Hidden Forest Elephant Reserve

Genuine ethical elephant sanctuary in Phuket, Thailand. Co-founded by Louise Rogerson. Endorsed by World Animal Protection & Responsible Travel.

Opened Dec 2023 providing lifelong sanctuary to 10 beautiful rescued elephants on 70 rai of stunning forest.

29/05/2026

The Beautiful Love Between Wassana & Nong Fai 💕🐘

These two gorgeous elephants absolutely adore each other. In fact, they are so close in both looks and personality, they could almost be sisters.

Nong Fai was rescued in December 2023 and Wassana a few months later in March 2024. Their friendship was almost instantaneous and they have been inseparable ever since. Both are sweet natured, gentle, calm, and kind, not only to each other but to our other elephants too, and Wassana is the friendliest elephant that everyone wants to be around!

When elephants gently touch the tips of their trunks together, it’s a beautiful sign of comfort, reassurance, and friendship - and they sometimes spend a few minutes with their trunks together showing pure love and affection to each other and it's very special to see. 💖

-----

To visit us, please book directly through our website.
We look forward to welcoming you to Hidden Forest here in Phuket, Thailand xx ☀️💖🐘🌴🇹🇭

26/05/2026

Capturing the Beauty of Hidden Forest By Kolin Friske 📸🐘❤️

It was such a pleasure to welcome wildlife photographer, conservationist, and dear friend Kolin Friske back to Hidden Forest once again.

Kolin has an incredible gift for capturing breathtaking wildlife photography - make sure to check out his page Kolin Friske Photography, and we always love seeing our elephants through his lens.

Somehow, he manages to capture not only their beauty, but also their personalities, emotions, and all of the little moments that make each elephant so special.

Photography has such a powerful way of deepening our connection to nature and the beautiful creatures we share this planet with.

Here are a few more of his gorgeous images.

Thank you again, Kolin!

-----

If you would like to visit us and take your own beautiful photos, please book directly through our website.

We look forward to welcoming you to Hidden Forest here in Phuket, Thailand xx ☀️💖🐘🌴🇹🇭

23/05/2026

Nong Fai Playfully Pulled Ton Oi’s Tail! 🤣🐘🐘

We have a funny story to share…

Since Ton Oi joined Wassana's herd, Nong Fai - one of our very first rescues 2½ years ago - is becoming much more playful, and it’s wonderful watching her personality continue to shine through.

However, we couldn’t believe it when she pulled Ton Oi’s tail!

We kept videoing as Ton Oi then got out of the pond and quickly made her way along the bank to join Wassana and Boon Yen, and Nong Fai raced after her to catch her up... and we weren’t quite sure what was going to happen. Then, these two gorgeous new friends stood happily side by side in each others company, and all was well. In fact, Ton Oi even turned around and presented her bottom to Nong Fai, almost as if she was teasing her to play with her tail again!

Elephants sometimes show playful, bossy behaviours such as tail pulling as they establish their place within the herd. Nong Fai has shown a few of these moments with Ton Oi, which we've carefully monitored whilst giving them the space to build their friendship naturally.

Nong Fai is a sweet, affectionate, gentle soul, and our mahouts are very happy to see the lovely bond these two funny, friendly elephants are forming. 💖

-----

To visit us, please book directly through our website.
We look forward to welcoming you to Hidden Forest here in Phuket, Thailand xx ☀️💖🐘🌴🇹🇭

19/05/2026

Rainy Days & Playful, Noisy, Muddy Elephants! 🌧️🐘

We’ve had strong winds and heavy rain here in Phuket… and very excited elephants today!

They really are a noisy lot, and the change in weather, along with Ton Oi making friends, has certainly brought excitement to Wassana’s herd.

Today began peacefully, with the elephants enjoying the mud and rain… and then suddenly Boon Yen let out an incredibly loud trumpet, which started the elephant vocalisations - gorgeous rumbles and deep roars filling the forest with a wild and beautiful orchestra of elephant sounds.

In fact, today was the very first time we have ever heard Ton Oi roar! We couldn't believe it!

If you’re currently in Phuket and wondering what to do on a rainy day, don't stay in your hotel, come and visit us instead! There’s something truly magical about being in the forest while the warm tropical rain falls and our happy, noisy, sociable herd plays together.

