We had an fantastic all day trip. The pick up and drop off from our hotel in Hua Hin was seamless and efficient. The work that the Foundation does to rescue and care for mistreated animals is excellent and totally geared to the specific animal's needs. Our guide, whose name I didn't quite get (name tags might be useful) was a young lady from Florida who was extremely articulate and enthusiastic gave us a lot of information. In the morning we had a walking tour which did involve a lot of standing and listening for an hour and a half which may not be suitable for everyone, but there were so many animals to see and so many questions to ask. We learnt a lot. The buffet lunch was ample and very good and in the afternoon we had a safari on the bus to see more elephants, bears and tigers who have lovely enclosures. The only jarring note for us was right at the end being allowed to feed two elephants. Having heard all day about the use of animals as photo props or accessories for tourist gratification feeding the elephants was unnecessary. Too many people the world over think it is ok to feed animals they do not know. I hope that everyone who was on the tour will think twice in the future about animals being used for entertainment or photo ops.

Totally worth it! We were lucky enough to get a last minute booking (one day in advance) for the full day tour, and we are very grateful. Honestly we thought about not doing it as we were staying in Bangkok and it is a 2.5-3 hr drive each way; BUT we happened to drive past an elephant spot in Bangkok where they were selling elephant rides and saw the elephants being mistreated and it made me continue the investigation and call directly about reserving the visit. They managed to squeeze us in and we just finished our visit and are in our private transfer back to Bangkok. Our main focus was to see the elephants but we really enjoyed the tour around the grounds and the experience of listening to all of the monkeys sing out to each other. There are cute deer and dogs all over the place (one followed us throughout the entire day), and we got to see some tigers and leopards quite up close. The buffet lunch was great and the view over the grounds while we took our lunch break was lovely to take in. Our guide Will was great, very informative and happy to answer questions (even several from a very curious little boy). You can tell he really enjoys being a part of the whole thing. At the end of the visit we got to feed two elephants (ours was blind) and it was a lovely experience. Although at first people might think it is a disadvantage that there is a no-touch-policy with the animals, the reality is that it makes the place that much more beautiful and reminds you of the horrors that these animals have all faced, and that the foundation of the organism is to protect the animals and provide a safe refuge. We were only in Bangkok for 5 days but we are very glad that we decided to take the time for this opportunity as our last day in Thailand. We definitely recommend the experience to everyone. P.S the monkeys perking their lips at you for kisses was adorable and a highlight of the day

I went to the WFFT on a friend's recommendation. I was warned of basic accommodation and little internet access. Transfer from Bangkok airport was straightforward and I was immediately met and welcomed by a Volunteer Coordinator who originated from the UK and shown to my room. Room was very basic but clean, as were the shared bathrooms. I took my own mosquito net - none were provided. Other volunteers were mainly female, from many different countries, and were around 18 - 28, and there were a group of people in their 60s also. Everyone was very friendly. I went for a week but would recommend 2 weeks minimum to really get into the groove. I am vegan and had good food at each meal in the Elephant Kitchen (which has wifi) - there is a Volunteers Kitchen as well where you can cook for yourself (I didn't use) - where there is also wifi. This is a really rare opportunity to get close to their 22 elephants - walking, feeding and washing. You do also have to carry banana tree logs about twice a week (called the Harvest) - these can be heavy (some being carried by 3 people but others could be light) - you can opt out if you have back issues, but it's really fun and builds comraderie so I really enjoyed the Harvests. There is also over 800 other animals that need feeding and cleaning out. WFFT get a lot more volunteers for the elephant side than the wildlife side so you may be more needed and more busy on the wildlife side. All animals were well cared for and looked happy and healthy. I would recommend a couple of weeks on each. I would definitely return and recommend.

To do something totally different we chose to spent our 44th wedding anniversary at the WFFT, a more than great decision. We booked for 2 nights (6-8 March) and what an experience! We were guided to our room on poles by car, because it was quite far from the main building but near the gibbons as we learned later. From our terrace we had a nice view at the bushes and to our great surprise 2 elephants came passing by. By car we went back to the main building where we had a nice meal on the terrace with an excellent view. The next morning (our wedding day) during breakfast, we saw 3 elephants grouping together as if they wanted to say “you can make photos now”, so cute. At about 10 a.m. the tour started, partly by bus and partly walking. The tour guide had a great knowledge about most of the rescued animals. The stories often were heartbreaking, especially about the elephants, but also the way the monkeys, apes, wild cats, etc. had been maltreated. The morning was mostly walking and after lunch we were going to see the big cats, just recently saved from a zoo at Phuket. Because of the Covid time when there was no income, the zoo couldn’t afford to keep the cats anymore, so Edwin Wiek and his team made great effort to bring them to the park. (The other day a read he picked up some more cats.) The last part of the excursion we were allowed to feed 2 elephants, each one got a bucket full of watermelon parts. In the beginning most people were a bit scared but after feeding a couple of chunks it became big fun. We finished this great day with a nice dinner and a bottle of wine to celebrate our anniversary and having had the opportunity to visit the park. I can only say, everybody who loves nature and its creatures, come and visit the WFFT, for one day just for the tour, or for a couple of days, enjoying the peace and quiet and of course, last but not least, the personnel who did their utmost to make our stay a great experience! Thank you for the lessons learned and for those who are going to visit, enjoy your time, it’s worth every Baht you spend!

