ABOUT
One of the most beautiful areas in Thailand is the Kao Sok national park.
The Elephant Hills camp located in the Park and its whole idea is meeting Elephants and cool experience of glamping - we explaine more about it later.
LOCATION
The Elephant Hills camp is located in the jungle of Kao Sok park, in the largest area of rainforest in southern Thailand. The camp is private and there's no other hotels or things to do in the area - and this part of the magic of the place. when we first got to the camp, our mouth literally dropped to the sight of the jungle mountains around us, if there ever a place that feels like Jurassic Park - its this place.
COMMON AREAS
The camp is located as we said, in the jungle. the all vibe and design of the place made to make you feel you just walked in a luxurious safari camp. the design is rustic and gives you the safari vibes, but made with good taste and looked like every corner got attention. As this a camp, the common area are meant to be shared. the food served as a buffet and you can have your lunch on a picnic table next to other visitors, which is really nice.
The pool is absolutely stunning. it's small but has the most beautiful view. the mountains behind are incredible, and if its a little foggy up at the top, its nothing less than magic.
ACCOMMODATION
So, glamping. what is glamping?
glamping = glam + camping.
Its the only place in Thailand offering this kind of experience.
The whole idea is to feel you're in a safari, but not really experience the safari conditions. the tents are amazing, its fully equipped with electricity and you have everything you need - a fan, light, comfy bed, towels, a shower with hot water and a writing table. you don't even know you're in a tent! but, you definitely feel and get to the jungle mood. we had the best night sleep with the rain forest sounds all around - super calming and relaxing.
DINING
The Elephant Hills offers you a full experience. the packages include an all-inclusive menu - 3 meals a day and snacks, a schedule filled with activities and trips, transportation and of course the accommodation.
The food is actually amazing! its a buffet, with a variety of food that can fit anyone - local food and international. the meals all served in the dining area, and when it served - they hit a gong to let you know its time to eat!
ACTIVITIES & ENTERTAINMENT
So in this case, this is the exciting part! it called Elephant Hills for a reason, no?
first, when we arrived, we were greeted by the staff, had a welcome drink and had some time to unpack and rest, at 13:30 we went to a kayak tour, with our own kayak guy, so we can rest and look at the view. the sail was beautiful, we got to see some snakes and frogs, it was super relaxing and we loved it.
After the kayak, we hopped on a jeep with our group and guide and went to meet the elephants. The elephants located at a beautiful place, open grass valley surrounded by huge mountains. All the elephants are female and they all been rescued from different places, They were dancing elephants at the circus, used for hard work or riding tourists. we had so much time to be with them. we could take photos, pet, feed them with fruits and even wash them. the guides are so patient and gave us the time to enjoy and fully experience the meet up with these gentle giants.
You can see that this is the human way to handle those animals, unfortunately, its impossible to set them free fully in the wild, so they provide them the most natural and wild like way of life. the experience was amazing, we believe its the best and only way to meet elephants in Thailand, to keep them safe and respect their life.
In the evening, we watched a documentary about the rain forest, and then a show of 11 years old local school girls preform traditional Thai dancing. it was sweet and precious and we absolutely loved it. after the show, we had a Thai cooking demonstration and of course - taste, and at the end - they served dinner. The day is packed with activities so sleeping early was just perfect for us.
The next day, we went for a Jungle trekking with a small group and a guide, we walked by foot for about 2 hours and learn a lot about the rain forest, the local plants and animals. its was a fun light way to start your morning before we left the camp.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE
The camp is great, the elephants are amazing, the staff is nice and kind and it was a great experience.
one more important thing for us that we think you should know - its an eco-friendly camp. you cant find plastic bottles on the site, you get a bottle you can use during your stay, and its something we think highly of.
Theres so much more to do there! we only had 1 night in our schedule, but you can choose between packages with different activits and nights. we totally recommend this experience to others, and that's why we decided to review it.
Elephant Hills Website - https://www.elephanthills.com/
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