1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

There were so many! I'd been waiting for 57 years (my age) for this experience and when it happened, it surpassed all my expectations. The highest of the high points was riding into the lake on my elephant and helping to wash her - and then riding her back to camp.

The whole experience was very hands on and I felt very safe in the care and under the watchful eyes of my Mahout and the team. The daily rides and instruction; the feeding and everyday care of the elephants; the laughs and general involvement in the life of the camp. It was ALL good.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

If you have ever wanted to get up close and engage with elephants - this holiday is unmissable. Do wear long shorts or trousers (Elephant hair is very coarse); do be prepared to use muscle groups you may not have used before; do be prepared to get a little dirty at times; finally, don't forget your camera (although if you do, don't worry, the team will take lots of pics for you and present you with them all on a CD when you leave). Just do it!

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

We stayed with Arnon, the Mahout Project Team Leader, and his family. We experienced the warmest of welcomes, the most fabulous home-cooked Thai food and were generally cared for and looked after as if we were "family". The added value of being taken to authentic (non tourist) Thai eating places, being chaperoned to the best Thai massage in the area and visiting a local state orphanage (at our request) was immense. We used public transport whenever possible and shopped locally for our daily needs. This holiday gave us insights into the Thai culture and way of life that we could never have gained as mere tourists. Finally, our financial contribution certainly helped the Mahouts and elephants, providing an alternative source of income for them. This enables the elephants to "earn" a better quality of life - rather than logging or living on the streets with their Mahouts.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

This was the BEST holiday we have ever experienced - and we have had many previous holidays, all over the world. We were travelling as a couple, but we could recommend this holiday for singles too, as every volunteer simply joins the "family" for the length of their stay - it is a very inclusive experience. We will certainly be keeping in contact with team and intend to visit them again!

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Being so close the elephants, and actually becoming part of the community!

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Stay longer than a week!

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes, it directly help the Mahouts and their families and keeps the elephants off the streets and out of danger.

4. Any other comments?

I went travelling for a year and have seen some amazing things, but this was the first place I really stopped long-term somewhere and got to know the people, and got involved in their lives, taught them English and learnt the culture.....!.. It really was the best thing I did on my trip! And I still miss the people very much! Thanks very much!.. And thanks to Nikki at this operator... she was really friendly, quick and quick to respond.

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The most memorable part would have to be the time I spent with my elephant Cam La. Learning to get on the elephant, learning to ride the elephant and learning the Thai instructions for commanding the elephant were fantastic and I enjoyed every minute I spent with all the elephants, especially with my one. I would definitely recommend the holiday to any animal lovers out there, as the work is not very hard at all, but the time spent with the elephants is a wonderful experience.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Bring lots of mosquito repellent as there are loads of flies, midges and large red ants in and around the camp. Be careful when picking up the pineapple leaves as they will give you lots of splinters if not handled correctly.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

I do feel that my holiday benefited the mahouts tremendously. Since logging was rightly outlawed by the Thai government, this is the only way the mahouts can make a reasonable living now. It is also the best way to make sure that the elephants themselves are treated well and can live a happy and carefree existence, especially considering how long they can live for when domesticated.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Overall the holiday was fantastic, apart from the food that was included which was pretty bad, particularly for lunch and dinner. I was well aware that rice would be the staple diet twice a day, but there was little to no variety of food especially in the evening. The quality of the chicken we were regularly given was terrible, mostly consisting of bone, fat and gristle with hardly any meat whatsoever. This resulted in us eating out most nights. However, all the local Thai people who work with the project are so friendly and helpful, that nobody wanted to say anything negative to them.

Read the operator's response here:

We're pleased that Paul had such an enjoyable time overall. The food served at the project is certainly Thai food (which we do warn people) but in the evening there is usually a vegetable dish, a chicken dish and another meat &/or egg dish such as an omelette so we do always try to ensure there are a variety of options available (and I can personally confirm that it's usually very good too!) That said, if volunteers strongly prefer Western-style food (or just need to get the occasional pizza/burger "fix") there are quite a few alternative places to eat nearby.

