Khao Sok Eco Tour with Elephant Sanctuary Visit

Uncover some of Thailand's best-kept secrets on an exclusive tour that ticks all the boxes. You'll combine a variety of activities, ranging from the cultural to the natural. Haggle with locals in a market, feed elephants in a sanctuary and mingle with monkeys in a temple. Tina, one of our expert local guides, says, ‘You'll be able to get really involved with the elephants, helping out the sanctuary staff by preparing their food, giving them a mud bath and then washing off these gentle giants in the river.'

The fun begins at Takuapa market, where you'll get to taste fresh Thai fruit while meeting the locals. We move it up a gear next at the viewpoint in Khao Sok National Park, before a trip to the local rainforest sanctuary to help feed, bathe and care for elephants. The sanctuary is where elderly elephants, who are unable to work, live their daily lives. Once you have helped out with the prep, you'll be able to feed healthy treats to the elephants and walk with them through the tropical jungle, before bathing them and planting food for them.

And there's more to come. After a lunchtime feast courtesy of a Thai cooking show, you'll end the tour at ‘Monkey Cave', or Wat Suwan Khuha, a cave temple which is home to a large, golden, reclining Buddha – and lots of monkeys. Inside the cave, all is serene and beautiful, with an intricately decorated shrine and often monks praying. You may also catch sight of birds and bats in the cave, but the monkeys generally stay outside.