Description

The day starts early at the Elephant Camp. Six o'clock is elephant bath time, followed by breakfast for the elephants. Once the elephants are fed and before day visitors make their arrival is when volunteers and other staff can sit down, have breakfast and enjoy a cup of northern Thai coffee with the backdrop of the rolling mountains of northern Thailand. Volunteers may help with direction and safety procedures with day tourists upon their arrival.

Later in the afternoon volunteers will be broken up into different tasks. The elephant camp is big and has a very large staff. It's almost a community of its own. Everyone living in the surrounding village is either staff or a family member of a staff person at the Camp. Therefore volunteers will be asked to help out and work with the families and children of the Camp's workers. Some volunteers will teach an hour or two of English at the local hill tribe school. Other volunteers will stay at the Camp and teach English to the elephant trainers and other staff. Volunteers may be asked to help out with other areas of the elephant camp during their volunteer service. These additional things could be anything from taking care of one of the baby elephants to moving equipment. Any little bit helps in the development of the camp. Late in the afternoon/early evening, volunteers will be able to spend more time with the elephants and elephant trainers. This is when volunteers will really begin to bond with these lovely creatures and learn how to best care for them.

The camp is roughly 40 miles (65 kilometers) from the city of Chiang Mai, is surrounded by mountains and is divided down the middle with a stream. Volunteers assist and work alongside elephant trainers and other Camp staff from 7:00 am-5:00 pm (Monday-Friday). The Camp has been open for 20 years, has over 70 elephants and roughly 250 workers. Many of the workers are of minority, ethnic, hill tribe decent. The camp has many day visitors. Once a volunteer has spent a decent amount of time at the Camp, the volunteer may be asked to help present the different safety precautions the Camp has for its day visitors.

Before working directly with the elephants, all volunteers will go through a three day safety course at the Camp. During those three days, volunteers may take part in some of the teaching and other roles that they may be involved with later. Elephants are gentle creatures, but are incredibly big and strong. Safety is of the utmost importance, to insure nobody gets hurt during their volunteer service.

Highlights

Chiang Mai is a pleasant city, encircled by mountains and lush rice fields. Chiang Mai is Thailand's second largest city with a population of roughly 700,000. The city is considered the cultural and physical capital of (what used to be) the northern Thai (Lanna) kingdom. Chiang Mai is the home of an international airport, restaurants of almost every cuisine, incredible shopping and world class hospitals.

During or after one's volunteer service, Friends For Asia recommends for volunteers to take part in some of the many different local attractions and/or courses. Every Sunday Chiang Mai closes off one of the main roads in the old city to put on a walking street market. Vendors and artisans from the area set up their small booths to sell their handicrafts, art and mouthwatering finger foods.

Chiang Mai offers Thai cooking courses starting around 35 USD, Thai massage courses starting around USD 45, along with jungle treks and regular Muay Thai (Thai boxing) matches. Upon your arrival into Chiang Mai, Friends For Asia will be more than happy to help you sign up for one of these exciting opportunities to learn more about this beautiful culture.

Qualifications

Volunteers do not need any specific qualifications, but should be able-bodied, enjoy working outside and with animals. As in any cross-cultural context, those involved are asked to be flexible and be open to other customs and traditions.

Intern Types

• Animal Sciences

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

995

Cost Includes:

• Excursions
• Food
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Language instruction
• Registration fees
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

Participation in the Elephant Camp Volunteer Project starts at USD 995 for two weeks. Each additional week is USD 250.

FEE INCLUDES: Airport pick up, accommodation during orientation and every night spent at the Elephant Camp (Monday - Friday of each week), all meals while at the Elephant Camp, Transportation to and from Chiang Mai and the Elephant Camp, 2 day orientation, half day city tour, cultural dinner and show, onsite coordinator and 24 hour emergency assistance.

FEE DOES NOT INCLUDE: Plane tickets, travel insurance, ride to the airport after service, meals on Saturdays and Sundays. Volunteers are welcomed to stay in the Friends For Asia Volunteer House on weekends if there is space available. If the Volunteer House does not have available space, volunteers will need to cover the cost of their accommodation on Saturdays and Sundays.

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

An individual who loves to travel, wants to learn more about Thailand and assist Asia in it's development.

Age Range

18 and up

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Independent living

Participants Travel

in Groups

Typically Participants Work

in Groups of 2 or 3

Application Process Involves

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Typically The Application Process Time is

2 days

Post Services Include

• Exit Debriefing Abroad

Friends For Asia's Mission Statement

The mission of Friends For Asia is twofold. We offer an opportunity for people to contribute, in a meaningful way, to the improvement of standards of living by building capacity in our host agencies and we provide committed volunteers to work on projects developed with host agencies that benefit the people of Thailand.

Year Founded

2008