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ថ្ងៃត្រង់Midday · The forest

The Retired Elephants of Angkor

At noon, the Kingdom’s oldest souls take to the shade.

  • Siem Reap
  • Half or full day
  • Responsible
Register interest See the itinerary
Elephants in long grass at the edge of the forest

The experience

In eleven hundred acres of protected forest beneath sacred Kulen Mountain, the elephants who once carried tourists around the temples now simply live. Walk quietly alongside them, then share a Cambodian lunch at base camp. This is what giving back looks like.

Highlights

  • Eleven hundred acres of protected forest beneath Kulen Mountain
  • Elephants retired from carrying tourists around the temples
  • Walk quietly alongside them as they bathe, forage and wander
  • A Cambodian lunch at base camp
  • A half or a full day, as you prefer

In pictures

The day in pictures

An elephant eating bamboo at the edge of the forest
01Most of the day is lunchAn adult elephant can spend up to 19 hours a day feeding.
Two young elephants playing with their trunks entwined
02CompanyAsian elephants live in close family groups.
An elephant standing over a calf lying in the mud
03Mud and waterA coat of mud keeps off the sun and the insects.
Close-up of an elephant’s wrinkled skin and tusk
04EndangeredOnly four to six hundred Asian elephants remain wild in Cambodia.
The gilded face of the reclining Buddha at Preah Ang Thom
05Preah Ang ThomThe eight-metre reclining Buddha on Phnom Kulen, a place of pilgrimage.
Water running over carved lingas in the riverbed at Kbal Spean
06Kbal SpeanThe River of a Thousand Lingas, on the mountain’s western range.
Rows of lingas carved into the rock of a stream at Kbal Spean
07Carved in the riverbedAsk us about adding the mountain’s sacred sites to a full day.

Photos: 1 Ryan.Kartzke, CC BY 2.0 · 2 Christian Haugen, CC BY 2.0 · 3 Christian Haugen, CC BY 2.0 · 4 Phalinn Ooi, CC BY 2.0 · 5 MoonsMoon, CC BY 4.0 · 6 Prerit, CC BY-SA 2.0 · 7 Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

The mountain where the empire began

Phnom Kulen is the most sacred mountain in Cambodia. Its ancient name, Mahendraparvata, means the mountain of the great Indra, and it was here, in 802, that Jayavarman II declared independence from Java and was proclaimed universal monarch. That ceremony is counted as the founding of the Khmer Empire. Pilgrims still climb to the eight-metre reclining Buddha at Preah Ang Thom, and the riverbed at Kbal Spean, on the mountain’s western range, is carved with so many lingas that it is known as the River of a Thousand Lingas.

For years, elephants carried visitors around the temples of Angkor. In 2019 their keepers announced the rides would end, and by early 2020 the elephants had left the temples for good. Today they live in eleven hundred acres of protected forest in the mountain’s foothills, with no rides, no chains and no performances.

Asian elephants are endangered, and only four to six hundred remain wild in Cambodia. An adult eats between 74 and 150 kilograms of food a day and can spend up to nineteen hours feeding. So most of what you will see is elephants eating, bathing and moving slowly through the trees, and that is the point. The rule for guests is simple: observe, don’t interfere.

Itinerary

How the day unfolds

  1. Into the foothills

    Leave Siem Reap for the foothills of sacred Phnom Kulen, about an hour away by road, then walk the last stretch into the forest, around fifteen minutes on foot.

  2. Meet the elephants

    Until 2020 they carried visitors around the temples of Angkor. Here they carry no one, and the day runs on their terms rather than ours.

  3. Walk alongside them

    Follow at a respectful distance as they graze, bathe and roam. There is no brushing, no touching and nothing staged for a photograph. Now and then guests are asked to help hose an elephant down or give it water, but only when the elephant chooses.

  4. Lunch at base camp

    Share a Cambodian lunch at base camp before the drive back to Siem Reap.

  5. On a full day

    More time in the forest

    Stay on with the elephants into the afternoon, or ask us about adding the sacred sites on the mountain itself, from the reclining Buddha to the River of a Thousand Lingas.

Plan your trip

The details

Duration
Half or full day
When
Any day, at a time that suits you
Format
Private
Where
The foothills of Phnom Kulen, north-east of Siem Reap
Getting there
About an hour by road from Siem Reap, then a walk of around fifteen minutes into the forest
What to wear
Comfortable clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, and closed shoes for uneven ground
What to bring
Sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen and mosquito repellent
Good to know
There are no rides and no touching. You watch the elephants live as elephants.

Before you go

Questions, answered

Can we ride, bathe or feed the elephants?

No. There are no rides and no bathing with the elephants, and you don’t touch them. You walk with the team and watch them graze, bathe and roam. Sometimes guests are asked to help hose an elephant down or give it water, but only on the elephant’s terms.

Where did the elephants come from?

They spent years carrying visitors around the temples of Angkor. When the rides ended in early 2020, they came to live in this forest.

How far is it from Siem Reap?

About an hour by road, roughly 40 km, then a walk of around fifteen minutes into the forest.

Half day or full day?

A half day gives you time with the elephants and lunch at base camp. A full day adds more time in the forest, or a visit to the sacred sites on the mountain. Tell us how much of the day you would like to give it.

What should we wear?

Comfortable clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, and closed shoes for uneven ground. Bring sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen and mosquito repellent.

Is the sanctuary accredited?

It describes itself as the first facility in Cambodia certified under the Asian Captive Elephant Standards (ACES), which assess how captive elephants are kept and cared for.

Arranged around you

No fixed times. You choose when.

Every One Journey experience in Cambodia is private. Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will arrange it around you.

Register interest

Or make it part of the whole journey: A Tale of Two Cities with Raffles

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