Turtle conservation volunteering in Thailand
| country: | Thailand |
| departures: | Departures can be arranged at any time throughout the year to suit you |
| price: | From £700 (2 weeks) - £1100 (8 weeks) excluding flights. The cost includes free insurance for UK volunteers, airport pick up, stopover in Bangkok, travel to Rayong, accommodation, local coordinator, boat to island each day, 24hr support |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The turtles have their own beach on the island for breeding, and the Conservation Centre pays close attention to their activities, regularly weighing, measuring and monitoring the turtles to gauge their progress. The young are collected, nurtured and then released at different points throughout the Gulf Of Thailand. Volunteers will work with the Thai staff, helping with all aspects of the project’s work, from taking part in the monitoring and releasing of the turtles to helping keep the beach litter free and explaining the centre’s work to tourists.
If you want to do more in the afternoons we are trying to organise some English teaching. Alternatively you can get involved in your own projects such as organising beach cleans, writing promotional signs for the centre or taking photographs for our website to promote the conservation work. Along with learning about turtles you will learn a lot about Thai people and there way of life. Ao Makhamphom is off the tourist trail and it is an authentic experience where you will feel part of the local community. The villagers are incredibly friendly. Volunteers stay in the village close the ferry port that will take you to the island each morning. In the village we rent a private house for our volunteers and staff. You will have your own room but share the bathroom and kitchen.
If you want to do more in the afternoons we are trying to organise some English teaching. Alternatively you can get involved in your own projects such as organising beach cleans, writing promotional signs for the centre or taking photographs for our website to promote the conservation work. Along with learning about turtles you will learn a lot about Thai people and there way of life. Ao Makhamphom is off the tourist trail and it is an authentic experience where you will feel part of the local community. The villagers are incredibly friendly. Volunteers stay in the village close the ferry port that will take you to the island each morning. In the village we rent a private house for our volunteers and staff. You will have your own room but share the bathroom and kitchen.
a day in the life of a volunteer
Volunteers travel by boat each day to the island and work four days a week 8am till lunchtime assisting Thai staff with turtle care, looking after visitors and monitoring the beach. The afternoons can be free to spend at your leisure or you can create your own projects or carry out your own research work, if you are studying. Teaching English at a local school can be arranged too. volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you are looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Without the centre, the turtle population of Rayong would be critically endangered and disrupted. The work of the centre ensures the turtle population is stable and safe plus helps to raise public education and awareness. By volunteering here you will be actively contributing to turtle conservation plus helping to reduce the staff workload. You will be also supporting the importance of the centre and helping to protect its future.
You will be staying at a local guesthouse in an area off the tourist trail, therefore contributing directly to the local economy. The guest house employs only local people, approximately six people. All recyclable rubbish is located by the local people for resale to generate much needed local income. We pay for the fuel to the island. We also regularly pay for all paints etc. needed to maintain the island’s facilities. As we are a growing company we donate to all our projects when we can and the money goes where it is needed most. All our support staff are Thai people. All the island’s staff are from the village and employed by Thailand’s Ministry of Marine and Coastal resources. Travellers are encouraged to use local facilities. None of our placements include food. We encourage our volunteers to eat at local restaurants. Our Thai coordinators advise volunteers on good places to eat locally, supporting the local community and enhancing their experience. We wish our volunteers to become part of the local community. Our staff give all our volunteers a full orientation to the area, showing them all local amenities: shops, restaurants, internet cafes, post offices, etc All our volunteers receive a briefing kit which talks about dos and don’ts. Moreover our staff are always on hand to advise, help and ensure our volunteers have a positive impact. All of our projects need financial assistance, help with planning, technical support and project management and we support where and when we can. As an organisation we do not print brochures. We minimise paper by using internet and email. We always support locally owned businesses, hotels, etc. We believe in putting back into the local economy and one of our key aims is to support small scale long term development initiatives throughout Thailand. |
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. |