Elephant Observatory Site, Kui Buri National Park

What a lovely afternoon out in the national park! It's just an endless stretch of greenery, and there's hardly any sounds except for the rustling of trees in the wind and the birds chirping. We didn't have high expectations, only hoped to see 1 elephant but we saw a total of 14, including a family of 6 marching into the forest, and another family of 3 trumpeting at us to keep our distance! We also saw some hornbills, some blue birds (not sure if they are kingfishers??) and 2 wild deers. Highly recommend to spend 50B to rent a pair of binoculars - great condition and 100% clarity, you won't regret when you are scanning the jungles for elephants / birds!

Great park to encounter wild elephants and gaurs. Even if you're not lucky to meet many elephants you may still enjoy the safari which is fun. Good place to take children.
https://theetstory.blog/en/kui-buri-national-park-safari-and-elephants-in-thailand/

This was my highlight of Thailand!!

My advice: do not rush through the park!
If you see an elephant or a wild animal stop, observe and wait.
A couple more might come out if your quiet and patient.
If you were in the park less than 2 hours, you rushed in my opinion.😁

The amount of time you spend in the park is completely up to you (as long as your out by 5ish I believe)

I had Nichakran as my guide and I’m so grateful to her!!
Her English wasn’t perfect but she put in a lot of effort into trying to communicate and answer any question I had questions.

She also had an AMAZING eye for spotting wild animals!!

We first saw a HUGE male elephant with ginormous tusks.
Afterwards we saw a total of 37 wild elephants (including a very newborn) at varying distances.
And at least 10 wild Gaur (kind of like a bison)

Nichakran (the guide) was able to distinguish bird sounds and led us to seeing a incredible Great Hornbill which looked like a very exotic toucan!

She also pulled out her guide book and showed me the names to different cool flowers and plants we saw.

Thank you Nichakran for being the best guide ever!

I had come to the park alone and so I had the guide and driver to myself. I think each group gets their own car and guide as you can’t go into the park alone.

We were the first ones in the park and one of the very last ones out so we spent almost 3 full hours in the park!!!

I asked to stay when we saw animals. The driver and my guide never ever rushed me and stopped any time I asked.
They were both so wonderful.
I did end up tipping both of them.

Remember these are WILD animals!
Be respectful.
Keep distance.
This is the most magical elephant experience you can have in Thailand.
Let’s keep it that way 🙏😁

A great afternoon in the back of a pickup truck visiting spots where wild Elephants can be seen. Sometimes 50m away sometimes a long way away. We got lucky and probably saw ~30 elephants. Also deer and buffalo. Take water. You must be able to climb in and out of a pickup.

Glorious day! A must-do! Skip the elephant sanctuaries and go support wild elephant conservation.

We booked a driver through Mr. A car rental in Hua Hin. We left Hua Hin at 2pm, and got to Kui Buri at 3:30. Our driver and local guide met us there. The guide knew basic English, but truthfully that was enough to have an enjoyable experience! We ended up seeing 13 elephants, many gaurs, and even a hornbill!

Well went yesterday at 3pm in the rain and at first it didnt seem like we would see any elephants. At the first few view points we saw a buffalo. Then at the last viewpoint, nothing at all. We sat in the rain for 30mins and some people left. Some didnt. And then around 445pm one lonely elephant walked around for about 20 mins! Definitely worth the wait and getting wet. They are a long way away so get binoculars - we forget to get some, but could zoom in using our phones.

This is the second time we went to this observatory. We were able to see multiple wildlife in the park including elephant, red buffalo, native deer and so on. The park rangers were very helpful with wildlife identification and finding. The ride inside the park was trailing and can get dusty on dry day. Great afternoon activities for the family.

Great experience
It costs us about 1500 Bath - just over $ 40,= in total (truck, guide, parking, 3 foreigners), for a tour of about 2 hours in the back of a Pickup truck. I call that a steal and well worth the money.

We were lucky to see elephants up close, even a mother and baby elephant taking a bath.
You may not see a thing though.

Tickets are bought at the Vitistor centre at the far corner of the parking lot. The entrance is at the other end.

We arrived at 15h and asked for a tour around 17h, but the lady at the cashier pioint told us that the previous days elephants were spotted around this time. So we took our chances and after not even a mile saw some elephants really close by. So it may be worth to ask them when the sightings were in the days before (assuming the weather is similar).

The guide - and driver - will very likely have fairly limited knowledge of the English language. So if you want to converse with them, learn some Thai :P
This in part is because local people are hired, to make sure the park is of more valueto them this way than when they would poach the animals.
Our guide was extremely good at spotting elephants and other bigger animals.

If you do not see any animals you could even do another tour a bit later in the day - I may have mentioned that I think that even for foreigners who pay abit more I think this is still dead cheap? :)

As others have mentioned, you spend some time - we took about 2 hours - in the back of a pickup truck, standing, or sitting on the benches. It's good to bring some gear to protect you from the sun. At the start there is a small shop with a lady selling small bottles, so you might also get some water etc there.

All in all a great experience which is worth the trip.

If you have your own transport you can follow Google maps to the Elephant Observatory - not the other park reference - and when coming closer just follow the signs wildlife watching.
You can book a complette tour, but you can also just drive up. I get the impression there is always ample room for a (private) tour.

Very beautiful National park. Everything is well organised, you just pay a little money and are taking with a guide on a car everywhere. There are a lot of buffalos and elephants. We witnessed one baby elephant 🐘 waking and feasting in the bushes. Marvellous.
They say the best to come around 2 pm. Don’t come in the morning since elephants are sleeping the the mornings.