My partner and I did the Full Day Tour yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We were greeted on arrival, had a brief talk from our guide about what to expect etc, and put into an open-air bus. The morning segment was mostly about Gibbons and Macaques, some bears, along with a few introduced animals such as a Cassowary from Australia, tortoises and deer included. Most of these were seen on a nice walk through trees. After two hours we then headed back to the restaurant for a Thai style buffet lunch which was fresh and tasty made to suit foreigners palate ( not spicy! ) with good vegetarian options. At lunch you have a great view of elephants and plenty of good photo ops. The afternoon was about elephants, bears and big cats, especially tigers, leopards, a puma and Fishing Cats. There is also an Orangutan but he was hiding yesterday, and an island with a Chimpanzee that has been rescued from many years in a small cage in a Bangkok school. We also came across some cute otters in an enclosure, plus saw some Hornbills that had been rescued. The tour finished with the guests hand feeding a couple of elephants. The tour guide Natalie was excellent, giving in-depth information on all the animals including where they were rescued from, names, ages, personalities and what was planned for some of them in the future. I highly recommend doing the full day tour as the afternoon trip had more diversity than the morning. Take a hat, plenty of water, and a hand towel as it gets pretty hot out there. Highly recommended!

What an incredible rescue centre this is. I’d recommend anyone to visit or volunteer. This was my second stay here volunteering on the elephant project and it was just as wow and rewarding as the first time. The volunteers ranged from 18-67 so it’s never too late to come here and fulfil a dream of working behind the scenes with these magnificent creatures. That said, it can be quite physical especially during harvest so a level of physical fitness is needed to some extent if you work on the elephant project. The WFFT is somewhere to learn and be educated about wildlife and how these animals came to be here. Some of which brought me to tears. The compassion and care that is given to all the rescued animals from the workers and volunteers is next to none. Both and Boong were a dream to work alongside. Both is such a hard worker who is constantly smiling and nothing is ever too much for him, always willing to help and in several places at once! Pan, one of the mahouts has a little place in my heart after seeing him by the side of one of his elephants all night, alongside the onsite vet team while she was under the weather. Mike the tiger keeper holds an incredible amount of knowledge about tigers and the ones he cares for. So informative and passionate about what he does, not only for the tigers but how he cares for the other animals too. A real pleasure to talk to. When you book to volunteer here, everything runs so smoothly with Katie the volunteer coordinator. You can ask as many questions as you like and you’ll always get a response straight away. We also had the honour of meeting Edwin the founder who is always around checking in on his animals. Thank you to everyone who works here for all the love and care you show these animals. Until next time…

What an absolutely amazing place to visit. We went as a family of 5 adults for a whole day tour and couldn’t fault anything. We chose this as it’s a rescue centre and their ethical approach. We booked direct with the centre on the phone which was very straightforward and paid on arrival. We were collected on time and taken straight there, included in the price. Our accommodation was not on their list of collection points but this didn’t matter, you just give them the address. The first thing on the day was a video which is a really hard watch but necessary to show what appalling situations these animals have been rescued from. Bring tissues! This was followed by a walk through the forest with explanations about the animals and their rescues. Lunch is provided and included in the price which was extremely good. The afternoon is a safari bus where you see elephants, tigers and more! It’s an absolute delight to see elephants roaming free in the grounds and just doing what elephants should, no chains, no sticks and no carrying people around. At the end of the tour we had buckets of water melon to feed to the elephants, they are so gentle. We come to the same area every year and this has been added to our annual trips! Just a totally amazing experience so please visit and support the fantastic work they are doing.

We have chosen this particular wildlife rescue sanctuary after online research to avoid visiting other ones that seemed to us still using animals to attract tourists and mistreating poor creatures for that purpose. We look at animals as sentient beings and wish they are treated accordingly. There are very few places with proper attitude towards animals and this is one of them. We spent a day tour there and really enjoyed our time watching lots of rescued animals (which suffered a lot in their lives and now are well looked after) and listening to our knowledgable guide Zeina (sorry if I misspelled the name but the girl was from Florida) who told us many interesting things and stories. Last but not least lunch was good with great vege options. Don't be shy and buy soma souvenirs from them It's for a noble cause. Thank you guys from WFFT. Ryszard

We had a great day there. They picked us with a comfortable shuttlebuss (they even provided a child seat) and when we arrived it was a one hour wait at the lodge restaurant before the guided tour startet. We hadde booked the full day and glad we did. The guides are great and it is a very educational day with regards to how some animals unfortunately are treated. Our kids (6yrs and 12yrs) loved it. There are som red ants out and about so I would recommend shoes, not flip flopps.

This is a wonderful place to spend a few hours - learning about how these animals had been mistreated and how some individuals are trying to help them recover. The tour was well managed - we did a half day one (afternoon) because we are elderly and can't walk very far. Lunch was included - which was nice, sitting in the restaurant and watching the elephants coming by to scrounge for hand-outs. It does remind me of a zoo because the animals are kept in enclosures - however, most have freedom to run in the space allocated - and mostly the enclosures are protecting the humans...I wouldn't feel safe if a tiger was walking around freely, would you? Anyway, I now will no longer sit on an elephant or go on safaris on elephant backs. I prefer not to visit zoos either.