Visiting Siem Reap’s Elephant Sanctuary: Tips & What to Expect
No trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia is complete without a visit to Kulen Elephant Forest, Siem Reap’s elephant sanctuary. Here you can feed, wash, and walk with the elephants in a safe and ethical environment, supporting both elephant conservation and the local community.
If you’re planning a trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia, you’ve probably got two big activities on your agenda – touring the incredible site of Angkor Wat and interacting with some majestic elephants. Since elephant rides were banned at Angkor Wat starting in 2020, you can’t achieve these at the same time. However, those very same elephants are now enjoying their retirement at a nearby elephant sanctuary – Kulen Elephant Forest. In this post, we’ll tell you all about Kulen Elephant Forest, including why you should visit, how to get tickets, and what to expect on your ethical tour of the sanctuary.
Looking for more information on touring Angkor Wat? Check out our post Your Guide to Which Cambodia Siem Reap Temples to Visit (and How to Tour Them). We also have a complete travel guide and itinerary for Siem Reap that will make planning your vacation to Cambodia a breeze!
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Visiting Siem Reap's Elephant Sanctuary - At a Glance:
Why Visit a Siem Reap Elephant Sanctuary?
Elephants hold a revered place in Cambodian history and culture. In the days of the Khmer Empire, elephants were a part of daily life. They were used during royal ceremonies, in warfare, and to help build the incredible temples that have made Cambodia famous. They’re also important symbols in both Buddhism and Hinduism, the two most significant religions in Cambodia’s history. And in modern days, they have remained important culturally and as part of the tourism industry. However, deforestation, poaching, and exploitation have significantly diminished Cambodia’s population of elephants. Today, it is estimated that Cambodia has only about 400 wild elephants remaining, as well as 70 in captivity. These circumstances have made conservation efforts incredibly important.
Visiting an elephant sanctuary in Siem Reap is an excellent way to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience with the elephants of Cambodia, while also contributing to their protection and to the local community. Sanctuaries like Kulen Elephant Forest provide ethical care for retired elephants, help to raise awareness for the importance of conservation, and promote sustainable tourism. In addition, the sanctuaries provide high-quality jobs and financial support to their local communities. This makes visiting a Siem Reap elephant sanctuary both a unique activity and one that puts your dollars to good use.
About Kulen Elephant Forest
Kulen Elephant Forest (KEF) is a social enterprise dedicated to elephant conservation and to supporting the local community. Located about an hour outside of Siem Reap, KEF sits on 1,100 acres of protected land in the Bos Thom Community Forest at the foothills of Kulen Mountain. (FYI – you can learn more about visiting Kulen Mountain in our Siem Reap itinerary and travel guide). KEF was established in 2018 to provide a home to 10 of Angkor Wat’s elephants after the practice of tourist riding at the temple was banned. This means KEF cares for 10 of only 70 captive elephants in Cambodia. At their new home at KEF, these elephants roam freely under the care of mahouts (elephant handlers). They’ve also been reintroduced to natural foods, behaviors, and socialization.
Kulen Elephant Forest’s mission is to provide a safe and happy home for their elephants while also offering a fun and educational approach to conservation. They believe that an ethical tourism experience is critical to spreading awareness and education of the importance of conservation and re-population. In addition to their elephants, KEF also cares deeply about its local community. The organization is half-owned by the community, and hires a significant amount of its team directly from the Bos Thom village. They purchase local agricultural goods to feed the elephants, and contribute funds monthly to support the rebuilding of schools, hospitals and other community needs.
Tours and Tickets to Kulen Elephant Forest
Kulen Elephant Forest offers two tour experiences – morning and afternoon. The morning tour departs Siem Reap at 8:00 am and returns at 1:30 pm, while the afternoon tour departs at noon and returns at 5:30pm. In the morning tour, you’ll focus more on observing the elephants in their natural state in the forest. In the afternoon tour, there will be a greater emphasis on play, including making the elephants snacks and hosing them down after a dip in the pond. Each tour includes a light meal and is priced at $100. We chose the afternoon tour and will detail what you can expect on that experience below.
Tickets can be purchased through providers like Get Your Guide or Viator, but we recommend booking directly with Kulen Elephant Forest. The experience is exactly the same, just without any markup. These tours are quite popular, so we recommend you book at least one week in advance. Note that if the tours are all booked, all hope is not lost! KEF encourages you to email them your requested tour dates, as they often have cancellations. In fact, this is how Colby and I got our tickets!
What to Expect on Your Tour to KEF
To start your tour, first head to KEF’s office, conveniently located in downtown Siem Reap. From there, you’ll take a comfortable, air-conditioned van to Kulen Elephant Forest’s sanctuary. You’ll be greeted with cold towels, a refreshing beverage, and an overview of KEF and their work. Then, you’ll get the opportunity to feed the elephants, walk with them through the preserve, watch them play in the pond while you enjoy a light snack, and then wash them off with a hose before heading back to Siem Reap.
Feeding the Elephants
First, you’ll be making a tasty snack for the elephants. Get ready to roll up your sleeves and put in some work, because each elephant eats between 440 and 880 pounds (200 and 400 kg) of food per day. That’s 10 to 12% of their body weight! Today’s recipe was a mixture of rice and bran, banana, salt, and tamarind, resulting in a sticky and sweet treat full of nutrients.
Now it’s time to meet the elephants! After some introductions, we took turns feeding the elephants sugarcane, bananas, squash, and our homemade treats. Some of the elephants were picky eaters, tossing treats they weren’t interested in, which gave us all a good laugh. But we learned this is actually a result of their previous life in captivity, and one of the aspects of life KEF aims to improve. In the wild, elephants eat over 200 types of natural foods. However, in captivity, they aren’t exposed to a lot of these, so KEF is slowly reintroducing them to a wider diet. When they arrived, the elephants at KEF were only eating about 40 varieties of food. Now, they eat about 80 – though clearly some of the elephants still haven’t acquired a fondness for squash.
