2 - 12 weeks
from € 1.250
Thailand

Volunteer work in elephant animal shelter in Thailand

  • Surrounded by nature
  • work with wildlife
  • Varied activities

Get involved in threatened elephants in Thailand! You help actively in an elephant rescue center. In this animal welfare project, you make sure that the elephants can recover, move enough and can get their own food.

Location icon Wildlife Central Thailand
Minimum age icon from 18 years
Icon Duration 2 - 12 weeks / from €1.250
Departure days icon Sunday
SDG 15 - Life on Land
life on land

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Project ID : FA-TH194

As a volunteer
Thailand

2 - 12 weeks / from €1.250
to the cost overview

Register now
Volunteering with elephants in Thailand - protection for pachyderms

What's the matter?

When volunteering in the Wildlife & Animal Welfare sector, you should make sure that the welfare of the animal and the protection of the species are the top priority for the project.

Thailand has both free-ranging and domesticated elephants that are equally threatened with extinction. 60 years ago, more than 50.000 wild elephants lived in Thailand. Today there should only be about 2200 copies left. They are hunted for their ivory, their habitat is cleared and converted into plantations.

Tamed elephants are now mainly used in the tourism industry. Due to the fact that they are often not kept in a species-appropriate manner, they are just as threatened as the wild animals. Unfortunately, there is still no law to protect the animals, which is why they urgently need support!

If you would like to get to know elephants up close and become active in animal welfare, then the elephant sanctuary is exactly the right place for you! Because here you have the opportunity to support the pachyderms in a species-appropriate manner.

The sanctuary for endangered elephants is located in the south-central part of Thailand. Here the pachyderms have more than 7 hectares of safe habitat to romp around. The facility is the first ankle-free elephant conservation organization in Asia!

The elephants living in the center were captured or raised as livestock. Mostly to be used in the tourism or construction industry. The elephants are either very old, already blind or have other physical or health restrictions. The oldest female elephant here is 75 years old!

Your tasks as a volunteer

As a volunteer in this unique project, you will learn everything you need to know about caring for these magnificent animals. Every day you take the elephants on an 'elephant walk' through the facility so that the animals get the exercise they need. Then you brush the animals and spray them with water. The animals are only touched as much as necessary!

Preparing the feed for the elephants is more challenging and creative than you might think at first. Because the team at the deployment site attaches great importance to making the food as difficult to access as possible, as is the case in the elephants' natural environment. Your protégés are sometimes served the food in bamboo tubes, which you have to crush beforehand. Or in nets that you put high up in the trees so that the elephants have to use their trunks to reach for them.

You will also help to get the food. The pachyderms eat tons of banana trees, which means that you harvest bananas with other volunteers. You then prepare the feed appropriate to the species in the 'animal kitchen' at the deployment site.

You will also clean the elephant shelters and help maintain the facility. Keeping your own accommodation clean and small household chores are also part of your area of ​​responsibility.

Accommodation Catering

Accommodation in Thailand

With several participants you will live in a house with shared rooms on the premises. You share a bathroom together that only has cold water. The first thing you notice about the main house is the large terrace. There is a large table there where you can eat and spend time with the other volunteers. The terrace also invites you to relax and sunbathe. In the main house there is also a kitchen where lunch and dinner are prepared. Various foods are available there for your breakfast.

When you move in, the cleaning staff will come to clean the rooms. Afterwards, you and your roommates are responsible for the cleanliness. There are enough sockets in the bedrooms and you can use WiFi in the elephant kitchen.

Near your location you have the opportunity to buy or rent a moped and explore the area with it.

Location

Wildlife Central Thailand

At our project location you will find yourself in a beautiful, varied landscape. To the east lies the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, to the west the Tenasserim Mountains. The wildlife project is located in the middle of the hilly landscape covered with forests and shrubs, by a small lake.

In shady places you will meet colorful chameleons and many other interesting animals. Not only elephants and monkeys live here in large enclosures, but also tigers and cats. Here in central Thailand you are in a somewhat remote location and can immerse yourself deeply in nature. The nearest village is about a ten minute walk away and the nearest town can be reached in 30 minutes by taxi. 

Nature and animal lovers will definitely get their money's worth here! You live directly in the wilderness, surrounded by fascinating landscapes and various wild animals and can actively support animal welfare!

Free time in central Thailand

Your free time in central Thailand

Central Thailand is a region known for its stunning scenery, rich culture and delicious cuisine. Accordingly, you can spend your free time after volunteering with exciting leisure activities. 

