Elephant Sanctuary and Kanchanaburi Tour from Bangkok
Highlights
- Feed and bathe rescued elephants at ElephantsWorld
- Help gather food for the sanctuary's elephants
- See the Bridge on the River Kwai
- Visit the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
Description
Want to spend time with elephants and see some real history in one day? This full-day tour from Bangkok starts at ElephantsWorld, a sanctuary for old and rescued elephants that live out their years in a natural setting. You help care for the animals by feeding them, gathering their food and bathing them. For more background and practical advice, see our Kanchanaburi & River Kwai guide.
Pricing
Adult
Age 10-99
THB 3,095per person
Child
Age 3-9
THB 2,395per person
Infant
Age 0-2
Free
per person
- 07:00
Meet in Bangkok and drive to ElephantsWorld
Meet the group at River City Bangkok and travel out to ElephantsWorld, a sanctuary for old and rescued elephants in Kanchanaburi.
Help look after the sanctuary's elephants by feeding them, gathering their food and bathing them.
Sit down to a buffet lunch around midday before heading to Kanchanaburi's main sights.
Visit the Bridge on the River Kwai, part of the Death Railway built by prisoners during World War II.
Stop at the war cemetery, the resting place of 6,982 Allied prisoners who died during the railway's construction.
Drive back to Bangkok at the end of the day.
Included
- Round-trip transport
- Activities at ElephantsWorld sanctuary
- Lunch
Not included
- Hotel pickup (the tour departs from River City Bangkok)
- Alcoholic drinks
- Personal expenses and souvenirs
- Tips for the guide (optional)
- Clothes that can get wet and dirty for the elephant bathing
- A change of clothes and a towel
- Comfortable shoes or sandals
- Hat and sunscreen
- Water
- Cash for personal expenses
- Camera
This tour starts at a fixed meeting point. Please make your own way there.
River City Bangkok
River City Bangkok is the riverside complex in Si Phraya, just off Charoen Krung Road; any taxi or Grab driver knows it by name. Coming by river, get off at Si Phraya pier next to the Royal Orchid Sheraton and walk a couple of minutes, and from BTS Saphan Taksin you can pick up the Chao Phraya Express boat at Sathorn pier. Please arrive by 06:45, 15 minutes before the 07:00 departure.
The 07:00 departure from River City Bangkok (check-in by 06:45) exists because Kanchanaburi is a proper drive, around two and a half to three hours each way, and the elephants are the morning act.
At ElephantsWorld you work rather than watch: preparing and feeding the elephants their food and joining them in the water for bathing. There is no riding here, it is a sanctuary for old and rescued animals. You will get wet and probably muddy, so wear clothes that can take it and pack the change of clothes and towel from the bring list. A buffet lunch follows around noon.
The afternoon changes register completely: the Bridge on the River Kwai and the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, where nearly 7,000 Allied prisoners are buried. It is a quieter, heavier end to the day, and dressing respectfully for the cemetery is appreciated.
The drive home lands you back in Bangkok in the early evening.
FAQs
No. ElephantsWorld is a sanctuary for old and rescued elephants, and the visit is built around caring for them: preparing their food, feeding them and joining the bathing. It is hands-on, but on the elephants’ terms.
Clothes that can get wet and dirty, plus a change of clothes and a towel for afterwards. Shoes or sandals you do not mind soaking work best, since the bathing happens in the water.
Kanchanaburi is around two and a half to three hours from Bangkok by road, so the 07:00 start is what makes the full day possible. Check-in at River City Bangkok is by 06:45.
Yes, a buffet lunch around noon, between the sanctuary morning and the afternoon visits to the Bridge on the River Kwai and the War Cemetery.
Yes. Cancelling or moving your booking to another date is free up to 24 hours before the tour starts, and anything you have paid is refunded in full. Cancellations made less than 24 hours before the start time are non-refundable, and no-shows are not refunded. If we have to cancel, for example for weather or safety, you can move to another date or take a full refund.