-----

To visit us, please book directly through our website.

Our half-day tours are peaceful (unless the elephants are trumpeting!!🤣) and you'll spend your entire time wandering through our beautiful 28-acre forest alongside our 10 beautiful rescued elephants.

We look forward to welcoming you to Hidden Forest here in Phuket, Thailand xx ☀️💖🐘🌴🇹🇭

16/05/2026

Wassana’s Cute Leg Kicks! 🐘💖

Ohhh Wassana, you are the sweetest elephant!

We’ve had gorgeous, warm, tropical rain almost every day this week, and the land has transformed into a blanket of bright, green forest with lots of fresh new mud. A perfect natural playground for elephants!

Wassana absolutely loves playing in the mud, especially doing her adorable little leg kicks to swish the mud around, and she has also started trumpeting much more lately!

Nong Fai is closest to Wassana and spins around to check on her, behind is Ton Oi balancing lots of fresh grasses on her head!... and Boon Yen is the furthest away, standing beside Ton Oi. With Ton Oi recently joining the herd, they are so excited and happy about this new addition that there’s so much more conversation happening between them all, and the forest is often a chorus of these wonderful sounds.

If you’re in Phuket at the moment and looking for something incredible to do on a rainy day, don’t stay in your hotel - come and visit us! Come and spend time with our happy, social, vocal elephants!

And if you’re lucky… you may just see Wassana with her feet in the air swishing the mud around again!

-----

To visit us, please book directly through our website.

Our half-day tours are slow, peaceful and calm, and you'll spend your entire time wandering through our beautiful 28-acre forest alongside our 10 beautiful rescued elephants.

We look forward to welcoming you to Hidden Forest here in Phuket, Thailand xx ☀️💖🐘🌴🇹🇭

12/05/2026

7 Elephants Communicating Together! 🐘

One of the most special moments for us recently has been watching Gaw Boon and Nam Paerng communicating with Wassana, Nong Fai, Boon Yen, Wan Mai, and Ton Oi.

Gaw Boon and Nam Paerng were rescued in November 2023 when we first opened. Nam Paerng settled in well but Gaw Boon has been a more serious and reserved elephant. Building confidence and trust has taken time, which makes hearing her trumpet back and forth with the other elephants so incredibly special.

At the moment, Gaw Boon and Nam Paerng are separated from the larger herd by a small pond, and over the last few months, we have noticed a beautiful change in her behaviour. She has started trumpeting towards the larger herd and responding when they call back. After speaking with our mahouts who know her best, we feel she may now be ready to slowly begin building friendships with the other elephants.

Any future integration will happen slowly and carefully. By keeping the pond between the two groups for now, we can safely observe their behaviour whilst they become more familiar with each other.

One of our main focuses for the welfare of our elephants is helping them to socialise naturally and safely. Each elephant carries their own past trauma and has their own unique personality. Also, herd dynamics can change greatly when a new elephant is introduced and therefore patience is essential. Our team of mahouts, led by our head mahout P’Nawin, are exceptional at guiding the socialisation process, and our hope is that all seven elephants may become a larger herd one day.

A huge thank you to our wonderful tour guide Clean for capturing this special video.

-----

To visit us, please book directly through our website. Our half-day tours are peaceful and relaxing... and you'll spend your entire time in our beautiful 28 acre forest with our 10 rescued elephants.

We look forward to welcoming you to Hidden Forest here in Phuket, Thailand xx ☀️💖🐘🌴🇹🇭

09/05/2026

Happy Weekend Everyone! 🥳

The weekend is upon us once again and this gorgeous photo of our new rescues Pearl (Khai Muk) and Fah Sai really made us smile - and we hope it makes you smile too! 😊

Covered in mud and surrounded by forest, our happy rescued elephants are the best of friends and thoroughly enjoying their peaceful new lives.

This is one of many incredible photos by our friend and wildlife photographer Kolin Friske whom we had the absolute pleasure of welcoming again to Hidden Forest.

We love Kolin's photos as he captures our elephants so beautifully and we will be sharing lots more photos with you over the coming weeks.

