To be perfectly prepared for your Elephant Hills Adventure, we have collected a couple of helpful hints and tips for you to read before your departure to our elephant nature park.
Important Update for the Lake Camp:
We would like to inform you that in order to improve your experience at Elephant Hills and the the Lake Camp, we have built a new reception area nearby Cheow Larn Lake. This area is used for luggage storage. All our elephant nature park trips heading to the Lake Camp (our luxury tent floating tented camp) will stop here. Large bags will be left here and only overnight packs or hand luggage will be taken to the Lake Camp. To make things easier for you we recommend that if you are returning to the same hotel after your stay with us that you store your large suitcases at that particular hotel and bring a weekend pack with your essentials. If you are moving onwards after your stay with us then please prepare a small bag (backpack or similar) for the Lake Camp parts of your trip. We do have small waterproof bags available for sale at our gift shop should you not be able to find the right bag.
Join our efforts reducing plastic waste!
We offer several complimentary fill up stations for drinking water at all of our tour locations. Please bring your reusable water bottle with you, and help us to conserve the environment.
Accommodation & Food:
How many tents do you have?
Elephant Camp features 66 luxurious tents; the Lake Camp consists of 20 floating luxury tents.
What types of tents / tent set-ups are there?
Elephant Hills offers one “room type”, which is a luxury tent. Tents have either 1 big double bed or 2 separate twin beds, and can accommodate up to 3 adults, in case a roll-in bed is requested. Families up to 4 persons can be accommodated as described below.
How do you accommodate families?
Currently, we do not have specific family tents at Elephant Hills. Families of up to 2 adults and 2 children can be accommodated in one tent, with 1 child sleeping in an extra bed, while 1 child shares the double bed with its parents. Families of 2ADL + 3CHL will always receive 2 tents – kids promotion still applies.
What is your family policy?
Elephant Hills offers special kids’ rates all year round to children from 4 years of age up to their 16th birthday (tour departure date), as long as they are accompanied by at least one full paying adult and share the bed with their parents. Please find more information on our fantastic family discounts here.
Please understand that we cannot accept children younger than 4 years of age.
Do you provide hair dryers?
Hair dryers are provided in every tent at The Elephant Camp. Please note that hair dryers cannot be used at The Lake Camp, due to limited power supply (The Lake Camp is mainly powered by solar and wind energy).
Do you have electricity in the Rainforest?
At The Elephant Camp, we do have electricity 24 hours per day. At The Lake Camp, power usually lasts all day long as well, as long as it is managed adequately. Please charge all electronical equipment during your first night at The Elephant Camp, before heading out to The Lake Camp, in order to save power.
Is there internet / WiFi at Elephant Hills?
At The Elephant Camp, we do offer free WiFi in the common area. At The Lake Camp as it is so remote, there is no internet and not even phone signal out there – finally you can switch off your phone without feeling guilty and enjoy pure nature at its very, very best.
What kind of food do you offer?
Elephant Hills offers a wide variety of fine Thai dishes at our buffet lunches and dinners. Breakfast is rather western, with a choice of cereals, fruit, yoghurt, freshly baked bread, cheese, and eggs prepared to your liking at our popular omelet station. On request, we are happy to cater for special diets – please inform us about this at time of booking.
Is drinking water included?
We have several complimentary fill up stations for drinking water at all of our tour locations. We encourage everyone to bring a reusable water bottle on your Elephant Hills adventure! However, if you don’t own a reusable bottle, we provide a stainless steel bottle upon check-in for the duration of your stay.
Can you cater for dietary needs?
Our chefs are more than happy to prepare vegetarian, vegan, halal, extra spicy or any kind of other meals for you on request. Furthermore, we also offer special dishes for guests with food allergies. Please state your dietary needs and requests in the “Remarks” section when placing your booking.
How can I pay for drinks and souvenirs at the camps?
Please note that due to the location of our two Luxury Tented Camps we can only accept cash payments on-site. This includes drinks expenses and souvenir purchases. We kindly ask you to prepare sufficient cash in Thai Baht (THB).
Are there any restrictions when staying in the National Park at our Lake Camp?
