A Sanctuary
For
Retired Working Elephants
Tree Tops is home to nine retired elephants, each with their own tragic story of captivity and eventual freedom at Tree Tops.
Our youngest Fah Sai, is only 10 years old, and our eldest Nam Sook (Grandma) is an impressive 70 years. We are a professional and dedicated elephant sanctuary established by Mr Wallop Joe P. Luengdhama who has spent 35 years in the tourism industry and has a deep love of elephants.
We rescue and rehabilitate captive elephants who previously worked in the logging industry, or gave rides and performed in shows for tourist entertainment, each exhausting and detrimental to elephants’ wellbeing. We are pioneering ethical elephant tourism in the South of Phuket and offer visitors a unique adventure to learn about and appreciate elephants’ welfare through our gentle and loving approach.
Your visit enables us to rescue and save more elephants, and to preserve the tropical environment and precious wildlife. We look forward to welcoming you to our sanctuary
Feed
Walk With
Observe
Connect With Elephants in Their Natural Environment
What To Bring On Your Tree Tops Experience
Read more on what items to bring to make the most of your visit at our reserve.
Why It Is Discouraged to Bathe With Elephants
Learn why we do not offer this activity and educate yourself on the behavior of elephants
Why Does Tree Tops Not Offer A Bathing With Elephants Program?
In the wild, elephants love to bathe in rivers, ponds, streams and muddy wallows. They need space to splash, roll around, submerge, and cover themselves in mud. Elephants like peace and quiet, not loud groups of visitors throwing mud or buckets of water at them. If people are crowding around them, it is very stressful for the elephants. Also, the mahout (handler) needs to control the elephant by forcing it to stand still or lie down, not giving any freedom for the elephant to play.
It is also very unhygienic for visitors as the elephants urinate and defecate when entering the water, which may cause eye infections and sickness. There are also accidents with people slipping in the mud which is dangerous when there is a three tonne elephant close by.
Our program limits contact for many reasons, but mostly so our elephants can be free of constant human touch. We want our elephants to enjoy their day just as much as you. Within Tree Tops we have provided many other opportunities to engage with our beloved elephants in more natural and authentic ways, which we hope you will enjoy.
By keeping your distance from the elephants you get to see them acting naturally at peace. You are able to take the most amazing photos and videos of elephants doing things it normally would not be possible to see. This is why a visit to Tree Tops is a truly special day, and a sincere elephant experience.
What Our Clients Have To Say
Look out for the abundant wildlife that shares the sanctuary with our elephants, as an additional highlight of your tour. Our fields and woods offer a safe haven for an abundance of migrating wild birds, with daily sightings of egrets and eagles, butterflies and dragonflies, as well as our resident cats and dogs relaxing the day away.
