Get hands-on experience caring for Thailand’s extraordinary gentle giants.Travel to a rural village in northern Thailand where you’ll have the unique opportunity to ethically interact with elephants. Elephants are an important part of Thai culture and the Thai way of life. They are traditional symbols of royal power, an essential feature of Buddhist art and architecture and a spiritual mentor for people of all walks of life.
Volunteer at a home for elephants alongside mahouts (elephant keepers) who are committed to the long-term sustainability of promoting healthy environments for these animals. You’ll rise before dawn to feed your elephant, and most afternoons, lead them to the nearby river for a bath. The work requires energy and passion to directly care for elephants morning and night, but is deeply rewarding. You’ll assist with a variety of physical projects as well, such as food harvesting, reforestation or land rehabilitation, that help achieve long-term harmony for the elephants, who live in protective captivity due to human encroachment on their population.
In addition to observing the animal’s biology and social behavior, you’ll also become deeply engaged with complex global issues regarding captive elephant welfare, tourism and conservation. Discuss the challenges elephants and mahouts face today with mounting tourism and endangerment caused by human activity. You’ll have the opportunity to visit an elephant hospital, watch documentaries and listen to regional experts speak on these controversial topics. To gain a complete perspective in Thai culture, you’ll also spend a day at a high school for cultural exchange, get to know the local students, visit beautiful temples in northern Thailand and explore interesting markets.
Taking care of elephants is passionate work and giving your energy and effort to provide great care will reward you with a gentle ride and deep emotional connection with the animals. You’ll get to ride an elephant into the mountains, as well as hike alongside them in breathtaking, rural surroundings. To break from service at the elephant home, you’ll have the opportunity to go rafting down the Mae Taeng River, taste foods you may never have seen before and explore outdoor markets with artistic handicrafts and fashions made by local artisans.
The Home Base features a covered eating area and is basic, but clean and safe. Students stay in gender-segregated rooms with roommates and have access to cold-water showers and Western-style toilets.