Our The Lake camp is located in the national park, therefore there are strict guidelines we have to follow from the authorities. We are unable to serve alcohol at our The Lake Camp and lifejackets must be worn at all times when in the water.
Transfers
How do we reach Elephant Hills?
We include all transfers to and from Elephant Hills in our tour packages, as long as you stick to our joint transfer times. Transfer options are Phuket, Khao Lak, Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani, Khanom, Don Sak Pier and even Koh Samui (incl. land transfer on Samui!). All these transfers can be combined at no surcharge, so pick up e.g. on Phuket and drop off at your hotel on Samui is possible without any problems. Please have a look at our Transfer Options for further information.
When will we be picked up at our hotel?
Generally, we do pick you up at the hotel lobby between 7am and 9am (exception being Koh Samui, where pick up is at 6am already, in order to reach the ferry to the mainland on time). When booking, we are happy to offer you an estimated pick up time on request – and we’ll always send a fax with the exact pick up time to your hotel one day before your Elephant Hills adventure commences.
How can we reach Elephant Hills coming from Bangkok?
To travel to Elephant Hills from Bangkok, we suggest two options:
• Plane:
Option 1, Surat Thani Aiport- 2hrs transfer time to Camp
Domestic flight TG 2251 at 9:40am is part of our scheduled transfers at no surcharge!
Option 2, Phuket Airport- 3hrs transfer time to Camp
Domestic flight TG 201 at 09.10 am is part of our scheduled transfers at no surcharge!
• Train: Take the overnight train from Bangkok to Surat Thani, arriving 07:21am. Our driver will await you at the train station and transfer you out to Elephant Hills – transfer is included in our tour packages. Please note that due to frequent delays of the train, our driver usually arrives at the train station at 8am. Should you arrive earlier than this, please be a little patient and wait for our driver to arrive.
Further details can be found on our transfer page.
How does the Koh Samui transfer work?
To transfer you out to Koh Samui, we will drive you to Don Sak Pier, buy the ferry ticket for you, ensure that you board the correct ferry, and have a driver waiting for you on Samui Island, who transfers you to your according hotel. All of this is included in the package price, there is no extra charge.
Pick up on Koh Samui is possible as well, trip will be vice versa, and again there won’t be a surcharge. Please just be aware that this is a rather early start, as we will pick you up around 6am at your hotel on Koh Samui.
Where is the closest airport to/from camp?
The closest and most convenient airport is Surat Thani (URT), just above one hour away from Elephant Hills. Flight options do include flights to Bangkok.
Phuket Airport (HKT) is about 2 hours’ drive from Elephant Hills.
Further details and included flights can be found on our transfer page.
Do you offer private transfers?
Please note all our standard transfers are joint transfers in comfortable minibuses, seating up to 9 persons. Private transfers can be arranged on request at a surcharge.
Can we drive to Elephant Hills ourselves?
Please understand that we do not allow self-drive arrivals to Elephant Hills. Both our camps are very difficult to find, there are no big signs or similar on the road. In the past, guests driving themselves could not find the camps easily, thus arrived late and missed activities – you will certainly agree that this is not desirable for anyone involved. Hence please understand that we decided to not allow self-drive arrivals anymore, and please feel free to make use of our free joint transfers.
We want to leave early to catch a flight/boat service. Is this possible at all?
Early transfers out are possible without problems from 9am onwards. Please note that you might miss activities on your last day at Elephant Hills. Also, as early transfers are private transfers, private transfer surcharges as per our private transfer surcharge summary apply.
Tour Packages
What is included in these tour packages? And what is not included?
All Elephant Hills tour packages are fully inclusive of accommodation, full board, activities as per chosen itinerary, a fully trained, TAT-licensed English speaking Thai tour leader* as well as joint transfers to and from Elephant Hills as per our transfer options.
Not included are soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, tips and gratuities as well as personal acquisitions from our souvenir shop or the local markets.
Which currency are your prices quoted in?
All prices shown are quoted in Thai Baht and are subject to change without prior notice.
How can pay for this unique soft adventure?
Payments are easiest made by credit card. Once fully payment is received, your booking will be confirmed.
Payment via bank transfer is possible on request, but might include a surcharge for bank transfer fees.
