Elephant Volunteer Work & Animal Conservation in India

Everyone was super helpful, the program was so much fun. We went to some amazing places, and interacted with a lot of amazing animals. The elephants were probably the best part, you can pet them and just kinda chill with them, it's a surreal experience. Very much would recommend.

We just had a memorable trip in India with VWI. Sukret is very responsive before and during the trip, which is extremely helpful. We didn't pick the best season to visit India, so it's pretty hot. But we didn't get any time spent in Inda wasted. The guides, drivers and the mahout for our giant girl 'Champa' are all very good. We spent decent time with the elephant and also did some sightseeing. Will make another trip during Nov. to Mar when the weather is better.

Working with elephants has always been a dream of mine, something I could never do in the UK. This opportunity has been very special for me. I am a solo female traveler, that means I need to ensure my safety. Sukrets contact with me from the very beginning was really helpful and put my mind at ease. Everyone has been really helpful to me and helped me to have an amazing experience in Jaipur. There is one person who has been absolutely wonderful to me, Pradeep. He has taken me wherever I have asked, he has guided me around many Jaipur attractions and my experience would not have been so special without his support. Thank you so much Pradeep!

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Amazing experience with elephant care and committed care takers. Loving and stay with Indian family. Delicious food and confortable room. Including going out and involving me in their life. Nice tours with Subhash seeing beautiful Jaipur! Well organised project as well as communication and safety.

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This is a really fun project to get a chance to see and interact with elephants up close. The communication ahead of our arrival was all helpful/clear, and the train station pickup on arrival was really handy. Our guesthouse was well located, clean, and the food was really tasty. Working with the elephants we got the opportunity to get stuck in with feeding, washing, and mucking out, and the mahouts were all very supportive in guiding us and showing off the animals. They clearly know and care for them a lot. The weekend's tourist trips around Jaipur were really nice and as a lot of the sights were spread out it was comforting to have our own driver for the morning so we didn't have to navigate finding our own transport. Would recommend a composite ticket from the Amer Fort which gives access to a number of additional sights close the guesthouse to visit on foot. My only significant complaint with the process was that on a couple of occasions we were asked for tips by the mahouts, after being given a ride on an elephant, and at the end of the project. While we didn't have an issue with paying for the ride, it would have been good if the guidance we had been given had made this clear from the outset, and given us a reasonable figure or some advice on what tips are expected/unnecessary.

Best volunteer program I've ever been on!! Whenever we went on an excursion we always had the best seats! E.g. Varanasi watching the incredible Brahmin Priests sundown ceremony, we had the boat at the front opposite the middle priest. There were hundreds if not thousands at that ceremony. We had an amazing view! All the drivers we had were very protective, e.g checking any change given. Everyone I met to do with the organisation were terrific. The Indian people are hugely friendly and wanted to take your photos all the time. A well oiled machine with super people!

Hi All. This was my first time. I chose to volunteer here because I wanted to work with animals and be in a familiar country. The communication was handled seamless by Sukret much before I travelled. All responses were prompt and Sukret was quite considerate as he took extra care to highlight, the weather, the need to carry water on the day denoted for sightseeing. I chose to stay out on my own however was picked up and dropped off every day , on time. Shekhar, the driver was a very nice person. Not only did he drive safely, he bargained for me at local fruit stalls without me even asking for it. He took me sightseeing being mindful of what I would enjoy which he picked up on his own. He would give the little children in the village a few bucks to buy candy for themselves and always spoke respectfully and patiently. I’m glad I got to meet him. Now, the elephants. The mahouts involved with the elephants. It’s was a wonderful experience to be in such close contact of such a big animal having no previous experience under the supervision of the staff, Rohit and the mahouts. I never felt unsafe, as a woman, as the only volunteer in a village. They are all individuals, in their own person and to observe their interaction with the elephants was actually quite cool. The elephants I worked with were gentle, except for one. She was playful too. As with animals, one must respect their boundaries. All in all, the one week that I spent there was very well planned with enough work, enough opportunities to take initiative and enough free time to do your own thing. The people I worked with were wonderful and I am glad to have met them. I am an Hindi speaking person so please do note that language was not a barrier for me. The staff of VWI do speak English though. I urge one to visit with an open mind as it is a developing country and the sights of the city’s historical grandeur juxtaposed with the current reality can take a while to digest. I would want to go back again sometime and am grateful for this experience

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Beautiful experience in close contact with elephants. We learned to clean the space in which they live, wash the elephants, feed them and take care of them. It was sometimes a tough job especially to wake up very early in the morning but it was definitely worth it. I never thought I'd find out that elephants are much closer to humans than you think. They know how to be very intelligent and also affectionate. I never felt threatened or in danger with them. Thanks for this wonderful experience, I recommend it to anyone who wants to be in contact with animals.

It was an unforgettable experience! I've been working on the elephants and I've learned to accuse them, talk to them, feed them, have lived in a real Indian Home, ate Indian food, and I learned to understand Indian culture! I recommend it! Every morning I woke up to help these animals! Working with them and seeing the families and children of the village made me realize the real meaning of life: Always smiling! I recommend this programme because is most complete and the guides are very competent

... India at least once in their lifetime. It was my first time here and I felt safe as at home from the first instance. The first hours in India were amazing and really funny, it started on the road from Delhi to Jaipur with the coloured trucks and the horns from the traffic with the crew. The crew from Volunteeringwithindia is amazing, they helped me, showed me about the city and their work here and I learnt a lot from what I saw. I also exchanged a lot of experiences and knowledge with the other volunteers from the programme. The guesthouse was a happy sweet place and Toto was a great tuktuk driver as well as a good guide. The experience about working with the elephants was very good to me as well as the time I spent in Jaipur. I would repeat this for sure. Thank you guys!

