Elephant conservation holiday, Thailand
| country: | Thailand |
| location: | Southern Thailand |
| departures: | Trips last for 1-3 weeks and start every week on a Sunday |
| price: | From £285 (1 week) - £595 (3 weeks) excluding flights. There is a minimum age of 18 for this trip |
read 5 travellers reviews
the amazing things you'll be doing
You will help care for these beautiful creatures, working alongside professional mahouts (elephant keepers).
The centre gives refuge to domesticated elephants that have been roaming the streets of Bangkok and other cities. The aim of the centre is to give refuge to domestic elephants in an environment as close to nature as possible. The elephants are housed at night in large enclosures without having to be being chained up. During the day the elephants roam the bordering forest, accompanied by mahouts and volunteers, to forage from natural resources. There are currently six elephants who live at the centre with their mahouts.
The centre forms part of the larger Wildlife Rescue Centre where we also have volunteer placements. It is based on temple grounds near Thayang in the South of Thailand, about 100 miles South of Bangkok and about 15 miles from the beaches of Cha Am and Hua Hin. We can arrange a taxi to pick you up at Bangkok airport or your hotel and take you to the centre. Placements include a detailed information booklet, travel advice and assistance, accommodation and all main meals.
Going to the forest at 6.30am to collect the elephants and walk them back to the centre Feeding the elephants Cleaning up the elephant enclosure Hosing down and cleaning the elephants Swimming with the elephants in the lake in front of the centre Taking the elephants back to the forest around 2.30pm for the night Going out several times a week to pick bananas and pineapples.
Tasks are given to all volunteers on a rotation basis so everyone gets to work on all different parts of the project. Thai mahouts and the project manager will teach the volunteers everything about the keeping of elephants, their behaviour and problems facing the keeping of elephants.
Including wildlife rescue volunteers, there will usually be at least 10 volunteers at the centre at one time and you will all live in shared rooms on-site.
After work you can relax at the centre, socialising with other volunteers - or you can walk 5 minutes into the small town where you can check emails, get laundry done and meet some of the locals. Volunteers also regularly club together and organise a taxi for an evening trip to Hua Hin to enjoy the entertainment in this bigger town. On days off you are free to explore the local area or visit the excellent beaches which are about 15 miles away.
The centre gives refuge to domesticated elephants that have been roaming the streets of Bangkok and other cities. The aim of the centre is to give refuge to domestic elephants in an environment as close to nature as possible. The elephants are housed at night in large enclosures without having to be being chained up. During the day the elephants roam the bordering forest, accompanied by mahouts and volunteers, to forage from natural resources. There are currently six elephants who live at the centre with their mahouts.
The centre forms part of the larger Wildlife Rescue Centre where we also have volunteer placements. It is based on temple grounds near Thayang in the South of Thailand, about 100 miles South of Bangkok and about 15 miles from the beaches of Cha Am and Hua Hin. We can arrange a taxi to pick you up at Bangkok airport or your hotel and take you to the centre. Placements include a detailed information booklet, travel advice and assistance, accommodation and all main meals.
a day in the life of a volunteer
Volunteers duties, which are accompanied by experienced mahouts at all times, include: Tasks are given to all volunteers on a rotation basis so everyone gets to work on all different parts of the project. Thai mahouts and the project manager will teach the volunteers everything about the keeping of elephants, their behaviour and problems facing the keeping of elephants.
Including wildlife rescue volunteers, there will usually be at least 10 volunteers at the centre at one time and you will all live in shared rooms on-site.
After work you can relax at the centre, socialising with other volunteers - or you can walk 5 minutes into the small town where you can check emails, get laundry done and meet some of the locals. Volunteers also regularly club together and organise a taxi for an evening trip to Hua Hin to enjoy the entertainment in this bigger town. On days off you are free to explore the local area or visit the excellent beaches which are about 15 miles away.
travellers' tales
Outstanding....Working in a rescue centre helping locals and animals specially elephants who were mistrated. Hotels afterwards were great and good value for money. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
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By volunteering at the Centre you will make a major contribution to elephants in Thailand. Your time and efforts will help to care for the elephants, and the majority of the programme cost will go direct to the Centre providing a critical source of funding for their future work. On a personal level you will have a unique opportunity to work alongside some incredible creatures and gain the satisfaction of helping to make a difference to their lives.
In addition to this direct benefit, we try to ensure: Social responsibility - before volunteers depart we provide them with a detailed information pack on the area they will be visiting. We try to educate and encourage our volunteers to understand and respect the local cultures and customs and get involved with local communities. Economic responsibility - the majority of the fee that volunteers pay goes directly to the Centre. The Centre provides employment for many local Thai staff. While volunteers are in-country, we encourage them to buy locally and support local businesses. Environmental responsibility - one of the main negative impacts of our volunteers travelling, is the carbon dioxide created from flights. We work with a 'carbon neutral' charity to help ensure that an amount of carbon is sequestered through tree planting or the promotion of low energy technologies. While our volunteers and customers are overseas, we identify and encourage simple steps to minimise their impact on the local environment. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |