One Day
with Elephants
Chiang Mai · Phuket
Find an elephant day with no riding.
Plan a calm elephant day in Chiang Mai or Phuket. No riding. See the day and the price, then send an enquiry. No payment now.
No payment now. It’s just an enquiry.
We aim to reply within 24 hours.
Not sure where to start?
Which sanctuary suits you?
Answer three quick questions. We show the best match and the reason. You don’t need to give your email.
1. Who is coming?
CoupleFamily with kidsSoloGroup
2. How long?
Half dayFull day
3. How close?
Watch from a distanceNot sure
Your best match
Elephant Sanctuary · Chiang Mai
Full or half day: feeding, walking and river bathing. Affiliated: run by the owner of this site.
See this sanctuary8
Must-pass rules. No riding, shows, calf contact, routine chaining or bullhooks. Plus legal papers, an emergency plan and a named vet.
10
Welfare areas in one published method.
100
Points in our score. Nobody can pay to change a score. Any paid placement is clearly labelled.
Reply
We aim to reply within 24 hours. No payment to ask.
Beta · Chiang Mai & Phuket
Elephant days you can enquire about now
Two sanctuaries run by the owner of this site, labelled Affiliated. This is not a ranking and they get no boost. More sanctuaries join only after our welfare interviews.
Jump to: Chiang Mai · Phuket · Half day · Full day · Send an enquiry
01
Affiliated
Elephant Sanctuary | Est. 2007 · Chiang Mai
This sanctuary is run by the same owner as this website.
The day includes: feeding, walking and river bathing with the elephants.
Guests bathe with the elephants here. Bathing earns no points in our score.
Includes elephant bathingAffiliated: run by the owner of this siteOur own sanctuary · We score it the same way as every other sanctuary
Time
Full day, or half day morningPickup
Hotel, includedGroup
Confirmed when you enquireCancel
Confirmed when you enquire
Also: Half Day Program ฿2,200 per adult.
Full Day Program
฿2,800
per adult · child under 12 from ฿1,400
Price from the sanctuary’s website, October 2026. Confirmed in writing before you book.
Enquire02
Affiliated
Elephant Sanctuary | Est. 2007 · Phuket
This sanctuary is run by the same owner as this website.
Best for: a calm half day watching elephants walk, eat and rest, with no riding and no bathing.
No-riding tierNo riding, no bathingAffiliated: run by the owner of this siteOur own sanctuary · We score it the same way as every other sanctuary
Time
09:00–12:30 or 14:00–17:00Pickup
Hotel, includedGroup
Confirmed when you enquireCancel
Confirmed when you enquire
Also: Walk & Feed (2 h) ฿2,200 per adult · child 4–11 ฿1,400. Mini program (2 h) ฿1,500 per adult · child 4–11 ฿1,100. Children under 3 free.
Elephant Nature Program, 3.5 h
฿2,900
per adult · child 4–11 ฿1,700
Price from the sanctuary’s website, October 2026. Confirmed in writing before you book.
EnquireMore sanctuaries after welfare interviews. We add a sanctuary only after it passes our must-pass rules. Sanctuary owner? List your sanctuary.
Send an enquiryWhat a good day looks like
An example day, step by step
An EXAMPLE half day at an observation-tier sanctuary. Each listing will show its own plan, checked with the sanctuary.
MorningArriveHotel pickup, a short drive, then a safety talk from the mahouts.PickupHotel, included
MiddayWatchWalk at a calm distance behind the elephants while they eat and explore.ContactDepends on the programme
AfternoonLunch & homeThai lunch in the shade, then back to your hotel.
Chiang MaiNorth · mountains and forestBangkokPhuketSouth · island and hills
Where we plan to list
Chiang Mai and Phuket
We plan to start in Chiang Mai and Phuket. We add a region only after we score its sanctuaries.
01Chiang Mai1 affiliated sanctuary · more after interviews02Phuket1 affiliated sanctuary · more after interviews
Our method
How the score works
The score has ten areas and 100 points. A sanctuary is in the Observation tier if it scores 80 or more and visitors only watch. 60 to 79 is the No-riding tier. Under 60 is not listed. This is an EXAMPLE breakdown.
Example breakdown
Visitor contact level /2525Space and natural behaviour /2015Social life /108Vet care and records /108Group size /107Housing and rest /86Diet and water /54Mahout welfare /53Transparency /54Independent recognition /21
Must pass all eight
✓ No riding of any kind✓ No shows or tricks✓ No contact with baby elephants, no breeding✓ No routine chaining✓ No bullhooks, nails or sticks✓ Full legal papers and insurance✓ A written emergency plan✓ A named vet
Sanctuaries run by the site owner are labelled “Affiliated”. Same method, no boost. Any sanctuary can reply to its score. Read the full method Page hidden until launch
Before you book anywhere
How to spot a fake sanctuary
Many places use the word “sanctuary”. These five checks help you choose well, on our site or anywhere else.
01Riding on the menu? Walk away. It hurts elephants.02Baby elephants to touch? Calves should stay with their mothers, not with visitors.03Huge groups? Big crowds stress elephants. Look for small, fixed group sizes.04Chains in the day? Ask where the elephants sleep and how they move.05No vet named? A real sanctuary can tell you who looks after the elephants.
Photo coming soon
Who we are
Hello, I’m Stephanie
I have lived in Thailand for about 11 years. I move between Chiang Mai and Phuket with the seasons.
I love wildlife, elephants and nature. Over the years I have visited almost every elephant sanctuary in Thailand.
I made this site to share what I learned. I hope it helps you choose a day that is kind to the elephants and lovely for you.
One simple step
Send an enquiry
Beta: enquiry only. No payment is taken on this site.
Nothing is booked or paid. We check your date with the sanctuary and reply by email.
01 Send your date and group. No account needed.
02 We check with the sanctuary. We aim to reply within 24 hours.
03 You decide. Confirm only if the day and price suit you.
SanctuaryElephant Sanctuary · Chiang Mai ▾
Datedd / mm / yyyy
Adults2 ▾
Children0 ▾
☐ My dates are flexible
Full name
Phone or WhatsApp (optional, so the sanctuary can reach you on the day)
We aim to reply within 24 hours. Your details go only to us and the sanctuary you choose.
Questions
Do I pay anything now?
No. An enquiry is free. We check the date and the price with the sanctuary and send them to you. You pay only if you decide to book.
Can I touch or feed the elephants?
Observation-tier sanctuaries are hands-off: visitors only watch. No-riding-tier sanctuaries may allow feeding over a barrier. Some sanctuaries offer bathing. Each listing says so clearly.
Are children welcome?
Each listing shows the child price and any age rules. Rules differ between sanctuaries.
Who writes the scores?
We score each sanctuary with our 100-point method. We check documents and visit before we publish a score. Every sanctuary can see its score and reply.
Do you list places with riding?
No. Any riding or shows means we do not list the sanctuary.
One Day with Elephants · Operated by Happy Day With Elephant Limited Partnership (reg. no. 0503567002631) · TAT Licence No. 24/01297 · Listings run by the site owner are labelled “Affiliated”. · Enquiries: enquiries@onedaywithelephants.com · Sanctuary owner? List your sanctuary