Elephant care and protection
Coordinator | Sergio
Coordinator | Sergio
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Choose new departure dates or change to a different volunteer program at no extra costs.
Highlights
Help Thailand's vulnerable elephants have a healthy and peaceful environment to live in, once again in their natural habitats.
Observe and understand elephants and their behaviour directly
Teach English to locals and help them get more involved with the cause
Meet people from all around the world and make life long bonds with them
Visit and get to know Thailand's rich cultural heritage and beautiful landscapes
Help abused elephants recover and develop in a healthy environment by supporting them on their daily needs.
This volunteer program is especially suitable for:
Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Groups
Elephants are noble, admirable, intelligent, and overall impressive animals; yet, elephants are also one of the animals that have suffered the most: the abuse that they endure when people try to domesticate them, the threat of poachers, and the loss of their habitat are just some of the problems that elephants are currently facing and that are actively threatening them. At the elephant sanctuary, our goal is to directly bring solutions to these problems so that elephants can live peacefully.
At the center, one of the most daunting tasks is obtaining enough food for these elephants so that they can be healthy and happy; mother elephants can weigh up to four metric tons and are known to eat more than three hundred pounds of vegetation per day (a nutritional need that increases substantially when mothers are breastfeeding). Procuring enough aliment daily for all of the elephants is a task that always requires some extra hands, so as a volunteer you can significantly improve the lives of elephants by harvesting things like grass, corn, and bananas. Additionally, as a volunteer, you shall work alongside local villagers (most of whom are staff members) and their families. These villages are eager to learn English and know more about foreign cultures, so this is a perfect opportunity for cultural exchange.
Other things volunteers shall collaborate with are taking care of the elephants, bathing them, making herbal medicine balls, interacting with daily visitors, alongside many other tasks that may arise based on specific needs at the time.
It is very important for volunteers to always keep in mind that they must treat animals with the uttermost respect, love, and affection. Also, always be very open to receiving all the love elephants are more than ready to give —and be prepared to embrace the very particular ways elephants have of displaying that love, sometimes it can even be through a good water hose coming directly from their trunks! :)
Typical day
Volunteers work on weekdays (Monday through Friday), staring every morning at 6:30. Weekdays are free for volunteers to go explore and discover all the beautiful things Thailand has to offer.
A volunteer's daily routine starts at 6:30, when they shall go to the river to bathe elephant babies and mothers.
Then, volunteers shall help feed the elephants, after which volunteers will go get breakfast for themselves.
After having breakfast, the volunteer's daily tasks start. These will be assigned per day but are usually the ones mentioned before, such as harvesting grass or making herbal medicine balls for the elephants.
Free-time activities
You will be volunteering near the beautiful, northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. A complete contrast to Thailand's capital Bangkok, Chiang Mai is a smaller city with a huge connection to the environment, as it provides direct access to the nearby beautiful forest mountains that are a hotspot for adventurers and lovers of nature alike. In addition to that, Chiang Mai also has very intriguing traditionally Thai sites such as its well-known open air markets, its historic center filled with centuries old temples, or the Buddhist temples near the city.
In addition to that, Chiang Mai could offer you excursions and trekking on mountains and rice fields, beautiful handicrafts at its markets, night safaris, a bustling nightlife you can enjoy with other volunteers at the Zoe Yellow area, among other things.
During your stay, you could also visit some of the other beautiful places in Thailand, such as its beaches or historical sites like Ayutthaya.
Swimming
Sightseeing
Shopping/
Souvenirs
Souvenirs
Climbing
Safari/
Zoo
Zoo
Hiking
Yoga/
Meditation
Meditation
Requirements
In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.
You need to speak English (basic level)
No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.
Volunteers must be respectful of nature, and be very passionate about helping elephants.
Your helping hand will be required on
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
What's Included
Your fees include:
+Pickup at the airport and transfer to your accommodation
+Accommodation during your volunteering
+Three meals every day during your volunteering period
+24/7 support from the Adventure Volunteer team
+Monitoring and evaluation of the programme
+Orientation and induction to the program
+Certificate of hours done in your volunteering
+Accident insurance during your volunteering
+Civil liability for your activity
+Receipt from NGO about your program fee
+Guidance, advice and management in the choice of programme
+Volunteer T-Shirt
Volunteers will be picked up at the airport at between 8:30 and 20:00. If the volunteer arrives outside of these hours, they will have to be picked up on the next day at an agreed point or they may have to cover some additional fees.
On your day of arrival and the two following days of induction, you will stay in our accommodation in Chiang Mai.
Afterwards, you shall be staying in the elephant camp for the rest of your participation in the volunteering program.
At the elephant camp, you will have a shared room with other volunteers, and access to common areas like bathrooms with hot water and a kitchen.
You may see pictures of the available accommodation at the elephant camp in the pictures for this project.
Three meals per day are included within the fees of this program.
Sorry, no access at the project site
Visa, flights, travel insurance or vaccinations are NOT included in the program fees.
The nearest airport is Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX) in Chiang Mai. We assist you to find cheap flights to Thailand.
Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Thailand provides security and is a plus to have.
If you are intending to volunteer in Thailand you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Thailand.
Dates & Fees
NO CREDIT CARD FEES
Details on arrival
The project is open to new volunteers three Fridays a month, every month except for the month of April. Volunteers must arrive on a Friday, as this allows them to be more easily inducted into the program.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
1 - 12 weeks
Program fees
1 week
(min. stay)
$1,016
2 weeks
$1,473
3 weeks
$1,930
4 weeks
$2,388
5 weeks
$2,845
6 weeks
$3,302
7 weeks
$3,759
8 weeks
$4,216
9 weeks
$4,674
10 weeks
$5,131
11 weeks
$5,588
12 weeks
(max. stay)
$6,045
Average fees
$760
/week
The organization charges its fees in EUR. The price table in USD is subject to currency fluctuation.
Adventure Volunteer
will let you know about the final price during your application process.
The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.
Your final payment will be agreed with Adventure Volunteer during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.
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Elephant care and protection
Help abused elephants recover and develop in a healthy environment by supporting them on their daily needs.
$598/week
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