Fancy a rainforest adventure at Elephant Hills, Thailand?

WHERE DO I START? This place was fantastic and the highlight of the trip my partner and I took in October 2017. Elephant Hills is the most responsible and sustainable soft-adventure tour operator in Southern Thailand. Not only do they respect and value their elephants (hence there is no elephant riding at Elephant Hills!), but they also take excellent care of the environment, put great emphasis on recycling and resource saving, as well as cooperating closely with the local community by sourcing staff locally and improving education in the area with their Elephant Hills Children’s Project. This was my partner’s first time to Thailand (my 2nd) but we both shared the experience of Elephant Hills for the first time together. You can book various packages at Elephant Hills but the one I did and would highly recommend is the 2 night/3 day Lake Safari. So let me tell you about it…. WHERE IS ELEPHANT HILLS & HOW DO YOU GET THERE? Elephant Hills is located in the beautiful Khao Sok National Park. It combines the idea of African National Parks with the Thai Tropical Forest environment. You can actually get to Elephant Hills from a number of locations making it an easy mid holiday stop to get you from A to B without having to pay for extra flights in between in some cases. Plus, the transfers are all included in your Elephant Hills package price. You can easily get there with a flight from Bangkok to Surat Thai Airport, Koh Samui by ferry and road, Phuket, Krabi and Khao Lak. WHAT TO EXPECT We arrived by 11:30am after taking the ferry and road transfer from Koh Samui. A little tired from an early wake up but we were excited to have arrived and get settled in. After a quick check in we were offered a superb buffet lunch with local cuisine on offer. After that we went to check out our tent which was located right opposite the flowing River so the sounds of nature and the river combined was great. Your tent comes with a big bed, private bathroom with flushing toilet and a proper shower so you are ‘glamping’ more than camping. You also get a free-standing fan as it can get hot plus your own hammock just beside your tent. After having some time to have a look around the tent we head back to reception with our camera’s and hop onto the bus to take us to the Elephant Sanctuary. Upon arrival you will witness the Elephants having a wander around and splashing in the water. The guides then run you over a briefing on safety and teach you more about the Elephants and who’s who. You’ll then spend some time filming videos and taking pictures of the Elephants playing in the water before their carers call them out and over to an area ready for washing. This is where you come in. Most people in our group were allocated their own Elephant within each couple or family. You are handed a hose and a scrubber and wash away. This was great fun, spraying the Elephant and giving them a good clean and a little tickle behind the ears. Once they’ve had their shower, it’s time for the Elephant’s lunch. Meat cleaver in hand, you are taught how to cut and prepare their food and treats and drop it in your own basket ready to feed. The Elephant’s know what time it is as they all line up in a row and wait to be handed their selection of Bananas and various fruits. This is great fun and another opportunity to get up close and to touch the elephants. Once the Elephant fun is over it’s time to hop into a Canoe and be paddled down the river passing by the Limestone hills and mountains and various bird species. Now you’ll be taken back to the Camp on a short bus ride ready to freshen up and relax for a while before the evening begins. A live cooking demonstration takes place where the food is served with everyone crowded round to watch before this is then served as one of the dishes on the buffet for dinner. After the evening entertainment by a group of local dancing school girls we took ourselves back to our tent for a good night’s sleep. Breakfast eaten, we head off for our day of excitement. A short bus drive takes us to a local market in Takhun with free time to scope out the stalls and shops selling with souvenirs, clothes, food and spices. Next up we took a sightseeing boat trip in a traditional longtail boat on Cheow Larn Lake. After a few hours on the lake we were taken by boat to the Rainforest Camp (floating camp on the lake). This camp was more exclusive with only 20 tents located on the floating jetty. Lunch was served on the floating jetty upon arrival. Then there was some free time to jump in the lake for some swimming or to take your own canoe out to explore the surroundings and see if you can spot a monkey jumping from tree to tree. We then decided to partake in the optional jungle trek up into the rainforest hills to a huge bat cave. This is not for everyone but we thought it was great. I probably spent about 5 minutes in the cave before heading back out to daylight. Heading back to the floating camp we then had time to relax and bob about in the lake before changing for another meal on the jetty. The evenings were the best here, the sounds of nature seem to turn up the volume when the sun has gone down and if you look up the view of the starlit sky was phenomenal. After a filling breakfast it’s time to head out in your group on a guided canoe safari for wildlife spotting for a few hours. Once back at the camp you have time for a swim, lunch and a freshen up before your transfer is ready to take you onto your onward journey. I must say, I love Thailand but before I went I had an image in my head of Thailand and the beaches and cities didn’t quote match my vision (although still stunning), but Khao Sok National park did. With the lush green rain forest and towering limestone rock formations it definitely beat the image I had in my mind. If the opportunity should arise, I will definitely be heading back to Elephant Hills. I only wish they had packages where you could spend longer on the lake as my partner said he could have spent a week at the floating camp just out exploring on the canoe and having a swim. This is a great add on when travelling with friends, family or as a couple as it caters for all. They do have an age restriction of 4 years and above. However, I think to make the most of it and for the children to appreciate it I would recommend taking children 7yrs and above. So, when will you be heading to Elephant Hills?