by a group of wild elephants that they had recently seen. The scenery was stunning.

Towards the top of the ridge, we arrived at the entrance to a large cave system. Equipped with head torches, we ventured inside the high-ceilinged cave, which didn’t feel claustrophobic. Once inside the cathedral-like chamber, we saw lots of bats and even a large albino python (from a distance). The cave experience is entirely optional, so don’t worry if bats are not your bag!

After a stunning sunset, we enjoyed dinner and evening drinks in the main dining area. There was another video presentation about how Cheow Lan Lake was created in the early 1980s by damming and flooding the valley. The hydroelectric plant now supplies clean power to most of Southern Thailand.

Rainforest Camp to Railay Bay

The following morning, we were woken by a truly exceptional noise echoing across the lake, which turned out to be the territorial morning calls of the gibbons. After breakfast, we set out on an optional guided kayak trip, which was very easygoing and not strenuous at all. We saw lots of fish, small monkeys, Asian hornbills, and a family of rare black gibbons - probably the same ones who had woken us earlier that morning with their howling!

After some more free time to swim and another lovely lunch, it was time to pack up and leave. A longtail boat collected us and we headed back to the Jungle Camp to collect our luggage. The package includes a final transfer to the beaches at Khao Lak, Phuket or Krabi, or to Koh Samui on the East Coast. It’s a brilliant service and makes travelling incredibly easy. We continued to Railay Bay near Krabi, and the trip flowed perfectly.

Why I loved Elephant Hills

The great thing about Elephant Hills is that it offers a high-end but laid-back soft adventure holiday experience. The staff provide an amazingly friendly, informative, and efficient service. I found that it’s a great balance of being ‘taken care of’ without being herded around all day.

The natural scenery is untouched, and the tents are secluded and unique. It’s all about the little details and they pull it off so well! As you fall asleep to the sounds of the rainforest, you feel completely off the beaten track, but there isn’t any compromise in terms of comfort. 

Being able to enjoy an intimate elephant interaction, knowing that the elephants were chain-free and cared for ethically, kept my conscience clear. These days, it can be hard to find truly ethical elephant sanctuaries, so this place is a real gem.

Elephants Hills also has a strong anti-plastic waste policy, and they really go above and beyond. For example, if you haven’t brought your own reusable water bottle, they'll loan you a metal bottle for the duration of your trip. It’s a great initiative which drastically cuts down on plastic waste. 

If you ever get a chance to escape to Elephant Hills in Khao Sok National Park for a few days, grab it with both hands. It’s an experience that you’ll never forget. 

Ready to plan your trip to Elephant Hills in Thailand?

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