Review of Tour With Tong – Tiger Temple & Elephant Bath

After reading hundreds of positive online reviews of tour company Tour With Tong, I decided to book Tong’s tours over two days.  The company is run by a lady called Tong, who leads a team of licensed guides (http://www.tourwithtong.com/about_Tongs_team.htm ). She also handles all inquiries as well as host tours herself, so she is understandably busy. So don’t lose heart if she takes a while to respond to your emails or doesn’t reply at all – just keep emailing her until she does. In fact, I even texted her when I hadn’t heard from her for over a week as our departure date was getting nearer and I wanted to finalise everything before I left for Thailand. She was very apologetic and sorted out our booking straight away.

We booked two tours. I must admit, I had pretty high expectations before taking these tours based on all of the positive reviews. And boy, were those expectations exceeded. These tours were the highlights of my time in Thailand and I have so many fond memories (and many great photos!) from these two days spent with Tong’s guides (Kung and Daeng). Tong should be very proud that she has selected such a great team of people to run tours in Thailand.

The first day-long tour was the Tiger Temple VIP program & Elephant Bath with Kung. Being an animal lover, I was thrilled at the prospect of being up close and personal with tigers and elephants and this tour did not let me down. Kung rang me at my hotel the night before to ensure that we would be ready for her the next morning for an early pick-up at 5am. I felt bad as we had gone to bed early to sleep off the jetlag so I had slept through her first call (thinking it was the alarm clock malfunctioning) and although I answered her second attempt to call, I must have been completely incoherent in my sleepy state and didn’t realise who was calling until I had finished the call!! So I was very apologetic the next morning but she just laughed it off and said she was sorry that she had woken me up!

Anyway, she was waiting for us in the foyer at 5am and we set off on our journey, with a driver who took us to the Kanchanaburi Province. Kung spent the approximate two hour drive explaining to us how the day would progress and sharing her knowledge about the Thai way of life. On the way, I saw many Monks walking barefoot along the road carrying empty pots and Kung explained to use that monks were not able to purchase food, they instead had to rely on people to donate food for them to eat. Any money donations can’t be spent on food apparently, it can only go towards medical supplies. Monks are only allowed to eat breakfast and lunch, with some only allowed to eat breakfast. So they rely on the generous donation of food from locals.

First stop was Bridge Over River Kwai after 7am, which was so tranquil and not a tourist in sight. Kung explained to us the history behind the bridge and how a lot of POW’s had died during its construction. We had about 10-15 minutes here to take a few photos and walk along the bridge and I really appreciated being here early in the morning as it just wouldn’t be the same sharing the bridge with crowds of tourists.

We then drove about five minutes to the Tiger Temple (or the Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno Forest Monastery), which was established by the Abbot-Phra Acharn Phusit (Chan) Kanthitharo in 1994. The monks here look after a range of wildlife, most notably of course, tigers. On the way to the temple, I noticed a large construction site and Kung explained that they are in the process of building a large hotel to accommodate people who want to attend the VIP program, so they can stay overnight instead of having to make the 5am trek to the province. So I guess once this is complete, the temple will become even more popular than it already is.

As we had opted to do the VIP morning program, which runs from 7.30am to 11am, the temple is closed to the public so there were only about 10-12 of us there, along with the host of volunteers who work at the temple. Before entering the temple, we offered food to the monks. For this part, you are required to take off your shoes and stand behind a table, placing a parcel of food in the bowl of every monk who passes by your table, bowing your head with your hands clasped together each time, as a sign of respect to the monk. The purchase of food for the monks is included in the price of the tour. We were also asked to sign a disclaimer to take responsibility for our decision to interact with the tigers and that the temple accepted no liability for any injury caused by the tigers. Which was fine, I knew I was doing the activity at my own risk.

Then we proceeded into the temple, past a few other wild animals which are looked after by the monks, and then up the stairs to an undercover area where the baby tigers were. I say babies but they were quite big for babies! Kung explained to us that depending on the time of year that you go to the temple, the babies can fit in the palm of your hand or they can be half the size of you! We sat on the edge of a wooden platform, and the volunteers handed us a bottle of milk each and then placed a baby tiger in our laps. I can still picture the moment now, it was so surreal holding a tiger in my arms while it hungrily devoured the milk from the bottle. They are such beautiful but messy creatures – word of advice, don’t wear your best top to the temple because I ended up wearing half of the milk on my top!! All the while I was feeding the tiger, Kung was taking photo after photo, which was such a relief as it allowed me to enjoy and focus on the experience while someone else captured the moment for me.

