Family volunteering in Thailand
Description of Family volunteering in Thailand
Take your family off beaten tourist trails and into the heart of a wildlife lover's paradise. You can do this by volunteering in Thailand with a huge variety of wildlife in a sanctuary dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating abused and orphaned animals.
The sanctuary provides a home to nearly 700 animals, all rescued from a cruel tourist trade or from private owners. Your family's role is to help to promote a lifestyle that is as close to the wild as possible for these rescued creatures, including elephants, sun bears, monkeys, macaques, orangutans, birds and other small mammals.
Children must be aged 12 or older to join this project. Family tasks include food preparation, feeding, enrichments and basic cleaning. The days are filled with these activities, but will be varied and completed at your own pace. Whoever knew that cleaning could be so fun when you have a family of bears watching with interest?
If your children are 14 or over, you can also work hands on with everybody's favourite gentle giant in the elephant sanctuary, helping to feed, bathe and even walk these majestic creatures.
Accommodation and Food
You will live in the heart of the sanctuary, surrounded by the call of the birds and the trumpeting of the elephants. Accommodation is basic yet comfortable, with en-suite western toilets and showers warmed by the sun.
Three meals per day are provided, covering delicious Thai staples as well as western alternatives. All diets can be catered for, and much of the fare is vegetarian.
Free time
The sanctuary is within walking distance of a small local community, and there is a large national park nearby. The beach is just a 20 minute drive away, so you and your family can all enjoy a relaxing day by the sea during your days off.
This is an amazing opportunity for both adults and children alike to get stuck into some conservation volunteering work and to really become part of a moving rescue mission. Not only will you make a genuine contribution, you will come home with memories for life.
Itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival day is a Sunday. You will be collected from Bangkok airport (BKK) and driven to the sanctuary, a 3 hour drive south. |
| Day 2: | You will receive a full induction and tour- and get fully stuck in to the project! Expect to get mucky! |
| Day 7/ 14: | Return to the airport or head on for further family travels |
Price information
Children: 1 week £870, 2 weeks £1070.
Includes airport pickup, accommodation, three meals per day. Children must be 12+ for this project (14 to help with ellies)
Departure information
Travel guides
Holiday information
Accessibility
Reviews
1 Reviews of Family volunteering in Thailand
Reviewed on 06 Feb 2019 by Joe Stern
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Spending time with my family and working for these magnificent animals was such a rewarding experience. Hand feeding these gentle giants is something I
will never forget. When you look into their eyes and connect with them it as if they can see who you are. You can tell these are intelligent and kind animals.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
If you can afford it, stay at the guest lodges. Going back to an air-conditioned room after a hard days work is wonderful. You also have hot water and a great
views of the animals. We woke up and were able to feed the elephants bananas before we headed off to meet all the other volunteers for the morning feeding
and then breakfast.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The locals take preserving the elephants very seriously. I feel they appreciate the mission of the sanctuary and look forward to more jobs being created as the
centre expands over the next few years.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
This is a wonderful experience. We highly recommend this trip for any family or individual who is over 18. My daughters met and made friends from all over
the world.
Responsible Travel
Planet
WildlifeWe are commited to conserving, saving, protecting and, where possible, rehabilitating the animals brought under care at this sanctuary. The centre will rescue any animal that is being neglected or maltreated, providing it with a large and comfortable enclosure, constructed as closely as possible to reflect the natural conditions these animals would be living in. So far, over 700 animals have been rescued here, and many of the primates successfully rehabilitated.
Protecting the world
We are passionate about encouraging our travellers to be kind to the environment as they travel. Each participant receives advice about how to care for the environment whilst they are away. This includes water usage, how to avoid single use plastic, and electricity usage.
We insist that all participants bring their own water bottles when they travel with us, and clean free water is always available. We have even created a water bottle that can be purchased before departure and encourage people to use it at all stages of their journey including at the airport, on flights and whilst on their project. We are striving for all of our projects to be free of single use plastic.
People
Meeting local needsVolunteers live and work as a member of the local community. This is a small community, located off the traditionally trodden tourist trails, and so bringing volunteers to this area really benefits the local population. Food is bought from local markets and restaurants, trips are all sourced locally and local transport is used when needed.
Campaigning for change
This project works to change the future for animals who have been subjected to harm and mistreatment. The aim is simple: to provide a home for mistreated animals in an environment as close to nature as possible. A programme actively runs to rescue, rehabilitate and release captive wild animals with this hope to repopulate Thailand's forests and jungles. Campaigns are regularly launched against all forms of animal abuse and exploitation in Thailand. An education programme runs for locals, children and visiting tourists to make them aware of the importance of animal welfare.
Cultural sensitivity
We emphasise the importance of showing respect for local people and their customs in our briefing material. Participants will work alongside permanent staff, forming close bonds and getting an insight into real life in rural Thailand.
All of our participants receive comprehensive pre-departure documentation. This covers topics on how to be culturally sensitive, how to best look after the environment when in the country and how to stay safe as well as up to date information on the political situation. They are also briefed on how to dispose of waste properly and where possible, to avoid using plastic water bottles as these are not easy to dispose of environmentally.
Popular similar holidays
Family volunteering in Tanzania
From £500 14 days excluding flights
Memorable family holiday which makes a difference
Family holiday with volunteering in India
From US $1295 4 weeks excluding flights
A truly fun & rewarding experience for families of any size
Borneo family volunteering holiday
From £845 7 days excluding flights
Encounter orangutans and meet local tribes in magical Borneo
