Seven Krabi elephant sanctuaries with no riding, ranked by welfare, from Following Giants, where you only watch, to the hands-on mud-and-bath half days, with the operators' own prices and where each picks you up.
Every place on this list says no riding, and that's where the agreement ends. At Following Giants and Krabi Roaming you watch and don't touch, and at Krabi Elephant Local Project you feed the elephants but don't bathe them. The Elephant Sanctuary Krabi, Ao Nang Elephant Sanctuary, Krabi Elephant Shelter and Krabi Elephant Sanctuary in Ao Luek are hands-on half days with mud and bathing. Choose the kind of visit first, because it cuts the list in half.
The order follows welfare. World Animal Protection's elephant-friendly list comes first, then places where visitors don't bathe the elephants, then the hands-on ones, with Responsible Travel's support and the number of guides naming each place setting the order inside each group. Prices are each operator's own adult rate, and three of them publish none.
Most of these sanctuaries are a short drive inland from Ao Nang and include pickup from Ao Nang, Klong Muang and Krabi Town, and several collect Railay guests at Ao Nam Mao or Noppharat Thara. Similar names belong to different businesses here, so book on the operator's own website.
| Sanctuary | Price per adult | Contact with the elephants |
|---|---|---|
| Following Giants | 90 minutes ฿1,700, half day ฿2,750, full day ฿3,850 | Watching only |
| Krabi Roaming | 2 hours ฿2,200, half day ฿2,900 | Watching only |
| Krabi Elephant Local Project | Not published | Feeding, no bathing |
| The Elephant Sanctuary Krabi | ฿2,900 | Feeding, mud spa, bathing |
| Ao Nang Elephant Sanctuary | Not published | Feeding, mud spa, pool bathing |
| Krabi Elephant Shelter | Not published | Hands-on |
| Krabi Elephant Sanctuary, Ao Luek | ฿2,500, cash only | Feeding, mud, pond bathing |
Best overall, and the only Krabi sanctuary on World Animal Protection's elephant-friendly list. There's no riding, bathing, feeding or touching. You watch the herd on 85 acres at Khao Khram with a guide. The 90-minute visit is ฿1,700, the half day ฿2,750 and the full day ฿3,850, with transfers from Ao Nang, Noppharat Thara for Railay, Klong Muang, Tub Kaek and Krabi Town.
Best short visit without contact. Responsible Travel supports this small Ao Nang sanctuary, where nobody rides or washes the elephants and the visit is observation only. Mini Moments is ฿2,200 for two hours and the half day ฿2,900 with a meal, and it lists hotel transfers in Krabi.
Feeding without bathing. A newer Ao Nang project where you prepare snacks and feed the elephants, and it says it doesn't ride them, make them perform or bathe them with guests. It isn't on a welfare list and its site has no prices, so confirm the program and pickup when you book.
Where to stay
My pick at each price level in Krabi, going by Google's hotel class. Hotels from my ranked list of the 10 best come first, then the best-reviewed. Each button opens the hotel on Booking.com with your dates filled in.
#1Luxury · 5-star
Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort4.7 (4,946 reviews)
Upscale beachfront resort in Nong Thale offering spa facilities, multiple pools, and direct Andaman Sea access.
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#3Mid-range · 4-star
Sea Seeker Krabi Resort4.5 (3,332 reviews)
A large beachside resort in Ao Nang offering spacious rooms, sea views, and easy access to Krabi's coast.
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Best hands-on half day. A family-run sanctuary in Nong Thale with three elephants, where you feed them, give them a mud spa and bathe with them. It's ฿2,900 for adults and ฿2,000 for children 4 to 10, with pickup in Krabi Town, Ao Nang, Ao Nam Mao for Railay, and Klong Muang, and the afternoon program also collects from the Lanta and Phi Phi piers.
Pool bathing near Ao Nang. It's accredited by ACES and certified by Thailand's Department of Livestock Development, and the visit covers feeding, making protein balls, an optional mud spa and bathing in a large pool. Transfers are free from Krabi Town, Ao Nang, Klong Muang, Tub Kaek, Ao Nam Mao and the Railay pier. Its site has no price, so confirm it when you book.
About 10 minutes inland from Ao Nang, a home for elephants that came out of forestry work and riding camps. Nobody rides them, and it's accredited by ACES and the Department of Livestock Development. The visit is hands-on, and its site lists no prices, so check what the program includes before you go.
Klook's best-reviewed Krabi tours, with today's prices. Most cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.
The farthest out, and cash only. A family-run sanctuary in Ao Luek, about 50 minutes from Ao Nang, with feeding, a walk, a mud bath and bathing in a pond, in groups of up to 20. It's ฿2,500 with pickup in Krabi Town and Ao Nang, a guide and a fruit snack.
Following Giants, for the elephants. It's the only Krabi sanctuary on World Animal Protection's elephant-friendly list and the Elephant Welfare Alliance's, and visits are watch-only with no feeding or bathing, from ฿1,700 for 90 minutes. For a hands-on half day, The Elephant Sanctuary Krabi in Nong Thale is the best known, at ฿2,900.
Yes, two. Following Giants and Krabi Roaming are observation only, and Responsible Travel supports both. Some booking sites say Krabi has no no-contact sanctuary, which is wrong.
It doesn't offer riding, but its programs include feeding baby elephants, a mud spa and river bathing, and it isn't on World Animal Protection's, the Elephant Welfare Alliance's or Responsible Travel's lists. World Animal Protection says responsible venues don't breed elephants, and I couldn't find where its babies were born, so it isn't on this list.
A half day costs ฿2,500 to ฿2,900 at most places, and ฿2,750 at Following Giants. Shorter visits start at ฿1,700 at Following Giants and ฿2,200 at Krabi Roaming. Krabi Elephant Sanctuary in Ao Luek takes cash only.
Yes, at The Elephant Sanctuary Krabi, Ao Nang Elephant Sanctuary and Krabi Elephant Sanctuary in Ao Luek. Following Giants, Krabi Roaming and Krabi Elephant Local Project don't offer it, and World Animal Protection advises against it.
Yes. Following Giants picks up at Noppharat Thara for the Railay boats, and The Elephant Sanctuary Krabi and Ao Nang Elephant Sanctuary use the Ao Nam Mao and Railay piers. The Elephant Sanctuary Krabi's afternoon program also collects from the Lanta and Phi Phi piers, and Following Giants runs a second camp on Koh Lanta.