I volunteered with Elephants Program for a week because I wanted to discover those magnificent animals and to be in immersion into Indian daily life, and I am fully satisfied. It's an unforgettable experience. The guesthouse family is lovely and always available to help you or happy to have conversations with you. The team members I met, Sukret, Rohid and Shekhear, were perfect. Everything was properly organized and booked. They take good care of me and, as a lonely traveler, I never felt alone. My experience with elephants was precious and mahouts' life is so interesting to discover. Big thanks to the Prity Guesthouse family and to VWI team ! I definitely recommend this program.

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Sukret and the team had everything planned out perfectly. As a solo traveler I didn't know what to expect but when I arrived they made sure I was taken care of for the full week. The host family was extremely welcoming and I really enjoyed our regular tuk-tuk driver, all of which made it possible to really enjoy time with the elephants who are just about the most amazing and personable creatures. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I volunteered with VWI to experience a truly Indian environment and to help out the mahouts were we could. In a lovely location, offered at a good price and the website reviews helped in our decision. It sounded too good to be missed! Govind was a fantastic helper during the week - he's well-spoken and welcoming showing us all we needed to know and open to answering any questions asked. Showed us life in Jaipur and took us kite flying which was great fun! Sukret was fantastic in communication before arrival and very helpful. Clean, lovely family home offering delicious vegetarian Indian cuisine three times a day! They were a kind family. We had a kind driver and efficient with time. He made us feel safe and bought us chai every morning when it was cold. A warm welcome from Sukret waiting to pick us up, even on a late Sunday night! With a sign and a smile.

I decided to volunteer with VWI because I wanted to experience to live with an Indian family and work with elephants and to get a great experience. Very friendly and welcoming pickup! A great way to start a trip. Very welcoming and friendly staff, really nice and took us kite flying which was amazing. They answered all our questions. Excellent accommodations! I love the food so much I could eat it forever! The family were lovely and friendly and helpful. Really nice and spacious bedroom. We had a great driver and I felt very safe with him even though the roads were so crazy. He was a very nice man.

My first days in India were not perfect, there is a big difference in the life style here and in my country. But after a few days with the host family and working with the elephants I felt in love with India and its culture. The host family is lovely, helpful and caring. They were just amazing. Especially to celebrate Diwali with them was a privilege for me. They made me and all of us feel like at home, bringing us closer to their life and traditions. Always with smiles on their faces and ready to help with everything. We had also a lot of going out together, dancing and talking. It was also really nice that there were volunteers at this time with me. We spent great time together, I believe we will stay friends. The elephant project is very interesting. I felt my help was meaningful for the mahouts and the elephants. I extremely enjoyed washing and feeding them. So lovely and intelligent animals. :) The project in totality is well organized, the working time is very good, we have enough free time, the transportation was only on time, the staff especially seem to help a lot with advices and we had lots of fun together. I hope that it was also a positive experience for them, too as it was for me. And one big thank you to you Sukret and to the whole staff making up this amazing program. This is definitely one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Thank you!

I volunteered to work with the elephants in Jaipur for three weeks. What an amazing experience I had. Feeding the elephants, bathing them, riding to a wedding party and generally spending time with the Mahouts, who do an amazing job with the ellies I would have loved to have stayed longer. Riding on the Tut Tut at 4.30 in the morning was quite an experience too, loved calling for Chai and snacks on way back to Guest house Wedding parties Some awesome sights and the people welcome you as their own Fun packed three weeks So glad I chose to do it. Miss everyone toooooooooooo much Try it you will love it, its for all ages :-)

Project staff was good. A little more guidance and communication would be nice ahead of time. As some days were confusing. But overall, very friendly and welcoming. Accommodation was really good, nice family, and helped us with our basic needs. There wasn't much variation in meals, but what we had was good. More variety would have been nice. The transport service was really good! Totoram was so lovely and was never too late! The airport pick up service was a little bit late but otherwise fine. I chose to volunteer with VWI mostly because the organization was the cheapest, and I liked what it had to offer. Working with the children was a worthy cause to volunteer with. The organization does good work here. The elephant project was a very interesting experience, definitely worth doing. Thanks Sukret for your kindness!

I had an enjoyable and rewarding experience with the elephants and children and enjoyed seeing the sights of Jaipur. I felt welcome and taken care of. I highly recommend volunteering with this company. Very good transport service. Toto our tuk tuk driver was safe and punctual. Very good accommodations. The family was welcoming, friendly, and helpful. The food was tasty and plentiful, The internet connection could have been stronger. And we had very attentive project staff.

I wanted to get a real experience working with elephants, staying in a traditional family guesthouse and getting real experience of Indian culture. VWI had very good reviews and sounded like an amazing experience. Their arrival pick up service was really very good. Sukret was really welcoming and helpful and answered all our questions. It was amazing - always on time and very friendly. Even brought us tea when cold! So nice! The project staff were an amazing help, really friendly and welcoming. Kite flying was amazing on roof -- thank you! My homestay had a really clean and lovely room. A very welcoming family and amazing place to stay. Especially the views from the roof. Delicious food and loverly to meet all the family. It was really an amazing week with such friendly and welcoming people, amazing food and incredible experiencing closely with such beautiful elephants. Thank you!!!

I worked 1 week in the Program. It was very impressive to be so close to the Elephants. Everything was well organized and exceeded my expectations. Also the accommodation and the host family was very nice. Hopefully I will find the time to go back again.

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