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Hanging out with the mahouts. Their lovely smiles.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

I would tell them to bring a long pair of trousers for when you're riding the elephants as their skin can be quite tough. Make sure they're lightweight though i.e. linen as it's hot. Also when you're hanging out with your mahout it's good to have some games in mind to play i.e. we played noughts & crosses in the sand

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes. The mahouts were getting a regular income which meant they can support their elephant & food supply.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

**** Ahnon showed us another camp where they are looking to move all the elephants. I would prefer to go there as the elephants have a lot more land to roam in. Thank you for all your help.

Read the operator's response here:

The original camp (which Sarah visited) was a lot better than many in Thailand but there were always plans to move to somewhere better once a suitable site could be found... when we came across another camp that was failing due to lack of financial support/visitors but with a much more spacious, peaceful location (which Sarah was shown), everything fell into place... I'm pleased to say that the move to the new camp was successfully completed in March and the mahouts, volunteers, not to mention the elephants all seem very happy in their new surroundings!

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The most memorable time of my stay at the elephant mahout project would be the night spent at the camp. I felt that this allowed for a much better integration with the locals and provided a better insight to their lives.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Bring a mosquito net in case the opportunity arises to stay within the camp.
It may be an idea to bring postcards or something similar relating to your country to give to the mahout that you would be working with. You definitely won't be needing your Sunday Best for wearing on site. Ensure that you have long sleeve tops and full length trousers especially for picking pineapple leaves.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Unfortunately, I left the camp feeling that I had not contributed anything positive to the project or the local mahouts during my stay. I felt during the course of my stay that we were treated as tourists and the opportunity was not given to us to contribute more actively to the local mahouts or the elephants.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

My holiday was without doubt very enjoyable and I have some great memories but I do feel that if I was to consider something like this again, I would prefer to be more actively involved in some work during my stay.

Read the operator's response here:

We were very sorry (and concerned) to learn that Denise did not feel she was able to contribute as much as she would have liked at the project and, whilst this is the first time we have ever received such feedback, we have already looked at ways in which we can ensure that volunteers do not leave with such sentiments in the future.

One of the aims of the elephant project is to educate, not only the volunteers, but also the mahouts whose culture dictates that visitors should be treated as honoured guests and consequently, a few of the newer mahouts do have a little difficulty understanding that our volunteers are there (and actually want) to work! Whilst this can be overcome with a little persistence, we are also addressing the issue by developing a range of additional activities in which volunteers can positively contribute to the project including creating a volunteer garden to provide food for the mahouts, arranging a weekly English teaching session, setting aside time for volunteers to help promote the camp by distributing leaflets and accompanying the mahouts when they take tourists for rides. We also ask volunteers to mention if they have any specific skills which they feel could benefit the camp/project so that we can try to put these skills to good use during their visit.

We would like to assure Denise, and anyone else who might be thinking of visiting the project, that it simply would not be possible to continue providing incomes for the mahouts, not to mention a safe/comfortable environment for both animals and their handlers, without your support. Every single volunteer we receive really does help to make a difference – not only through their financial contribution, but also by providing additional stimulus/activities for the elephants (and mahouts) in their daily routine and through whatever other physical assistance they are able to offer – something we very much hope will be evident to all those who choose to visit us in the future.

I was disappointed to discover the elephant sanctuary I went to (Tai Tai) was not the one detailed on the operators website (Lake View), so naturally my experience did not match my expectations.

Read the operator's response here:

We are very sorry to hear that Joanne's experience did not match up to expectations. Due to changes in the ownership at Lake View camp, we recently moved our support to a larger and better-managed camp nearby which we believe actually offers a more rewarding experience overall but we can only apologise that we were unable to warn Joanne of the change in advance.