Especially nature lovers get their money's worth here, because there are many national parks in central Thailand, such as the Khao Yai National Park. Here you can observe numerous wild animals and discover exotic plant species. In the Erawan National Park there are breathtaking waterfalls and crystal clear waters to admire and in the Phra Nang Klao Conservation Area you can experience the beauty of the mangrove forests. 

If you have a little more time, you can also visit the nearby historic city of Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This offers a wealth of temples and ruins from Thailand's glorious past. Visiting Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Mahathat and Wat Chaiwatthanaram is a must for every visitor. 

If you are looking for an adventure, then take a bike tour through the rural areas of central Thailand. Or you can go rafting on the Mae Taeng River. This region offers a wealth of outdoor activities. Are you looking for thrills? – Then dare to skydive or take a climbing course in the spectacular surroundings of Tham Lot. 

For foodies, the Central Thailand region offers a variety of culinary experiences, such as the famous Thai dishes Pad Thai, Tom Yum and Massaman Curry. You can also try out delicious street food such as Som Tum, Gai Yang and Khao Soi. 

On-site procedure

Arrival in Thailand

Arrive in Bangkok

You land in one of the two international airports in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. For work in the wildlife conservation project or in our elephant project, you can have a driver from the local team pick you up in Bangkok. The journey takes three hours.

Individual arrival is of course also possible. Our team looks forward to welcoming you to Cha-am or Hua Hin!

Orientation in Central Thailand

Orientation program in Thailand

As soon as you arrive at the center, you will be greeted by the project team. The staff will show you your accommodation and your new home. They will also introduce you to the house rules, your job, and local health and safety rules. On a tour you get to know the terrain. You will also learn more about your future tasks and get to know your protégés. The employees will also provide you with background information about the deployment site and the commitment to animal welfare in Asia.

Volunteering in central Thailand

Your first day in the project

Your working hours in the project will be discussed and determined with you at the beginning. You have one day off per week, although this day does not necessarily fall on a weekend. You can then drive to Hua Hin or Cha Am to the beach or to the Kane Krachang National Park. Our on-site team is always there for you during your entire stay.

Pricing

  • base fee
    € 1.250, -
    2 weeks of participation
  • extension week
    € 280, - / week
    up to 10 weeks respectively

included
Services

Before departure

  • Individual advice and support from our trained RGV team in Munich
  • Organization including placement in the project and coordination of your stay on site
  • Assistance with preparation: visa, health care, travel insurance, etc.
  • Non-binding flight advice
  • Travel ABC with packing list for your travel preparation
  • RGV t-shirt

On site

  • Orientation program with the team on site
  • Support and guidance from the on-site team
  • RGV 24h emergency number
  • Project t-shirt to wear during on-site activities
  • Accommodation at the job site
  • Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner

After return

  • Participation confirmation of your voluntary commitment
  • Reflection course on your experiences abroad
  • Evaluation sheet and optional feedback discussion
useful additional services

not included
Services

  • Round trip
  • Private expenses on site
  • Excursions with microlight flights
  • Travel and cancellation insurance
  • Visa and Vaccinations
  • All nights outside your agreed accommodation
  • Public transport and extra transfers
  • Transfer on the day of arrival and departure (bookable for approx. 60 €)
  • Drinks

Individual Recommended additional offers
& must-haves

Picture must-haves

Would you prefer to stay in a single room? Are you vegan or do you have special requests for food? Or do you want to do some cool trips with other volunteers in your free time and explore the country?

With us, you benefit from a variety of optional additional services that you can add individually to your booking, depending on your preferences.

Flight booking icon
" Round Trip
Cheap flights with our flight partner thanks to volunteer rates.
Flight offers with maximum flexibility

Would you like to receive a cheap flight offer for your stay abroad that is perfectly tailored to you? After you have successfully registered, you can have a non-binding offer created.

The excellent rates for volunteers, students and young people are a great advantage. Arrival times and flight time changes can also be sent directly to RGV upon request, so that our RGV teams in the destination countries are always informed about your arrival times.

These special tariffs give you special added value:

  • maximum flexibility for rebookings and cancellations
  • generous baggage allowance
  • Additional discounts on one-way flights: The new volunteer tariffs include attractive discounts to reduce your financial burden on one-way flights (e.g. for stopovers, project or country combinations).
Insurance icon
" Insurance
Benefit from the 4 in 1 ERGO travel insurance.
The 4 in 1 insurance cover for volunteers and internships abroad

You can easily book the long-term travel protection of ERGO Reiseversicherung after you have registered. You will receive the links to this automatically after a successful registration.

