[2025 Phuket Attraction] Travel Guide for Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Phuket (Bang Tao Branch) (Updated Jun)

Phuket is an island paradise that should be on everyone's bucket-list, having been a few times now I can say it is surprisingly affordable. There has been a boom in travel to Thailand recently but Phuket has remained stable in terms of pricing. Airport - The airport is on the northern coast of the island and has no rail or metro link to the major urban areas. Most major hotels will offer shuttle buses or transfers, you can also book coach or bus transfers online. I got a car transfer by trip as it is always the most convenient option. Hotels - I stayed in the Bang Tao area as I find it offers the best value for money, quieter atmosphere with enough local amenities. I recommend the Hilton Garden inn, it is very reasonably priced with spacious rooms and an amazing rooftop pool. It offers breakfast as standard and also has a very well priced day and evening menu if you are staying at the hotel. It also offers a shuttle tuk tuk to local areas. Attractions - Bang Tao has lots of markets, restaurants and natural areas such as lakes and beaches - they are all a lot quieter than the southern tip of the island. There is also a branch of the elephant sanctuary very near which does hotel pick up. Transport - There are buses along main roads but they can be infrequent and often full when they arrive at your stop. I used grab to travel around the island and even for the longer distance it wasn’t so expensive, around phuket old town and the southern developments there are a lot more local taxi options. Food - I found that a lot of the expensive food here is in the western restaurants that cater more to foreigners living on the island. I found the cheaper options were the markets, open restaurants and places that local residents eat. Phuket old town has an amazing coffee scene and a lot of the restaurants have a really good coffee offerings, for very reasonable prices. Shopping - Most of the shops here are more expensive than other areas of Thailand as a lot is imported onto the island - so things like toiletriesI stocked up on before I arrived. If you are in need of essentials then Boots is a good chemist and Lotus is the local supermarket chain. I really advice Phuket as as destination for a low to medium budget, but make sure you plan in advance and also be aware of the weather. The wet season here can ruin a lot of plans! #cheaptravel #travel #beach #asia #thailand #phuket #paradise #seascapes #thingstodo #naturalwonders #localfood

Elephant jungle sanctuary Phuket It’s the fantastic highlight moment of my trip at Phuket, Elephant live peacefully eating n bathing without working. Seeing them happy n we are happy. The area is clean n tidy, with space for us to chill and eat our lunch. It was a fun time feeding and bathing these gentle giants. Good times fly by so quickly . We will definitely come back next trip to visit them again. Thank you Reindeer n Kangaroo ✨

I have always wanted to see Elephants up close but I've always been worried about their treatment. However my friend recommended this sanctuary to me and I had the best day of my life! This sanctuary is a safe haven for Elephants that used to be used for hard manual labour in the logging industry, these animals are loved and cared for and it is such a positive environment. The staff are amazing (Particularly K & Kevin) and you can tell they love what they do and they are proud of the fantastic work they've done saving and caring for so many elephants. You start off by learning about the organisation, the elephants and most importantly what they eat! Then you prepare the food for the elephants, they eat all day pretty much so it's a constant task. Then you have the chance to feed the Elephants bananas, watermelon and the rice balls you prepared. The elephants are very friendly and calm, you can get super close to feed them, stroke them and just generally take it all in. Then it's time to change into some swimwear and head to the mud bath, you cover them in mud then have fun washing it all off. Then move to the big pool to swim with them, clean them and brush down their skin. Last up time for the elephant shower, like a huge carwash these Elephants take it all in and relax as you help clean them up after the mud & swimming. Then a thai cooking class learning how to cook a delcious pad thai, then a really delicious and filling buffet. I was really blown away by this day, every element was incredible and the staff were very supportive throughout. I was a solo traveller and they picked up on this very early on, remembering my name and asking if I needed anything. Also helping to take photos of me throught the day to make sure I had memories of this exprience. I would honestly do this again if I was in Phuket for longer, it was such an incredible experience and I would recommend it to anyone! Once again massive thank you to Kevin & K and all the elephant keepers, you did an incredible job - keep up the good work! I wish there were more men like you in the world. #elephantsanctuary #Bangtao #Thailand #elephant #phukettravel #travel #phuket