Wandering the Elephant Sanctuary
Once the elephants ate their fill, their mahouts led them out of the feeding area and into the free-range preserve. Along with our guide Seth, we followed and walked amongst the elephants. This was our favorite part, as we really just got to coexist with the elephants in nature. We got to observe them going about their daily life, while simultaneously being a part of it. Be aware though – you have to keep your head on a swivel while you’re out there! Before we knew it, elephants were coming right up behind and beside us. We even got to pet the elephants and take some incredible pictures with them.
We also used our time in the preserve to ask Seth questions about the elephants and KEF’s ethical mission. He was a wealth of information, and we learned a ton of fun facts about the elephants. For example, did you know that elephant pregnancy lasts 22 months, and, when the babies are born, they weigh between 175 and 330 pounds (80 and 150 kg)? Or that their trunk is composed of over 40,000 muscles and can lift over 330 pounds (150 kg)? Even more incredible, they can use their trunks to communicate with vibrations over half a mile (1 km) away, and sense water over 6 ft (2 m) deep and more than 1 mile (2 km) away!
Picnic at the Pond
After our walk, we were led to a picnic area near the elephant’s pond. We were given a light meal of fresh fruit, pastries, and a variety of other local finger foods. From our seats at the edge of the pond, we watched the elephants play in the water, socializing with each other and even dunking their heads underwater.
Washing Up
With our meal complete, we headed over to the washing area. The elephants were led in two at a time, and we took turns with the hoses, spraying them down to clean off the dirt. We also used the hoses to give them a drink, which was a wild experience. Elephants drink 32 to 48 gallons (120 to 180 liters) of water a day, and can hold up to 3 gallons (12 liters) in their trunk at a time. This meant they would take super long drinks from the hose, and then dump it all into their mouth at once, making it sound like a flushing toilet!
Sadly, clean elephants meant the end of our tour at Kulen Elephant Forest. Seth led us back to the welcome hut for a final refreshment, and then we entered the van for our hour-ride back to town. Thankfully, we now had incredible memories – and about a thousand photos – to reminisce on to pass the time.
FAQs for Siem Reap's Elephant Sanctuary
Is Kulen Elephant Forest an Ethical Sanctuary?
Absolutely. Kulen Elephant Forest truly cares about their elephants. After years working at Angkor Park, they’re working hard to reintroduce them to their natural state. Tour groups are always small, and the elephants are never ridden or asked to perform tricks for visitors. As further evidence of KEF’s ethical treatment of the elephants at their preserve, they were recently awarded with a Certified Facility accreditation from leaders in elephant venue auditing, Asian Captive Elephant Standards (ACES). KEF is the first elephant sanctuary in Cambodia to receive this distinction.
How Long is a Visit to Kulen Elephant Forest?
All in, the experience lasted about 5.5 hours, including transport to and from Siem Reap.
How Do I Get to Siem Reap to Visit the Elephant Sanctuary?
To get to Siem Reap, you’ll fly into Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI). However, getting from the airport to the city center involves a few logistical hurdles. Check out our Siem Reap itinerary and travel guide for all the details
Book Your Flight to Siem Reap:
Where Should I Stay in Siem Reap?
Siem Reap offers a variety of lodging options, from budget to luxury. We stayed at both Lub D hostel and Golden Temple Villa, both of which were excellent. Learn more about these and other recommended hotels in our Siem Reap itinerary and travel guide.
- Lub D – 9.7 average rating
- Golden Temple Villa – ⭐⭐⭐⭐, 9.5 average rating
- Viroth’s Hotel – ⭐⭐⭐⭐, 9.9 average rating
- Angkor Village Hotel – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, 9.6 average rating
What Else Should I See in Siem Reap?
Siem Reap is an excellent vacation destination, full of unique cultural experiences, friendly people, and delicious food. We highly recommend you visit Angkor Archaeological Park and the floating villages of Tonle Sap. You should also attend the Phare Cambodian Circus and dine at Embassy Khmer Gastronomy. Check out these posts to help you plan your trip:
Do I Need to Speak Cambodian to Visit Siem Reap?
Definitely not. We had no issues interacting with people in the service industry in English during our time in Siem Reap. However, knowing a few key words will definitely win you some brownie points with the locals. Practice these ones before your trip:
- Hello – jom reap suor – jom REE-up soo-ah
- Goodbye – lia haeuy – lee-ah HOY
- Please – som – sohm
- Thank you – ar kun – aw KUN
Adding a respectful bow with your palms together (called a sampeah) when saying hello or thank you is also appreciated, especially outside touristy areas.
Want to learn more? Check out our post 120+ Cambodian (Khmer) Words for Travel & Tourists.
Looking for more ideas for your trip to Siem Reap? Check out these top options:
Final Thoughts - Why Visit a Siem Reap Elephant Sanctuary
Visiting an elephant sanctuary in Siem Reap is an unforgettable and unmissable experience – we hope you’ll add it to the itinerary of your next trip! Share your favorite memory from Kulen Elephant Forest in the comments below.
As a reminder, we’ve got a premade itinerary you can use to plan your trip to Siem Reap here. We’ve also got a post detailing everything you need to know about touring Angkor Archaeological Park here! And if you’re flying through Bangkok on your way to Cambodia, make sure to spend a few days to soak in the sites. Check out Your Complete Bangkok Itinerary for 3 Epic Days to help you plan your trip.
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