The following building blocks are included:

  • Health Insurance
  • Comfort protection: accident, liability and interruption insurance
  • Travel insurance

Wildlife Central Thailand Team
site

In the wildlife project in Thailand is Katie find main contact. She is the office coordinator and has an overview of the progress of the project. Katie comes from Great Britain and as a former volunteer supports the volunteers in their tasks. But Katie is not alone in the office: Ban the cat is always checking on things in the office.

Fang is an elephant coordinator. She is from Thailand and speaks fluent English as well as Thai. So she can communicate with the Thai employees and the volunteers without any problems.

Billy is also an elephant coordinator. He is Thai but has also lived in the UK for some time and is fluent in English. Billy is very friendly and helpful. If Katie is not available, the volunteers can also contact Billy with any questions or problems.

Anna is Wildlife Coordinator. She originally came to the project as a volunteer. In addition to her mother tongue German, Anna also speaks English, Spanish, Korean and is now learning Thai. Like the other team members, she is very popular with the volunteers. As a contact person, she is happy to assist the volunteers with questions and problems.

Banana is Wildlife Coordinator and native Thai. Actually her name is Anna - like her German colleague. To avoid misunderstandings, it is called in the project Banana or Pumba. Banana speaks Thai as well as English. She is just as gracious as everyone else in the team. And her heart beats especially for the animals in the project.

Portrait Team in central Thailand

Volunteers talk about their experiences Joint commitment - big impact!

Testimonials

Report from the Wildlife Conservation Project in Thailand

I can recommend this project to anyone who is open to everything new, to Thailand and its culture, who is interested in animals and, above all, that they are best allowed to live where they come from: wild, in nature.
Testimonials

Experience report from the wildlife project in Thailand

In the elephant project you have direct contact with the elephants, which was an unforgettable experience for me every day because I find these animals very fascinating. As a highlight, you can also feed them, shower/scrub them and take them for a walk.
Testimonials

Experiences of volunteering with wildlife in Thailand

In summary, the experience of working with elephants is priceless. Anyone thinking about doing a project with animals, especially these impressive animals, should definitely give it a try.

More testimonials
Browse our magazine

RGV FAQ
to the project

What are the project fees used for?

Although we are a non-profit organization, there are costs associated with volunteering abroad. Find out here, why volunteering requires money and what your project fee is used for.

Which visa do I need for Thailand?

You have several options for your visa in Thailand, depending on how long you want to stay. You will receive a free tourist visa with 30 days validity directly upon entry at the airport. You can apply for a tourist visa for a 60-day stay online in advance. This costs €35 for a single entry and €175 for multiple entries.

If you want to stay in Thailand longer, you need the Non-Immigrant-O visa, which is valid for 90 days. You can also apply for this online and the cost is €70.

What language skills do I need for the project in Thailand?

Good knowledge of English is required for the project. Knowledge of Thai is also helpful.

What vaccinations/ health precautions do I need?

If you are traveling from a yellow fever area, you need a yellow fever vaccination. Otherwise there are no compulsory vaccinations.

We generally recommend a consultation in a practice for travel and tropical medicine.

You can get general information about recommended health care and vaccinations online Center for Travel Medicine as well as on the side of Foreign Office.

What are the requirements for the project?

For the project you should have good physical fitness and a positive attitude towards animals and wildlife conservation.

What do I have to consider as an LGBTQ person?

Please be aware that homosexual acts are considered undesirable in many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America and are even punishable by law in some places. In general, people who are identified as queer are often exposed to hostility.

For example, get information from Foreign Office about the exact regulations in your destination country.

General FAQ about volunteer work

Ready to volunteer in Thailand? Start your adventure abroad with Rainbow Garden Village!

Rainbow Garden Village has been offering volunteer work and internships abroad since 1999. What started as a small student initiative in Ghana has now grown into an organization with over 250 projects around the world.

You can be sure that your work as a volunteer will be an unforgettable experience. Bring your commitment and your knowledge to do good locally - and at the same time benefit from the unique experiences that will promote your personal development.

Become part of our RGV community!
We look forward to you.

Register now

RGV Your way
to the volunteer

1
Choose your volunteer project and register online.

2
We will review your application and confirm your participation.

3
Prepare for your assignment online or in our preparatory seminar in Munich.

4
Here we go! During your volunteer work, we will support you at any time with our on-site team.

Gallery Impressions &
Impressions

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