THAILAND, SOUTHEAST ASIA
Rehabilitation Centre for Asian Elephants in Thai Mai Ruak
Project mission
The aim of the project is to save and to take care of elephants that have suffered work as tourist attractions, and to help them recover in as natural an environment as possible with the care of experienced staff and veterinarians.
Volunteer work
Staff and volunteers main tasks are to provide the animals with food and water. At the centre, there are also two dog packs that the volunteers take turns taking care of.
About twice a week the volunteers make an excursion to harvest food for the elephants, usually banana trees and pineapples. You should be prepared for hard physical work.
You work six days a week, which day of the week you'll have off, you choose yourself when you are on site at the centre.
Examples of volunteer activities:
- Wash the elephants
- Collect food and feed the elephants
- Go on elephant walks
- Clean animal enclosures
Flight
Flight tickets are not included in the price for our volunteer program.
Your final destination is Bangkok with booked arrival Sunday between 5:30 am and 2:00 pm, the day before your volunteer weeks starts.If you arrive after 2:00 pm you need to arrange an overnight stay in Bangkok on your own.
Your return ticket should be booked to Saturday or Sunday after your volunteer weeks are completed.
NOTE! It’s important that you let us know your travel itinerary before your departure.
Transfer and orientation
At the airport staff from the project meet you. You’ll then travel to the project, about 2–4 hours journey from Bangkok depending on traffic. Transfer from the project to the airport before your return trip you arrange yourself.
Your volunteer weeks start with an introduction to Thai customs and preparations for your time on the project.
Boka resa
Du bokar din resa genom att klicka på den orangea knappen ”Boka Resa”. Du kan också starta din bokning genom att välja ett grönmarkerat startdatum i kalendern. Bokning via telefon görs på 031–708 42 03.
Anmälningsavgift
När du bokat din resa får du ett bekräftelsemail från oss och en faktura för anmälningsavgiften på 2000 kronor. När vi mottagit din betalning av anmälningsavgiften är du formellt anmäld till projektet.
OBS! Anmälningsavgiften ingår i resans pris, vilket innebär att 2000 kronor dras av på din slutfaktura.
Informationspaket
Vi skickar förberedande information till dig i god tid före din avresa. Informationspaketet innehåller mer ingående information om projektet, arbetsschema, aktiviteter och packlista mm.
Lodging, meals and leisure
LODGING
You live in small bungalows with simple rooms shared by 2–4 volunteers. All bungalows have a bathroom with western toilet and cold-water shower. At the main building there are also extra rooms, which share a bathroom and toilet. All rooms have a fan.
In the main building there is a common living room with TV and DVD player if you want to watch movies and hang out with the other volunteers.
MEALS
Three meals a day are included. Lunch and dinner are prepared by Thai chefs, mainly Thai dishes. Vegetarian / vegan, lactose and gluten free alternatives can be arranged. NOTE! This must be notified before departure. However, if you are allergic to nuts, the project can unfortunately not guarantee that the food doesn’t contain nuts.
WI-FI / INTERNET
In the nearest village, about 10 minute walk from the project, there are three Internet Cafes with a good connection. TIP! You can buy a local SIM card at the airport when you arrive to be able to be online via 3G, when signal is available.
LEISURE
On your day off, you are free to explore Thailand on your own. If you want to make excursions, the project coordinator will be happy to help you with tips on destinations and activities. For those who want to enjoy sunbathing and swimming, the seaside resorts of Hua Hin and Cha Am are about an hour's drive from the project.
You can visit Thailand's largest national park Kaeng Krachan, about 40 kilometres away, to enjoy the sunset from one of the on-site restaurants. A really cool experience is a full day excursion to Kuiburi National Park, to walk around the park to look for some of the 230 wild elephants that live there.
The nearest village is about 10 minute walk from the project. Here you'll find some shops where you can buy snacks and drinks and three Internet Cafes with a good connection. Every Monday and Sunday there is an evening market in the village, on which you can buy food, clothes and other small things.
Application form
When you have booked your volunteer program with us, we will send you an application form (together with the registration fee). Fill out the application form and return it to us, we will then forward it to the projekt as basis for your volunteer placement.
Insurance
LIABILITY INSURANCE
Liability insurance is included in the price of your volunteer trip. Liability insurance applies to occasions when you as a private person are required to pay damages for having unintentionally damaged someone or someone’s property.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
You, yourself are responsible to ensure that your insurance cover covers illness, injury and theft while you travel and work as a volunteer.
Visa
You, yourself are responsible for applying for and acquiring the required visa for entering the country of your destination. Different visa rules may apply depending on your nationality. Visit the embassy web page for the country of your destination, to find out the accurate visa terms between your resident country and the country where you are travelling.
Vaccinations
Remember to get vaccinated about a month before your departure. Check with your lokal vaccination center or doctor what vaccinations you need for your travels. We always recommend that you have adequate protection against Hepatitis A and B, Tetanus and Cholera, regardless of destination.
Remember! Circumstances can change rapidly, and epidemics can break out. You are responsible for keeping yourself informed, and also for which vaccination protection you choose.