We wish you a wonderful weekend with love from Pearl, Fah Sai, and all of us here at Hidden Forest in Phuket, Thailand xx ☀️💖🐘🌴🇹🇭

Photo: Kolin Friske

08/05/2026

SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH - HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY! 🥳

The incredible and inspirational Sir David Attenborough is 100 years old today - 8th May 2026.

For a century, he has opened our eyes to the beauty and wonder of the natural world. Through his distinguished gentle voice, generations have learnt about the rainforests, the oceans, the mysteries of the deep, the mountains, the deserts, the frozen worlds, and the extraordinary diversity of Life on Earth.

His lifelong passion has not only educated the world, it has inspired millions to care more deeply for our planet and its wildlife, and the urgent need to protect it.

An enormous thank you to Sir David for dedicating his life to the animals and the wild places of this Earth. They are truly fortunate to have such a passionate, caring, and kind human speaking on their behalf, and we are all truly fortunate to know this gentle man in our lifetime.

Wishing Sir David a huge celebration on this remarkable milestone.
Thank you for your extraordinary legacy, you are such an inspiration to us all xx ❤

06/05/2026

Following on from yesterday’s post, here is the video!!! 🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

Our herd of five bathing and playing together after welcoming Ton Oi to their group.

It really was spectacular to watch and something truly special. This view was taken from the edge of the pond by our wonderful head mahout, P’Nawin.

Wassana and Nong Fai were already in the pond when Wan Mai decided to join them. Then you can see Ton Oi getting in on the right too, lying down and splashing about excitedly with Nong Fai. Boon Yen chose to stay safely on the bank, preferring not to join in the pool party!

Watching our elephants blossom into sanctuary life and enjoy each other’s company is a powerful reminder of how important family bonds and natural environments are for elephants.

Moments like these fill us with such happiness as they learn to trust, socialise, play and enjoy gentle conversations together. It really is truly magical. 💖

------

To visit us, please book directly through our website. Our half-day tours are peaceful and relaxing... and you'll spend your entire time in our beautiful 28 acre forest with our 10 rescued elephants.

We look forward to welcoming you to Hidden Forest here in Phuket, Thailand xx ☀️💖🐘🌴🇹🇭

05/05/2026

Ton Oi officially welcomed into Wassana's herd! 🥳

So this happened today and we are sooo excited!
5 elephants together as a complete herd.

Ton Oi usually moves between friendships and prefers one-on-one rather than a larger group. She hasn't quite understood how to be part of a herd and can get overexcited or a little nervous when the others are trumpeting and playing.

However, thanks to the incredible work of our mahouts, knowing our elephants unique personalities and slowly integrating them, she has now been warmly accepted into Wassana's herd consisting of Nong Fai, Wan Mai, and Boon Yen.

For a long time, Boon Yen and Ton Oi didn’t have a strong relationship, but as Boon Yen has relaxed and become less bossy, they have spent more time together and a beautiful friendship has blossomed. This has helped to pave the way for Ton Oi to finally feel comfortable to join the group.

In terms of welfare, here at Hidden Forest we believe one of the most important aspects is bringing rescued elephants together. Our elephants, aged between 43 and 65, spent much of their lives kept apart - living in isolation while working in the logging, riding, and bathing industries, due to the nature of this work.

This is likely the first time in their lives they are able to form close friendships and have the autonomy to make their own decisions - to bond, to communicate, and to simply be elephants again.

Watching these relationships grow is incredibly special. It’s not just about creating a herd, it’s about restoring a sense of family, rebuilding confidence, and giving them the freedom to live with dignity and companionship.

------

To visit us, please book directly through our website. Our half-day tours are peaceful, calm and relaxing, and you'll spend your entire time with our 10 beautiful rescued elephants.

We look forward to welcoming you to Hidden Forest here in Phuket, Thailand xx ☀️💖🐘🌴🇹🇭

ที่อยู่

38/1 Village No. 5
Changwat Phuket
83130

เบอร์โทรศัพท์

+66952566912

เว็บไซต์

http://www.hiddenforestelephantreserve.com/

แจ้งเตือน

รับทราบข่าวสารและโปรโมชั่นของ Hidden Forest Elephant Reserveผ่านทางอีเมล์ของคุณ เราจะเก็บข้อมูลของคุณเป็นความลับ คุณสามารถกดยกเลิกการติดตามได้ตลอดเวลา