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Such an amazing eye-opening experience. The guides were informative and spoke great English. The facility itself is well-kept and food you get is delicious. You get to learn about the elephants, take lots of pictures and feed the elephants too. Highly recommend.
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Date of experience: March 2020
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If you are used to traveling in poor rural countries, you will love this. If you expect to be picked up in an air conditioned van with moist towels, you will be disappointed. We just got done hiking in Cambodia and riding in tuk tuks around Krabi so riding on a padded seat in a covered pick up truck was just fine. Our guide was quite, but informative. The guys that took care of the elephants were very attentive to them and us. The best part, we had the place to ourselves! 3 of us, including my 75 yr old mother in law spent a fantastic hour hiking through the forest with the elephants, I had to hold her hand on the steep parts but she did great. Then we went to the mud bath and the river... Amazing experience!! Returned to a fantastic lunch. So peaceful and Beautiful, I can't wait to do it again.…
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Date of experience: December 2019
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I must say how very dissapointened we were with HUG ELEPHANT SANCTUARY. First of all they suppose to pick us up between 6.30-7.00 from our hotel.So we were waiting and waiting .07.15 I lost my patient and rang company.Nobody picked the phone up until 08.00. The guy picked us up at 8.15 , but did not speak any english so could not explained what has happend. After a very speedy drive we arrived to sanctuary and we were meet by the very scrufy looking man ,who again did not speak english. Another man took us then briskly to group of others who were just about to start feeding the 4 elephants. Tour guide whose name beginning at B was not approachable at all ,likely ignorant I must say. I was very angry of what has happend to us and requested to speak to their manager ,but unsuccessful. I said that I am not going to pay for something what we missed So then he said that tbe company forgot about us and if I won't pay they will take us back to hotel. I was trying to explain why are we so upset ,but been ignored again. When I mentioned that I will provide very bad review about their company , he said that they do not care about reviews ,all they care about is money. There were 4 elephants , and people who looking after them was not very nice to them at all. Dragging poor elephants to water for pictures with tourist etc. Then a guy took us for a jungle walk-well it was 10 minutes walk to waterfalls where was a small coffee shop so they could make some bussines of tourists. We stayed there for 20 minutes and then went back for what suppose to be lunch. Cold rice ,cold nudlles and some veg and chicken. Then quickly to pay and of you go as another group was waiting. The elephants were amazing ,I love these animals ,only wish for their freedom and not these kind of bussines they do. HUG ELEPHANT SANCTZARY IS NOT SANCTUARY AT ALL AND RUINED IT ALL FOR US. DO NOT WAIST YOUR TIME TO GO THERE…
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Date of experience: January 2020
1 Helpful vote
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The elephants were awesome , such gentle creatures . The website doesn't seem to jive with what we experienced though , our guide seemed very disinterested with no engagement or education and even ate lunch away from the group by himself . Getting to and from the venue was an experience in itself . A pickup truck with 2 benches in the back and a driver who drove like a maniac . If we had to choose a place to get up close to elephants again knowing what we know now , it wouldn't be here & I feel kind of rotten for supporting such a place . …
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Date of experience: February 2020
2 Helpful votes
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We did a half day trip thinking it was a sanctuary. After a 2 hour journey we got to put mud on the elephant give them sugar cane while they were behind a fence and then their owners forced them into the water so we could "play" in the water and get a picture for their website.i learned how to make "medicine" for them and when I went to give it to them they were all tied up.…
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Date of experience: December 2019
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