Fantastic experience! - My trip to Samui Elephant Sanctury was genuinely the most phenomenal experience of my life. The entire day was fantastic, the staff were amazing and the love and care they have for their elephants was lovely to see. I will try and break the day down as best I can - we were collected in the morning by a very friendly driver who arrived on time in an air conditioned very clean car. On arrival at the sanctuary we were shown inside, asked to fill out some information and offered food and drink while we waited for the rest of the group to arrive. Once everyone was there we were shown a safety video and given a run down of what we'd be doing that day. We were also told about the sanctuary and the amazing work they're doing saving these beautiful animals. We then prepared food for the elephants and fed them. After that we were given a bag full of bananas and taken on a walk round the sanctuary where we met I think about 6 of the elephants and got to feed them all (we were told about each elephant and their stories). We then watched them bath and play which was so lovely. After this we were given lunch which was absolutely delicious. It was evident from the morning that the staff care about the elephants first and foremost and we were only allowed to touch them on their trunks (as touching them anywhere else could remind them of when they were mistreated). It was truly an amazing day. I visited on my birthday so at the end of the day I got a 'birthday platter' of elephant food and got to feed two of the elephants again. They also gave me a free hat which I thought was really sweet. We were then taken back to our hotel by another lovely driver. Honestly I can't recommend them enough and I was truly taken aback at how fantastic the sanctuary is and how well run the day was, and how caring and kind the staff were. Please visit and support a wonderful cause!!

Enjoyable elephant experience. - I loved my visit to Samui Elephant Sanctuary. You are given treats and water when you arrive. We saw several elephants. The group learned how to make a couple of treats for the elephants. We also pet the elephants. Make sure you listen to the guide. Some elephants are blind in one eye so you shouldn’t approach them from that side. The lunch was delicious. Definitely an enjoyable visit. I will have to come back someday.

Bad weather and no refund! - Unfortunately, we were unable to visit the elephant sanctuary excursion that we paid for. There was bad weather and our cruise ship/port authorities said it was unsafe to allow passengers off the ship. We contacted the elephant sanctuary immediately when we received the news that we were not allowed off the ship. However, the sanctuary refused to offer a refund. In addition, they said they would send a letter regarding the payment made to them, but we never received it. We were very disappointed that at least a partial refund was not offered since this unfortunate weather was out of our control.