Swimming with Elephants in Phuket, Thailand

Swimming with Elephants

We had the most amazing experience swimming with elephants while we were in Phuket, Thailand. We got to go out into the water with two elephants and play around. I guess technically we were not swimming, but everyone refers to it as swimming with elephants.

I had read online in chat forums that you could swim with elephants in Phuket on a Tri Trang beach. So, off we went to find them. When we got there, there were no elephants. That’s right, despite everything I read there are no elephants to see on Tri Trang beach. (FYI, Tri Trang beach is gorgeous.)

I turned to the internet again and eventually found a phone number. (The phone number is listed below.) I called and sure enough, they seemed to know what I was talking about. They told us they would come and get us. My friend was traveling with me and thought this was crazy, but we waited anyway. Sure enough, a pickup truck came and picked us up after I called a second time. Now I am a little confused as to which beach we were on when we got there, but there were signs indicating that this was where you swim with elephants. If you can get yourself close there will be signs! I have included a screen shot of my map below with a pin dropped where I think we were.

For 700 BAHT (22.35 USD) each we got 10 to 15 minutes with two elephants. This is not that long, but it’s still completely worth it. For an additional 200 Baht (6.39 USD) you can get a CD with photos on it. I believe they were taking photos with a Nikon camera.

Their phone number is 66-836-443-548.

They do take reservations. In fact, they ask me if we had a reservation. When I told them no we did not they informed me that they were all booked up. But for some reason they came and got us anyway!

We did not ride the elephants

For those of you concerned, I thought I should add that we observed the elephants being well cared for. I have had some people leaving messages on my Instagram that you should not ride elephants. At no time were we out trekking around on elephants. They let us sit on them and at one point the elephants walked out of the water and onto the beach, but that was it.

Swimming with Elephants in Phuket (taken with a GoPro)

Reflecting back on this experience two years later I can easily say that this is still one of the best experiences we’ve ever had anywhere in the world.

More Fun Things to do in Phuket

Where to Stay in Phuket

Novotel Surin

Novotel Karon

Should You Get Travel Insurance?

Don’t forget travel insurance! I’m a fan of Travelex insurance, because of the variety of options. Protect yourself from possible injury & theft abroad. I have gotten extremely sick twice now out of the country and Noah has had seizures in Thailand, so I always recommend getting some sort of coverage. Read why you should always carry travel insurance.