An elephant roaming the grasslands near the edge of the forest

Wild Elephant Watching

Kui Buri National Park

While elephants live in a number of National Parks across Thailand, they can be hard to spot and you’ll be very lucky to see one. The best place to watch elephants in the wild is Kui Buri National Park that is the home of several hundred wild elephants. Sightings of one or more of these beautiful animals are almost certain.

Elephant watching

The elephants usually stay in the forest until the late afternoon, especially on bright sunny days. By the end of the day they come out of the forest when they can be seen roaming the grasslands bordering the trees. Often they hang out around water and salt licks, which are an important source of minerals. A particularly rewarding experience is to watch herds with both adults and baby elephants.

Elephants bathing in a river

Huay Luek elephant watching area

The elephants are usually spotted at the Huay Luek elephant watching area, a beautiful place with forests and grasslands where the elephants and possibly other animals as deer and gaur can be observed without disturbing them.

Wildlife safari

Visitors can get to the wildlife watching area by arranging a wildlife safari.

A converted pickup truck with seats in the back drives tourists from the visitor center to Huay Luek. The pickup truck drives along a dirt road to several viewing points where the elephants usually can be spotted without disturbing them. A guide who often speaks no or very limited English looks out for elephants and other wildlife and points them out to the tourists. Since the pickup truck does not have a roof, it is a good idea to take a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.

A wildlife safari can be arranged at the visitor center. Price for the pick up and a guide is 850 Baht for a group of no more than eight people.

A single elephant throwing sand on its back for sun protection

An elephant throwing sand on its back for sun protection

Kui Buri National Park

The park South of Hua Hin covers an area of nearly a thousand square kilometers. It is bordered by the mountains near the border with Burma.

Wildlife in the park

Kui Buri National Park harbors a rich variety of flora and fauna. It’s main attraction is the healthy and growing herd of elephants. Among the other wildlife that can be spotted in the park are gaurs, various species of deer, macaques, jackals, white handed gibbons, reptiles like snakes as well as many species of colorful birds.

What to bring

Bring binoculars to have a good view of the elephants and other wildlife. To get protection from the sun, bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.

A solitary elephant in natural surroundings

National Park entrance fee

Entrance fee to Kui Buri National Park is 200 Baht for an adult and 100 Baht per child (age 3 to 14). For Thai citizens the rates are 40 Baht and 20 Baht respectively.

Opening hours

Kui Buri National Park opens all year, except for the month of June. The park opens at 2 pm and closes at 6 pm. Last entry is at 5 pm.

How to get there

Kui Buri National Park is located South of Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. It takes about 90 minutes to get there by car from Hua Hin.

There is no public transport to Kui Buri National Park. Take a Grab taxi or arrange a car from hotel or travel agent to the visitor center of the park and have the driver wait for the return trip.

Visitors can not take their own car to the wildlife watching area. Hire a safari pick up with a guide from the visitor center or book a trip trip with pick up and drop off from Hua Hin hotel.

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