Full Day Elephant Care - Mae Rim Elephant Sanctuary

The Full Day program is the most complete visit Mae Rim Elephant Sanctuary offers. It has all the feeding and bathing of the half-day visits, plus a gentle jungle walk with the elephants, a foraging session and a Thai cooking class. It suits anyone who wants unhurried time with the animals rather than a quick stop, and it works well for families with children old enough for a full day out.

You are collected from your hotel between 09:00 and 09:30 for the 45-minute drive north to Mae Rim. On arrival you change into traditional mahout clothing and meet the herd with a basket of bananas while the team tells you about each elephant's background and behaviour. The morning continues with a mud spa and sand play, then time at the swimming pool. There is a Thai cooking session where you make your own noodle soup, and lunch is included. In the afternoon you gather treats for the elephants, walk with them along the stream through the jungle, and finish with bathing and more sand play. After a farewell to the herd you change back and leave the sanctuary around 16:30, reaching your hotel about 17:30.

The sanctuary keeps to a model without riding, hooks or chains. You are beside the elephants the whole day, never on them. Everything for the animals is provided; you need swimwear, a towel and sandals that can get wet.