Volunteer with elephants in Thailand

Thailand is home to populations of both wild (largely limited to 2 or 3 National Parks) and domesticated Asian Elephants. The domesticated population are made up largely of animals that have been bred in captivity for generations (different Thai communities have domesticated and worked with elephants for hundreds of years) and some that have been illegally captured from the wild or even transported illegally from Burma / Myanmar. These gentle giants were originally trained to work as farm animals, in the logging industry and, many years ago, as the cavalry in the Army. It is estimated that currently there are between 2 – 3,000 wild elephants in Thailand today and around a similar number of ‘domesticated’ elephants. By the late 1980’s many domesticated elephants were used in the logging industry and, when the logging industry was banned to preserve what is left of Thailand’s forests, and unfortunate side effect was to make many of these elephants redundant. This left the mahouts (the owners / people looking after the elephants) with two options – take their elephants begging in urban areas or work in the tourist industry.

Begging with elephants is both illegal (although not always well enforced) and harmful to the elephants who ended up walking around congested, polluted streets as their mahouts tried to make a living. For those involved in the tourism industry, the majority either engaged in trekking or elephant shows, both of which put the human desires before the needs and care of the elephants. However, recent years have seen a small number of elephant owners start to develop a more elephant focussed programme giving visitors the opportunity to learn about and spend time with these wonderful animals, whilst aiming to put the elephant first and allowing mahouts. Whilst there is still a long journey to follow, this elephant home in Chiang Mai is being very pro-active in how it offers this experience – no visitors are allowed to ride the elephants, mahouts are being encouraged to see that they can earn a living whilst putting their elephant first and the reliance and use of chains for the elephants is slowly being phased out by working with rather than against the traditions of many generations.

Volunteer With Elephants Gallery

What is involved

An exciting opportunity to learn about and be part of a new elephant home leading the way in the move towards animal, rather than human, centred elephant interaction.

Set in the stunning Mae Wang valley the elephant home has been created by local elephant owners through their commitment to a move away from the traditional and out of date elephant riding / human centred interactions to an experience where visitors get the opportunity to learn about, care for, and work alongside the local mahouts helping to show that this is the right future for human / elephant interaction – one which puts the elephants well being first and allows people to see them for the wonderful creatures that they are.

Through living and working on site with the mahouts and the elephants visitors can spent as much time as they wish with the elephants (although always in the presence of mahouts), help prepare their food, feed them, help clean their living area and walk with the elephants and bathe them in the local river.

In addition to this fantastic opportunity, the one week programme includes a great trek through the surrounding hills accompanied by a Karen Hill tribe guide, bamboo rafting through the local valley and time spent learning about the local village and the life of the people there.

The two week option not only includes more time with the elephants (of course) but also a visit to the Friends of the Elephant Hospital in nearby Lampang province and a 2 day, 1 night tour of Chiang Mai city and an insight into the history of the Lanna Kingdom and culture.

Both the one and two week options included transfers to and from Chiang Mai city. We hope that you will enjoy your time living alongside the elephants and the mahouts and gain a unique and immersive experience of Thailand.

This program is suitable for individuals. No prior experience of working with animals is required for this program.

Some details

2020	2020	2020
January	June	September
3, 10, 24	6, 19	9, 18
February	July	November
2, 21	3, 17, 24	6, 20
May	August	December
15	7, 21	4

PROGRAM LOCATION

thailand

This program is based in Fort Kochi, Cochin in Kerala

Kochi, Kerala (South India) has been voted in the TOP 10 cities to visit in 2020 by the Lonely Planet! The volunteer house and where you will be volunteering is in the area of Fort Kochi in Kochi (or Cochin as it called also) in the state of Kerala (Southern India). This is an idyllic, safe, and friendly location with a truly tropical and laid back vibe- a perfect place if you want to experience India for the first time. We are surrounded by greenery filled lanes,, beautiful colonial era mansions, artsy cafes, local shopping and lots of culture and history.

The nearest airport for this program is Chaing Mai Airport.
Thailand has Visas on arrival which makes life much easier!
Travel Insurance is compulsory on this program. For help with flights and insurance fill in this form
Vaccinations are important. We recommend you visit your local travel clinic to find out what vaccines you should take.
We work with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for travel to Thailand. Goto www.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo to find out how best to avoid trouble when abroad. Packed with essential travel advice and tips, the website also offers up-to-date country information.
We understand it can be difficult to pay for your flights, program fees and other travel costs. Many fundraise for their journey. If you need ideas and a platform for fundraising ideas Click Here
For support on any of the above email us hello@volunteeringjourneys.com

What your first week looks like

Arrival day

Your arrival weekend will be relaxed. We will pick you up from the airport and bring you to your accommodation. Depending on your time of arrival, our team will meet you and give you a local orientation so you can get to know the area you are living in. The next day you will be given health and safety briefing, culture orientation and project training before we take you in for your program.