After feeding the baby tigers, we were allowed to walk around the undercover area and observe and play with the baby tigers, who were chained to wooden posts but were still able to walk around and play. They were chained for the protection of guests – they may be babies, but they are full of energy and have sharp claws, as one guest found out when she was playing with a tiger and got scratched on the arm. She wasn’t badly hurt though and just required a bandaid. 

The monks then assembled in the middle of the wooden platform and began to chant, then started to eat their breakfast (which the guests had brought to them). We were then invited to eat breakfast and had a choice of Thai dishes from a buffet table. The food was yummy!

After breakfast, we then were given one tiger cub each on a lead and walked with them to another section of the temple. The cubs are quite playful and will run after each other, forcing you to run with them to keep up! Unfortunately my tiger cub didn’t want to walk at first and had to be coaxed with a toy on a stick held in front of him by a volunteer. At that point, we said goodbye to the cubs and were introduced to the teenagers. And boy, were they big! Even the volunteers seemed to struggle with them, their strength is quite amazing. At one point, a tiger was pulling its volunteer down a small embankment with its lead until some other volunteers came to help out. We then had the option of washing the teenage tigers with soap and water, always being careful as the tiger could whip around at any point to scratch you. I must say, the volunteers were always on the lookout for the safety of the guests, and would push you out of the way if they thought you were in any danger. We also had the option of handfeeding the tigers cooked chicken pieces – I think I may have been the only guest to agree to do this! It was fine, the trick was to hold up the chicken piece to the tiger’s mouth and then remove your hand immediately after they had taken the chicken piece.

It was then time to play with the teenage tigers in a small water playground. We were each given these long sticks that had plastic bags or stuffed toys attached to one end. We then went up to the water’s edge and had to dangle these sticks above the heads of the tigers, who would then attempt to leap up and grab the plastic bag or stuffed toy. The tigers didn’t really seem that interested in grabbing the plastic bags...they were more interested in the stuffed toys, so aim for one of those sticks if you wish to have the most interaction with the tigers. Each guest had a volunteer stand beside them for safety reasons while other volunteers took photos of us with our cameras. Probably this part of the morning took a bit longer than it should have, the tigers seemed to get a bit bored of us guests waving our sticks endlessly at them, I guess it’s the same thing day after day for them. What they did enjoy though was wrestling with each other in the water and it was amazing just to observe them and their behaviour with each other. 

We then left the teenagers and went to observe the big tiger, well two of them in fact. We had the option of crouching behind them as they sat on the ground while the volunteers took photos. While crouching or standing behind the large tigers, it is important to pat them on the back repeatedly to let them know that you are there. And a firm pat is important, otherwise they get irritated by a soft touch. We then took turns to walk beside the large tiger – again firmly patting their backs as we walked – while more photos were taken. We then walked down to a quarry where we were invited to stand in a cage-like enclosure while watching the volunteers play with the teenage tigers – again, with long sticks with plastic bags attached to one end. Some tigers were into the game, others couldn’t be bothered and just sat on the side or cooled down in the water. This “show” probably went on for 30 minutes and it does get quite humid standing inside the enclosure, so I was relieved when it was over and I could return to some shade. Thankfully, the volunteers do provide some cold water for you in the enclosure. 

This marks the end of the visit to the tiger temple. You do have the option of returning to the temple in the afternoon (when it opens to the public) and have a photo with a tiger’s head on your lap at no extra cost. They will stamp you hand if you wish to do this. We didn’t take up this offer as we had plenty of great photos with the tigers and I didn’t think a picture of a sleepy tiger’s head in my lap would add any great value to my photo album. We walked back to the car and were greeted by the driver, who handed us cold refresher towels – a very welcome gesture and a nice touch I thought.

So then we set off for the elephant village, which was only a short distance away along the River Kwai in the Kanchanaburi province. It’s a little elephant camp where Karen and Burmese mahouts are living and they lovingly look after these elephants – that is pretty clear. This little elephant village is far from touristy and as Kung explained, they rely on the income from elephant rides or baths to keep the village going. Many of these elephants have been rescued from being maltreated along the Thai-Burmese border and the village often purchases them for large sums of money to save them from a life of cruelty and captivity. On top of this, the elephants eat an extraordinary amount of food each day, so their upkeep is not cheap.

