If you want to see elephant theme shows and crocodile wrestling shows, the Samphran Elephant Ground & Zoo is just about an hour west of Bangkok. In the elephant show, you can see the elephants dancing, playing football and other games and even racing against each other.
They also show Yutha Hathi, which is a royal battle scene where actors ride on the backs of elephants and “fight” each other.
If you want to spend your time more serenly, there is the tropical garden and the waterfalls and you can ride on an elephant to visit them. And they have a nice orchid nursery, where you can also see the Cattleya which one the first price at the Ninth World Orchid Conference in 1978.
Concerned about the wellbeing of the animals?
According to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) this is one of the cleanast and most impressive public displays of crocodiles in the world.
The Samphran Elephant Ground & Zoo officially was opened to the public in 1985 by Mr. Pichai Chaimongkoltrakul.
It was Mr. Pichai who bought four elephants that did not have any work from Surin and trained them for the elephant show. This was the first time an elephant show was done with sound effects and narration, as is popular now in many places (like at the Ayutthaya Sound & Light Show).
There’s also the possibility to take a photo with tigers (costs around 100 baht).
On May 1st there is the Jumbo Banquet Ceremony for the elephants where they can feast on a huge buffett. Six tons of their favorite vegetables surely make it a good day for the elephants.
If you’ve had enough of city sightseeing in Bangkok and are with kids, then this is sure a fun place to stop by and spend a day.
tickets: 500 baht for adults, 300 for children
Opening hours: 8am-5:30pm