Elephants and Hill Tribes Challenge

In the last 3 generations, elephant populations in Asia have decreased by at least 50%. Humans are slowly inhabiting more and more of elephants’ natural habitat and many elephants are killed by stepping on landmines, are worked to death in the logging and entertainment (circuses and riding) industries, and are killed by poachers. Today there are less than 50,000 Asian elephants in the world.

It’s not just elephants that are facing significant challenges in Thailand. In remote hill tribe communities in Thailand’s north, up to 33% of the population are living below the poverty line, compared to a national average of 7%. Schools in the region are underfunded, lacking teachers as well as basic resources, which prevents children from receiving an education that could help them break out of the poverty cycle.

How you can help

You will volunteer at Elephant Nature Park, an ethical elephant sanctuary that sets the bar in the region for elephant treatment and runs a global campaign to stop animal cruelty and the torture of elephants through work in the logging or entertainment industries. The sanctuary has over 80 rescued elephants as well as hundreds of rescued dogs and cats. Here, your activities will include:

• Cleaning up after the elephants at the park

• Cleaning water troughs

• Feeding the elephants (banana and watermelon are their favourite)

• Cleaning and sorting elephant food

• Spending time with the dogs and cats to familiarise them with humans

• Walking the disabled dogs

You will also spend half of your program in a remote hill tribe village. Here, you will be working on projects that improve education quality. You activities could include:

• Conversational English sessions to improve children’s competency and confidence speaking English

• Creative arts, life skills and environmental sustainability workshops that allow children to learn additional skills in an exciting hands-on setting, develop their critical thinking skills and become more engaged in their education

• Infrastructure projects to improve school facilities and create a safer and more conducive learning environment for children

• Environmental sustainability activities such as community clean ups and tree planting.

speak to a caa representative about this program

program structure

When you arrive in Thailand you’ll be met by our team at the airport and will head straight to the hill tribe village where you will spend the week. Over the first few days you’ll have a thorough induction and orientation where you’ll learn about Thai customs and culture, get your bearings around the village, meet community partners and gain a better understanding of the context of the projects you’re working on.

In the village you’ll work Monday – Friday and you day will usually be structured with a morning session (approx. 3 hours) after breakfast and then a session of the same length after lunch. Your afternoons and evenings will be free for you to relax or do any required planning for the next day.

For your second week you will head back to Chiang Mai and on to Elephant Nature Park. Your accommodation will be at the park and you will spend most of your day working with the elephants and other animals or learning about the park’s mission to end animal cruelty around the world.

On the last day, you’ll either be transported back to the airport or you can join our extension trip tour of Northern Thailand!

*Please note some programs might have an inverse structure where you spend your first week at the elephant park and second week in the hill tribes.

Extend your volunteer trip

After your volunteering you can join our optional extension trip for $800, where you’ll spend a week touring all the sites in Northern Thailand you shouldn’t miss before you head home! You will begin by heading to Chiang Rai to visit the famous White Temple and the Monkey Temple before a Mekong river cruise to the Golden Triangle - the point where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet.

After the markets and nightlife of Chiang Rai you'll head to Chiang Dao for some hiking, bamboo rafting and exploring waterfalls before heading to Pai for some relaxation. This whirlwind tour will see you discovering the best hidden gems of Northern Thailand for a perfect end to your trip!

Download the itinerary for a day-by-day overview of the program!

COVID-19: GIVING YOU PEACE OF MIND

To deal with the uncertainty that comes with COVID-19, we have introduced several guarantees so you can confidently book in your 2022 volunteer program today. Click the button below for all the details.