Weekdays

Your project coordinator or a member of the team will be taking you to the project and after introductions you can get started. All your meals breakfast, lunch and dinner will be the accommodation unless you are at the project site or outside. In the evenings most volunteers spend it either exploring local sights, relaxing at the accommodation or preparing for projects.

Weekend

Our local team will suggest many activities for you to do! Your weekends will be free for you to explore Kerala or India. We highly recommend you to utilise your time so you can get to see more of the country that you are visiting. We usually make recommendations based on past volunteer experiences. Its always better to book excursions in country with other volunteers.

Weekend activities

Backwaters of Kerala

Be sure to visit the famous backwaters of Allepey and stay overnight on a traditional houseboat

Munnar Tea Plantations

Green tea plantations. Munnar, Kerala, India

For a adventure hike with incredible panoramic views, the Munnar Tea Plantations are not to be missed.

Varkala Beach

We also recommend taking a trip to Varkala Beach, which is a couple of hours from Kochi but absolutely stunning.

Taj Mahal

Visit the Taj Mahal with our 3 day Delhi and Taj Mahal Weekend Experience. Email us for details.

Testimonial Videos

Family Volunteering

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Michael & Darla Stoddart family from Canada on the India Family Volunteer Program, November 2019.

With children aged 10 and 7 we curated a program for the family where they participated on our kindergarten teaching program for 2 weeks with lots of staff support and also got ample time to explore India with their children.
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Meet our medical students from the University of Newcastle, Australia, May 2019.

This group of students signed up to join the medical electives placement in Nepal for 4 weeks where we gave them a rotation in various departments of the hospital. Their medical placement allowed them to earn credits on their medical degree and learn from patient cases they would not normally see back home and
Women’s Empowerment

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Isis Barei & Caitlin Neil from the UK join our Women’s Empowerment program in June 2019

These two friends came to India to participate on our empowerment program with women where they taught English and life skills to a group of women in Fort Kochi, Kerala. Living and working like locals gave them a chance to really learn about life in India, explore the area and give back to the community.
Engineering Internship

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Camilla Børsand and Baptiste Menaspa from Norway joined the Engineering Placement in January 2018.
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Dog Care Program

Sri Lanka

Jack Tysowski from Canada joined us in August 2018 assisting at a dog shelter in Galle, Sri Lanka.

As a gap year student Jack would go everyday for about 4 hours to help the shelter that was devoted to the well-being of stray dogs in southern Sri Lanka. If your passionate about dogs and love to care for them this is the program for you!
Nursing Placement

Sri Lanka

Meet our group of final year French Nursing students who got to work in well known public hospitals in Southern Sri Lanka. They got to work in several departments of the hospital where they could practice basic procedures under the supervision of expert medical and nursing teams. On the side they also got to explore Sri Lanka and truly immerse themselves into island life.
Surf & Sports Volunteer

South Africa

This volunteer program in South Africa is a great way for volunteers to gain experience working with children and groups. Learning new outdoor activities such as swimming, boxing, spike ball surfing and skateboarding
Teaching & Family Volunteering

South Africa

The main objective of our family volunteering program in South Africa is the facilitation of poverty prevention programmes and upliftment in communities. This program is perfect for parents who want to get involved with a host of different activities with their children involving community development.
Teaching in Maldives

Maldives

Watch our over 50s volunteer Brenda reflecting on how life changing her experience has been as a volunteer teacher in Maldives.
Volunteer in Maldives

Maldives

Here is a little glimpse of Maldives and what your life will be during your free time as a volunteer in the Maldives!
Volunteer in India

India

If you are wondering what volunteering is about then watch this video about India and volunteering in this beautiful destination.
Medical Electives

India

Join our 4 week medical elective programs in India where you can gain insight into medical systems and network with professionals in field.
Football and Teaching

India

Our volunteer Nick gives a little insight on our football and teaching program in India. Based in Kerala this is truly a fun and rewarding program for both the children and volunteers.
Dental Volunteer

Nepal

Our Dental Placements in Nepal are one of a kind where you can get deep immersion and hands on experience with local medics in field. Join us for an incredible experience in the cultural mecca of the world and give back as you learn from this experience.
Family Vacations

India

Join us on an amazing adventures with your family where you can give back as you travel. This volunteer testimonial is from our India program.
Buddhist Monk Teaching

Sri Lanka

Meet our volunteer Chris from Alaska who volunteered in Sri Lanka with us with us to help teach Buddhist Monks English. Chris is a career break volunteer who joined for 4 weeks in Sri Lanka.
Over 50s Volunteer in Nepal

Nepal

Post Covid travel & volunteering – Linda from Scotland took the plunge and decided to volunteer with us in Nepal this year. Hear how it is from Linda…

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1 Week	2 Weeks	3 Weeks	4 Weeks	5 Weeks	6 Weeks
	$1,199.00	$1,349.00	$1,419.00	$1,589.00	$1,759.00
7 Week	8 Weeks	9 Weeks	10 Weeks
$1,929.00	$2,099.00	$2,269.00	$2,439.00