Please note that tours have to be paid for prior to arrival.
Is there a last minute discount?
Please understand that, due to the remote location of our two luxury tented jungle camps, we much prefer to receive bookings as early as possible, in order to plan all activities, food etc accordingly. Therefore we cannot offer last minute discounts.
Which is the best tour for us?
As every individual walking this Earth is different, we cannot generally suggest one specific tour for families or couples. However, we have tried to give you some guidelines in our Recommend Tours section.
When is the best time to travel?
Elephant Hills Adventure Tours are run all year round. Please note that we are based in Khao Sok, one of Thailand’s wettest areas, with about 3,500mm rainfall per annum, so it can rain any day of the year. Vice versa, the sun may shine any day of the year. Please understand that rain usually falls heavily in showers during one or two hours – and thanks to the temperatures not dropping below 25°C during daytime this is usually a very pleasant experience.
When is Monsoon Season?
Monsoon Season, or Green Season, as we like to call it, officially starts in May and ends around October. This is the perfect time to travel: Temperatures drop slightly to a comfortable 25-32°C during daytime, nature shines up in a lush green, and the chances of spotting wildlife increase dramatically.
As especially May, June, September and October are not super popular months for most of our clients (s. below) to travel due to being summer/early autumn in their home countries, you may strike some surprisingly good deals and enjoy a more intimate experience, as guest numbers are on average lower.
What kind of guests do you welcome to Elephant Hills?
Elephant Hills welcomes any open-minded traveler from anywhere on this globe, with the very vast majority of our guests coming from Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North America and South Africa. Due to the nature of our tours Elephant Hills is not suitable for people who are not fully mobile.
How can we book this unique soft adventure?
To place your booking, please simply choose your tour and follow the intuitive booking process. Should you have any questions or queries, please feel free to contact us.
Do you offer day trips to your elephant park?
We do not offer day trips to any of our elephant camps. In order to offer an intimate elephant encounter with small groups, we only allow overnight guests to visit our elephants. Besides – staying overnight in a luxurious tent in the Rainforest is an experience you certainly won’t forget too soon.
Do you offer elephant rides?
At Elephant Hills, we do not offer any elephant rides to our guests. Besides ethical reasons, we also found that our unique elephant experience offers a much higher value for money to our guests, as you will get to feed and interact with them. This intimate encounter is much praised and appreciated both by humans and elephants alike.
What should we bring to Elephant Hills?
Please bring non-slip shoes like sturdy sandals or trainers, loose comfortable clothes, sun protection and a rain coat (disposable raincoats are available to buy at our camp, but we would like to encourage you to bring a re-usable one with you to save the environment), swim wear for use at the pool or in the river. Please also remember to bring your passport for the check in process.
In order to reduce plastic waste, we offer several complimentary fill up stations for drinking water at all of our tour locations. Please bring your own reusable water bottle and help us to conserve Thailand’s beautiful nature and wildlife for future generations.
Is there Malaria in Khao Sok?
Khao Sok is not a typical malaria area, and usually free of malaria. However, we always advise to consult a tropical doctor before traveling to Thailand.
Do we need travel insurance?
YES. Although we have all accident and group insurances exceeding requirements by the Thai law, please understand that we can only welcome guests to Elephant Hills who do have personal travel insurance.
Elephant Fun Facts
Are elephants really scared of mice?
Despite this common myth, elephants are not at all intimidated or scared by little rodents.
How much do elephants eat per day?
Asian elephants consume up to 200kg of food a day, the intake of African elephants can even exceed this. Their diet is strictly vegetarian, and they spend 16-18 hours a day looking for food!
Do elephants love peanuts?
In spite of many people believing elephants would crave for peanuts, we cannot verify this. Our elephants much prefer sweet fruit like bananas, pineapples or water melon.
How about baby elephants?
Elephants are pregnant for 20-22 months, which is the longest gestation period of any living creature on this planet! They usually give birth to one single calf; the chance of having twins is about 1%. Babies weigh between 80-100kg at birth, and are breast-fed for approximately 3 years!
Can African and Asian elephants interbreed?
African elephants (Loxodonta Africana) and Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are different animal species, and cannot interbreed.
