Taking a walk on the wild side – Siam Safari 8

Are you looking for things to do in Phuket with kids?  We discovered Siam Safari Elephant Camp.

On our recent holiday to Phuket I felt our son really had to experience an elephant ride.

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PLEASE NOTE: Siam Safari closed in January 2017.

We were collected by a driver who took us for the hour-long journey via the winding coastal road.  On the high cliff roads we looked down at the towns of Surin, Kamala, Patong and Karon before making our way inland up a narrow winding road through the rubber plantations. We were on the road to the Big Buddha and before reaching our destination of Siam Safari we past the ATV adventures, a monkey show and bird performance.

Let’s go for an elephant ride!

At Siam Safari Elephant Camp

As we walked into the entry foyer we were where greeted and offered a complimentary hot drink.  Whilst sipping our coffee we admired the open aired room built from large polished logs and a thatched roof.

We also took this opportunity to apply sunscreen and insect repellent from our day pack, for our journey ahead.

Morning tea

Once everyone had arrived we boarded an extra long trailer that was pulled along by a tractor up a rocky incline to a small stage setting under a thatched roof.

It was here that we got to learn about the elephants from our humorous guide Joy.  As she spoke we watched the elephants perform: picking up fruit, collecting the fallen hats from their trainers and returning them to their heads, playing the harmonica and even painting artwork.

What a picture!

The Elephant Ride at Siam Safari

After a quick photo opportunity we got to board the elephants.  We assented a ramp to a platform so that we could easily make our way onto the seat strapped to the elephant.

At first it was quite nerve-racking sitting high up on this massive animal as it gingerly made its way along the eroded cliff top path in the lush emerald-green jungle.  But we quickly became accustomed to the rocking motion of the elephants gait.

We could see across the Chalong Highlands and as our elephant made its way through the rubber plantation and we noticed the cups at the bottom of the trees collecting the rubber sap.

The Chalong Highlands

Then we stopped to admire the stunning view over the bright blue Chalong Bay out to Koh Lon Island.

Chalong Bay

Further along we could even see the Big Buddha whose temple is still in the process of being built.

Big Buddha, Phuket

The butterflies that joined us along our walk were beautiful their wings made of yellows, purples, black and orange.  However I wasn’t happy to see a snake sitting to the side of the path (I am petrified of snakes) and I was particularly concerned it might spook the elephant, fortunately it slithered away.  However then we found a massive spider in its web and as the elephant turned slowly the spider was literally only centimetres from my arm.  Ugh!

The time flew by and soon our 45 minute walk was over.  We disembarked our elephant onto the high platform.  We were given our last opportunity to thank our elephant driver and take photos with our elephant.

Whilst waiting for the trailer ride back to the main foyer we ate snacks from our day bag and guzzled water, the temperatures in Phuket were above 30C.

As we returned to our car our driver kindly offered if we wanted to be dropped into Patong for shopping instead of returning to our hotel.  We declined; a morning on an elephant tires you out!

Have you ridden an elephant or any other animal?

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