We chose the option of bathing with an elephant, which is definitely more fun than riding on an elephant. We also had the opportunity to feed a few of the other elephants before our bathing session began and Kung kindly treated us to icypoles . We were then introduced to our elephant – a young lass names Full Moon – and climbed on top of her back, behind her mahout (or keeper). We then rode bareback to the River Kwai...it was both terrifying and exhilarating riding so high on the elephant with nothing to hold onto but the mahout. I was trying not to grab his waist too tightly, particularly when we went down a steep embankment. Kung was walking beside us the whole time and advised us to lean back as we went down the embankment, to make it easier to balance. Full Moon was kind though and proceeded slowly down into the river, when she then proceeded to pick up water with her truck and throw it behind her head, splashing us. The mahout kept instructing Full Moon to splash us, which she did – with much delight. Kung meanwhile, was sitting on the embankment and taking photo after photo and laughing as we proceeded to get drenched. 

Full Moon then shook from side to side in an attempt to throw us into the water, and despite our best efforts to cling onto her, she succeeded. We then climbed back onto her, and she threw us back into the water all over again. She then laughed – a sound I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I was so thrilled that she was having as much fun as we were. We then took turns climbing on Full Moon’s back, her trunk and her leg while Kung took photo after photo. We then stood in front of Full Moon and splashed her – which she retaliated by splashing us and laughing as she knew she had the upper hand. It was then time to go – the 30 minutes had passed so fast – I could have stayed there all day and played with Full Moon, it was one of the best times of my life.

We then rode on Full Moon back to the camp and Kung mentioned to us that it would be appreciated if we gave the mahout 100 baht (just over $3) each as a tip, which we were more than happy to do so. Full Moon has been trained to take the tip from guests with her trunk and pass it back to the mahout, which was so cute to watch. We then waved goodbye to Full Moon and proceeded to get changed at the camp’s shower (they have toilet facilities too).

We then had lunch at a local restaurant which was around the corner (this is included in the tour), which was a yummy selection of Thai dishes. Kung then asked us if we wanted to go back to the tiger temple or head back to Bangkok and we were happy to return to Bangkok as we were exhausted. So we slept on the ride back, as well as chatted to Kung about her life. I can’t compliment Kung enough on her knowledge and friendliness – she is one of the sweetest and happiest people I have ever met. She was a terrific guide who always made sure that we were first in line for feeding the baby tigers or having a photo with the big tiger or having first choice at breakfast. You could see she always wanted the best experience for us and even though she probably does the same tour a few times a week, her enthusiasm for the tigers and the elephants matched ours. She is simply a joy to be around and if you are thinking of doing this tour, I would recommend asking for her. You will be guaranteed a great time.

A few pointers about this tour...

Price: 8,500 baht per passenger (approx. $265AUD each). This price includes transport to and from the /bridge over river Kwai/tiger temple/elephant bath, the guide (and driver), the VIP program at the tiger temple, food given to the monks, elephant village fee, lunch. It doesn’t include the tip for the mahout at the Elephant Bath (is optional, but 100 THB each is appreciated due to the high cost of looking after and feeding the elephants), as well as the tip for Kung (and driver if one is there – of course, this is optional, but I felt for such great service, that a generous tip was due for both Kung and the driver).

Clothing: Do not wear any bright colours like bloody red, bright orange, shocking pink. Neutral tones of these mentioned colours are allowed, however it’s best to dress in blue, green, brown or in any dark tones. Any light tones like white or pale colours will get dirty easily (as I discovered). Yellow colour is deemed safe to be worn, however subtler tones of yellow is advised. The monks staying at the temple wear a darkish brown colour with yellow overtones.

It’s important to wear tops like T-shirt with your shoulders covered (a scarf for covering your shoulders is not allowed), neither is spaghetti strap tops or see-through or sexy attire. Capri or shorts or skirts down to the knee-level are allowed.  Anyone whose dress considered inappropriate will be made to buy a T-shirt or pants provided by the tiger temple.

Try to wear as little jewellery as possible. They can be lost, torn and can be toys for the tigers. I would recommend wearing sandals as you will have to take off your shoes to enter the undercover area where the baby cubs are kept (and where breakfast is served). You will also have to take your shoes off for the elephant bath. There are change room facilities at the elephant village for you to put on your bathers (or swimming costumes). I would advise wearing boardshorts and a rashie (or tank top) on top of your bathers as the elephant’s skin can be rough.

Behaviour with the monks at the temple: You are allowed to talk with the monks and take pictures with them or take pictures of the monks, but be polite. Women are not allowed to touch the monks, and cannot receive or take anything from the monks directly. Exchanges are to be made indirectly, using a table or clothes. If a woman wants to sit by a monk, it is recommended to sit at a lower level as a sign of respect. Men are allowed to interact with the monks without such restrictions.