Review Author: Lauren Jayne

Review Date: 02 Apr 2025

Review Body: wow!! this is easily one of the most memorable experiences of my life. i cannot stress enough how captivating this sanctuary is. the elephants welfare and happiness are THE main priority here. the team here takes pride and honour in it’s transformation into a fully ethical elephant sanctuary, and i highly recommend visiting and supporting such a remarkable place. my friend and i booked on for a full day tour, and we are both extremely thankful we chose this option. from start to finish it was full of beautiful, mesmerising experiences. we started the day off with a walk through the forest, meeting all of the elephants whilst they wandered freely eating as much food as their trunks could grab. our tour guide nong was absolutely brilliant in regards to being very informative, engaging and caring towards the elephants as well as our tour group. after our stroll throughout the forest we made a stop to create seed balls. this activity is where we prepare food, then plant it for when rainy season comes around. to make this activity even more fun we got to sling shot the seed balls into the forest where they then go on to develop into food for not only the elephants but other wildlife that live there. after this, we went back to have lunch and cool down in the shade. the options for food available were unreal. they catered for any dietary requirements and had a selection of foods with meat, as well as vegetables. our tables had a refreshing watermelon drink and fruit freshly prepared for when we arrived there. once our food had settled we met with our second tour guide called yunut he was our jungle hike guide who took us to a beautiful waterfall called khlong chak. i’ve truly never met somebody so astonishingly passionate about their job. he was a great laugh, and went above and beyond for us. without him we would’ve missed such a variety of interesting wildlife animals. he spotted insects that my friend and i wouldn’t of seen if we were looking at that singular spot all day!! yunut was truly a remarkable guide. thanks to him we got to see scorpions, snakes, bats, lizards, and so much more. my personal favourites were a black widow spider, plenty of tarantulas and a viper snake. after the jungle adventure packed with fun we headed back to the main spot where drinks and ice creams were offered to us. we had another short cool down before heading to our last activity. the last activity was so fascinating to witness and take part in. it consisted of watching the process of fibre get extracted from elephant poo and then turning it into paper. i’ve never heard of anything like this before, and to be a part of the process was so entertaining and exciting. as a souvenir we even got to take our paper home with us. with a quick goodbye to the elephants before they headed to their sleep shelter, our day was unfortunately over there. i truly cannot recommend this sanctuary enough, all of the staff were so accommodating and lovely to be around. their care and support for the elephants was unlike anything i’d ever seen before. i can confidently say we will definitely be returning, and i will never stop talking about this day!! thank you to every staff member and volunteer for their unconditional love towards elephants and the people who come to visit. you should be so proud of your work :)

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Evie Lancaster

Review Date: 02 Apr 2025

Review Body: We had an amazing experience here Sa was our tour guide and they were very informative and kind. You can tell how much all of the works here care for the elephants and how happy the animals are here. Would recommend following giants over any other elephant sanctuary. Truly an amazing ethical place for these elephants.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Karol Edge

Review Date: 02 Apr 2025

Review Body: This is the most wonderful experience. I went with friends yesterday and it was magical. May our guide was so knowledgeable and made sure everyone understood about all of the elephants, their background and how they are now living a happy protected life. Thank you May for making this unforgettable

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Anthony Grice

Review Date: 30 Mar 2025

Review Body: Such incredible work and an amazing guide! Please come to this real ethical elephant sanctuary where the elephants welfare and happiness are the main priorities.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Patsy

Review Date: 27 Mar 2024

Review Body: It's amazing to hear the story of where Following Giants came from, to where it is now. Hearing the stories and journeys of each of the Giants is heartwrenching, but important and grateful now that they're saved. In my opinion, this is the only ethical way to see elephants, never to feed or touch them. You can tell they really care for the animals, so you leave the place feeling really good about that. It's a little 'boring' watching them in terms of, it's a few elephants you just stand watching, but hearing the stories is what makes the experience. We did have some trouble with the pickup and communication. They were meant to pick us up at 8am one day, then they text that it was going to be 10.30 and they never showed up. We then had our accommodation call them to ask if we can do it tomorrow instead, which was approved. A little bit bad service so that's a takeway for them & Seek Sophie to have their communication lined up. Overall, great experience. Would recommend if you want to learn more about these beautiful animals. 2 hours is not enough to hear all about the company, but enough to see the animals in their habitat.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Laury Cuddihy

Review Date: 28 Mar 2025

Review Body: This was an incredible experience!! Our tour guide, May, was wonderful!! She was very knowledgeable, very well informed, and she obviously loved the elephants! Following Giants is an extremely ethical sanctuary, that treats their elephants with the utmost care and respect. We were able to get close enough to the elephants to experience their majesty, but too close where it was a safety hazard for both humans and elephants. The mahouts take wonderful care of their charges, and it was simply a magical morning in Koh Lanta!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Ning Yeo

Review Date: 24 Jun 2025

Review Body: 10/10 Recommend this if you love elephants but also want to support them ethically. I love Sam’s (the guide) pace and every elephant have so much characteristics you’ll learn so much about them! Very suitable for a day trip and lunch included!

Review rating: 5

Itinerary Day 1

Itinerary Summary: Walk with gentle giant, make seed ball, buffet lunch at sanctuary on Koh Lanta Yai

Itinerary Description: 07:00 - 07:40: Enjoy complimentary pickup from your accommodation. Pickup times may vary as the driver will be picking up from multiple hotels on Koh Lanta Yai's west coast. Please be ready at your designated pick-up time. 08:00 - 08:10: Introduction and Safety Briefing​ Arrive at Following Giants Sanctuary.​ Watch a 15-minute introductory video about the sanctuary's mission and guidelines.​ Receive a safety briefing from experienced facilitators.​ Change into provided rubber boots; restrooms and water refill stations are available.​ 08:20: Embark on a guided walk through the sanctuary's 45-acre forest.​ Observe and learn about the elephants' natural behaviors and individual stories.​ The path includes varied terrain; some areas may be steep or uneven.​ 10:30: Seed Ball Reforestation Activity​ - Participate in creating seed balls using clay and elephant dung fertilizer.​ Use slingshots to disperse the seed balls from the observation deck, promoting natural food sources for the elephants.​ 11:00: Spend time observing the elephants in their natural habitat, witnessing their interactions and behaviors.​ 11:30 - 11:40: Program Conclusion and Lunch​. Enjoy a delicious buffet lunch at the visitor area.​ Visit the elephant education center to learn more about elephant conservation efforts.​ 12:30: Depart the sanctuary and return to your accommodation.​ 13:00 - 13:10: Arrive back at your hotel, concluding the half-day program. Full-Day Program Add-ons (Approx. 7.5 hours): Extra Activities: Learn how to make eco-friendly elephant poo paper. Visit and germinate seeds in the tree nursery to contribute to the sanctuary’s reforestation efforts. Explore the wildlife in Mu Koh Lanta National Park by learning about the local flora and fauna. Walk to a cave and waterfall, noting flora and fauna along the way. The full-day program concludes around 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM.