Tour by Locals
LAOS
TAT License No.23/02507
Elephant Camp Voluntourism
Offers visitors a chance to volunteer in the daily care of elephants, and interact with them. And so discover these powerful, intelligent, sensitive and long living creatures.
For centuries, the elephant was revered throughout Southeast Asia for its power, intelligence, and long life. Warrior elephants fought alongside Thai armies, and worker elephants toiled in the forests and the fields. These great animals were often considered family members. In ancient times, Thai people captured wild elephants from the forests, tamed them, and trained them for work. These enormous, gentle creatures could carry teak logs from remote locations, and assist the people in countless tasks too big for humans. Today, most Thai elephants live in preserves, especially around Chiang Mai.
The better preserves do not use the elephants for entertainment, such as painting pictures with their trunks or doing circus acts. They do not invite tourists to ride in groups on platforms strapped to the elephants’ back. Instead, they offer visitors a chance to volunteer in the daily care of the elephants, and interact with them.
One such preserve offers a five-day experience in a forest near the city. There you’ll be assigned an elephant to care for. You’ll bathe and feed your elephant, and live in a simple but comfortable cabin nearby, along with staff and mahouts. You’ll do the work of a real mahout yourself, not only bathing your elephant in the river, but feeding him or her food you prepare yourself.
Feeding Elephant food
Every afternoon you’ll have your choice of elephant-focused activities. You’ll be introduced to a mahout’s daily life, and interact with veterinarians who specialize in elephants. You’ll learn more about the care of sick, injured, and retired elephants too. To feed the elephants, the mahouts to into the jungle to cut bananas, sugarcane and grass, and they’ll ask you to help. Moreover, staff may go up the mountainside to collect various herbs used for elephant medications and will be happy to explain the secrets of some of these remedies.
After you day with your elephant, you’re invited to visit the village home of the hill-tribe people nearby. You might help out by teaching a little English to the kids, or you could learn about Kariang weaving from the women in the village.
You have to be 18 or over to participate in this project and it helps if you like the outdoors and animals. Please note that we will donate a percentage of the fee for reforesting the local jungle and also support area schools.
