Hi,

Each time I rode into Patong from Kata I notice the Elephant camp and all the elephants on the side of the road.

It is only a couple of km's from Patong before Karon beach.

Maybe get one of the taxis there and just ask rather than booking a tour. I think they would work something out for you. Leaving Patong it is on the left heading south.

There is also a restauraunt in Kata with a real baby elephant in the enterance every night, there is a mini golf course for kids and it is a flintstone theme I am told.

I rode past Fantasea on my way to Surin beach it looks really big, but we didn't go inside. It is near Kamala beach.

Dave

Only elephant trekking: go to Kok Chang, on the road from Kata to Rawai beach on your left hand side. By far the nicest place for that.

Don't feed the baby elephant standing around in the restaurant area at Dino Park, this poor animal is used to attract people in stead of being with its mother, very bad IMO.

Dave , once again thanx for yr info.
Steven, someone had told me4 about this Dinoland place where there were baby elephants, but I agree with you, if the little babies are being explointed to get customers then I dont agree with that either. I will look into the trek at Kok Chang as you said - all this info!!!! I'll need another travel journal to write it all in!!! Its all good
We will do Phantasea - Im just told its a MUST DO thing while in Phuket, but most people would only ever do it once.
Thanx everyone - Lindy

Not sure if you've seen the website. It is advertised everywhere over there, so it must be popular.

Phuket FantaSea - The Ultimate Nighttime Cultural Theme Park

Is the place at Kok Chang you mentioned the one called Siam Safari thats in the travel brochures??? If not .... do you know what its called?
Thanx

Siam Safari is closer to Patong between Patong and Karon and is not as nice as Kok Chang which is south of Kata.
If you want to go to Phi-Phi I strongly recommend an overnight trip as it is at its most beautiful first thing in the morning or before sunset after all the daytrippers have left. You can buy a return ferry trip including transfers from any travel agent locally and there is accomadation to suit all budgets. The beauty of doing this is that you can organise a long tail boat to take you to Maya Bay early in the morning before the crowds and you can go to viewpoint to watch the sunset. This is the only way to really experience the beauty of Phi -phi. Day trips are rushed and you end up at the best places at the busiest time of the day.

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thanx 4 that shanek. So ... is the nice one actually called "Kok Chang"??
As for the overnite stay at Phi Phi - well it sounds heavenly but will have to wait till next trip, as all our accomm. is organised and Im travelling with another family as well, so ... that gets a little more complicated.
I havent yet been to Thailand ... but ... Im already knowing that Ill love it and will be back again some day!!!

It is called Kok Chang(Chang is Elephant in Thai). If you google it you will find an extensive report that Cathy, who posts on here has done on virtual tourist. There is also some you-tube footage to look at. It is very easy to find, if you ask your taxi driver to head towards kata viewpoint which is about 5 minutes from Kata beach, you will see all the elephants close to the side of the road on your left. Another place nearby that is a good lunch stop is the After Beach Bar. It is close to KOk Chang on the right hand side of the road and the view is to die for and the food is good too.
On our first trip to Phi-Phi we were on a day trip, got marched off the boat into a hotel for a buffet lunch and were then told we had 90 minutes to explore this beautiful place before the boat left. We decided to turn it into an overnight stay and paid 600 baht for a bungalow on the beach and didn't leave until the last ferry the next day. It was the hightlight of the trip. We had accomadation in Phuket but still thought it was a worthwhile investment to stay the night. It was great to listen to reggae music and watch fire twirling shows and then to wake up at 6 am and go swimming when we were the only ones on the beach. If you are to do the day trip you may well feel the same way when you get there that we did. If so, tell your tour guide to find you a place to stay and you can continue with the tour program after lunch the next day.

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Thanx for gr8 info on Kok Chang and Phi Phi. Will definitely get the taxi to the elephants, instead of doing an organised tour ... Im sure that would work out much much cheaper ... or would it considering there are 6 of us and we would probably need 2 taxis????
Phi Phi looks amazing from the pix Ive seen and I really cant wait to get there. Must have been disastrous for them when the tsunami hit ... Im assuming everything is rebuilt and back to normal full steam ahead.
Cheers Lindy

Ive just had a look at your profile and see you live in Mildura ... I grew up in small country town called Horsham ... not too far from you ... what a small world it is ... have you heard of Horsham???