Overall, this park is a must-visit for anyone who loves nature and wildlife.

Recommend visiting this park to witness the elephants in their natural habitat, great for families but not elderly, as you need to climb the back of the truck. The park opens at 2 pm, but I suggest coming at 4 pm to avoid the heat. Plus, you will get to see the elephants come out for a quick shower and play with water during the evening. There are around four sight seeing spots for elephants.

The park closes at 6 pm, so plan your visit accordingly. The entire tour takes around 1 to 2 hours. To explore the park, you pay for the entrance fee that comes with a driver & truck that sits around 5 to 7 people. The ranger station is the perfect place to park your vehicle.

During the ride, make sure to borrow the binoculars from the station as they have to maintain distance for safety reasons as the elephants are free to roam around.

The park is home to around 300 elephants, along with other animals such as Asian elephants, buffalos, golden jackals, various deer, langurs, white-handed gibbons, Burmese hares, Malayan porcupines, and wild boars. If you are lucky, you might get to spot some rare mammals such as tigers, leopards, bantengs, Malayan tapirs, and dholes (Asiatic wild dogs).

Very underrated national park. 200 BHT entry fee for foreigners (per person) and an additional 890 BHT for a "safari ride" (per car).

Basically it is a back and forth ride within the reserve with two stops. All in all it takes around 3 hours.

The area is beautiful and you are very likely to see elephants roaming in the distance (or close if you are lucky).

You park your car, buy the ticket (1,050THB at the time of writing) and then walk through onto the back of a pick-up truck. There is little shade so a hat and sun cream might be advisable. My guide had basic English and then just kept eyes peeled for any creatures of which you have an apparent 80% of seeing. Was lucky enough to glimpse a family of elephants through the trees thanks to the guides beady eyes but it was very hot, and would think more activity towards closing time (18:00) than opening (14:00) as previous reviewers have suggested…

Beautiful place to just be though in a 1,000KM2 natural forest.

Great experience at the parc.
We saw more than 25 elephants just a 100 meters from us.
200 bath entrance per person and 850 bath for the jeep that you can share with 5 other persons. We felt like it was quite good price.
You have a driver and a guide with you. The guide doesn't explain much but do answer the questions.
And finally a place where elephants live the way they are meant to.

This is a delayed review— went back in January. I had read before/am reading again how you have to make sure you get the address that takes you to the wildlife viewing area. That was a helpful tip, but of course, my visit was shy of a year ago and so I don’t remember specifics now. What I do remember is how lovely of a life experience this was. Definitely 5 stars. If you don’t arrange transport to and from, it is kind of in the middle of “nowhere” so you have to try luck by word of mouth to get a ride there. It worked out for us by talking to the locals, but it probably would be more convenient and a peace of mind to set up transportation. We almost got stranded there, but again, made it work on the way back.

However, it was so, so worth it. What an amazing experience to see elephants in the wild. It also felt really good to go the extra mile and get here, and support wild elephant tours. When you are there, you truly do feel the rarity of the experience. We saw a bunch of elephants. Like 20+, babies and everything. I feel like even having just seen just one I would have been ecstatic though. It’s such a treat.

A must. The park opens at 8 but the tours at 14:00 for a good reason. Animals don’t show when it is hot; after 16:00 the elephants venture out in the open field.

Guides and drivers make a real effort to make your visit worth while. Be patient and trust the instincts of your guide, unless yours are better of course.

Nice national park that stretches out for 100’s kilometers to the west.

Great and safe family outing. Bring a raincoat depending on the season.

Was here for the first time in July 2022 and saw, no elephants. It was a three hour drive south of Hua Hin.

Went again in December 2022 and was so happy to finally see them.
The difference, I am guessing is the heat. In July it was about 30 degrees at about 16:00 and in Dec it was under 25 degrees. I went on a cloudy day and the elephants were all out happily flapping their eyes.

I am so pleased to see them and while it is quite a drive, I would definitely go again.

This is a great experience and is not an elephant camp, the elephants here (over 300) are free to roam within the park along with a variety of animals and birds. This is about one of the only places in Thailand where you will see wild elephants in their natural habitat.
It is 850 Bath for the Pickup which takes up to six people and 200bath per person for park entry .Each pickup has a park guide to accompany and spot for you in the park.
Entry time to for the park is from 2 pm until 6 pm also make sure you google Kuiburi National Park Wildlife Watching and not Kui Buri National Park as they are different locations.

Reserved forest area. Clean air and silent. Recommend to go on weekday to avoid traffic tourist. There’re private tour guide give us information about this area and sightseeing. Tour guide may speak English not fluency but they eager to try their best. Due to national park reserved area, you need to park the car at parking area and buy ticket to go sightseeing. Your start on 14:00-18:00 everyday except heavy rain weather condition. Note that the pickup tour car has no roof.

A wonderful game park and nature reserve. We felt that we were seeing the elephants in the wild as God intended. There were no fences, there was great respect and everything was at an acceptable distance.
The staff were amazing, so friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. They gave more than we would have expected. The staff seemed genuinely interested in us and wanted to ensure we had a good time.
A trip that will always be remembered.

You must pay to get a pick-up truck to get you inside. The tour is quite good seen many elephant and some other animals like bulls. I'd recommend to come around 4:30 as you can see sunset (you will be one of the last to leave the park)