Family Elephant Sanctuary Volunteering in Thailand
A meaningful family adventure in Thailand volunteering at an elephant sanctuary. Support rescued elephants and create unforgettable memories together
Immerse yourselves in an elephant lover’s paradise on your family holiday. Spend a week or more working closely with rescued Asian elephants in a Thailand elephant reserve on the Malay Peninsula. Rescued from street begging and tourist entertainments, these elephants need your help to rehabilitate and recover.
On the same site there is also a remarkable animal sanctuary, home to sun bears, primates, birds and more. Volunteers of two weeks and up, can effortlessly immerse themselves in the lives of both rescued elephants and a fascinating variety of other wildlife, splitting their time between the two projects without having to change sites or accommodation.
Duration: 1 – 2 weeks
Dates: Click here for availability calendar
Arrival & Return day: Sunday
Eligibility: Fair level of fitness required. The work is physical and humidity high.
Age: Children must be aged 16+
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Highlights
- Walking through the forest with the elephants, experiencing their freedom and enjoying it with them
- Living alongside singing gibbons and chattering monkeys at the adjacent wildlife sanctuary
- Hit the beach and explore the night markets to soak up some of the best that Thailand has to offer
- Watching elephants bathe and possibly giving the older elephants a shower and a scrub, assisting with important health checks
- Add a conservation career course to support and apply for jobs after your trip
You and your family can become important members of a team working to protect and care for rescued Asian elephants. Currently home to many rescued 22 rescue elephants, this Thailand elephant sanctuary provides a beautiful haven where its inhabitants can recover from their previous lives begging in the streets of Bangkok and performing for tourists. Their new home provides them with 20 hectares of greenery, where they are cared for by volunteers and dedicated animal welfare experts.
As an elephant volunteer in Thailand, you will take part in many activities. Some of these may include but are not limited to:
- Elephant feeding: grass cutting, food preparation and feeding – the elephants need to eat about 5% of their bodyweight each day!
- Maintenance tasks: painting, building and making enrichments for the elephants
- Manual jobs: Preparing, cleaning and maintaining the elephant bathing pools and harvesting food for the elephants. These jobs can be quite physical!
- Hands-on elephant care: Hosing and scrubbing the elephants where necessary*, making sure they have enough water, food and shade
- Elephant enrichment: Creating mental stimulation for the elephants, or walking the elephants outside of the sanctuary, allowing them to graze and exercise
On-site there is also a wildlife sanctuary, home to bears, gibbons, macaques, otters, birds and more. If you are staying for two weeks or more we can arrange for you to split your time between each project, so if you’d like to do this please do ask! Working in both parts of the sanctuary will give you insights into the very diverse conservation and welfare needs all of these animals.
You are welcome to take one full day off a week as the volunteering does involves long hours and manual labour. If you want to volunteer on your day off, this is also fine!
*Please note, it cannot always be guaranteed that volunteers will assist with contact activities, as tasks are always centred on the needs of and benefits to the elephants
The elephant sanctuary is part of a larger wildlife sanctuary located on the Malay Peninsula, about 3 hours south of Bangkok. The location is fantastic as not only are you close the sprawling Kaeng Krachang National Park, you are also only 30 minutes from the beach towns of Hua Hin and Cha Am. There is a small village near the sanctuary with a weekly night market. There is plenty to keep you all busy when you want to be!
Are you looking for paid work in the conservation sector after volunteering or interning? Oyster have teamed up with our friends at Conservation Careers who support people to find paid work in conservation following study or a career change. You can add their fantastic and flexible course to your volunteering trip with Oyster. Your Oyster experience will help add interest to your conservation resume as an eye catching addition to your job applications in future!
- Family accommodation in the heart of the sanctuary
- Western toilets and showers with water heated by the sunshine
- The accommodation is comfortable yet basic
- Communal areas are located at the centre of the sanctuary
- Three meals per day provided
- DIY breakfast of cereals, toast, eggs and fresh fruits
- Lunch and dinner are cooked and provided by local cooks
- Food is traditional Thai food with occasional Western options
- Most dietary requirements can be catered for including vegetarian, vegan, lactose intolerance and gluten free. Please note, the options will be more limited and you may need to supplement / enhance the meal options, particularly if you are gluten free
- This project is not recommended for those with severe nut allergies
Travel arrangements
Airport: Bangkok (BKK)
Arrival day: Sunday before 14:00. You will be collected from the airport and transferred to the sanctuary
Departure day: Sunday after 12:00
Supporting You
Edwin was born in the Netherlands, and spent the earlier part of his life in the army. Following his army career he worked in Thailand and became increasingly involved in animal welfare. Concerned by some of the practices he saw, he founded the wildlife sanctuary Thailand to provide a home for displaced and abused animals. Edwin has lived in Thailand for almost 30 years, speaks fluent Thai (amongst other languages) and is fully embedded into the Thai culture.
Included
- Access to your own personal ‘My Oyster’ account – our online portal where you can find out much more about the program and manage your booking
- Dedicated contact time with an experienced destination manager to discuss the project, answer any of your questions and for us to find out more about you
- Help and advice from our UK office before arrival and whilst you are away
- Pre-departure information covering medical, safety and project advice
- Gold level, 24/7 Pharos crisis management and incident support cover
- Financial protection: ATOL (if we book your flights).
- Thorough orientation on arrival
- In-country support
- Accommodation (see the ‘accommodation’ section above for details)
- Advice on visa requirements
- Oyster plants a tree in Africa with TreeAid to help reduce the impact of global carbon emissions
- Food
- Met personally at Bangkok airport and taken to the project
On your return:
- Welcome home pack
- Certificate of Recognition (on request)
- References (on request)
Not Included
- Flights – as an ATOL bonded company, Oyster can book flights for you
- You need a valid passport that meets the requirements of the country you will be travelling to
- Insurance (covering your time with Oyster and any planned independent travel)
- Any costs associated with changing your return flight date if you need to
- Independent travel costs
- Home country travel costs
- Spending money for additional trips, food and entertainment
- Cost of a hotel in Bangkok if arriving too late for the transfer (before 14:00)
- You must have your diphtheria, tetanus and polio up to date – without these you will not be allowed to work on the project
- Return transfer to the airport
FAQ's
Without enthusiastic and hard-working volunteers, this sanctuary would not be able to run. Volunteering hands-on with elephants is a real privilege, and helping them to enjoy life after years of being slaves to the tourist industry is a great achievement. Volunteers love this as they can get stuck in to genuine conservation and protection, all the whilst learning more about these amazing creatures.
Taking part in something like this with your family is a fantastic way for you all to immerse yourselves into a collective experience which will provide memories for life. One of our previous volunteer mums told us this:
“This was a perfect way for us as a family to enjoy spending time with each other and away from each other, all working in the same area and interacting with the animals and other volunteers, with a purpose, and in a completely safe environment. It opened our kids’ eyes to opportunities available, they mixed with people from all around the world, they developed confidence, they felt valued by what they were doing, they saw their parents as equals in the work rather than just ‘parents’, and were able to express themselves naturally. We all loved it.”
And to top it all, you will be working hands on with elephants!
Whilst late-availability is possible, we would advise booking as soon as you can to guarantee your ideal dates. Our projects are very popular and spaces can fill up several months in advance, especially for the months of June to September.
There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ day at the wildlife rescue centre, but the structure will be broadly as follows.
Morning tasks: 6:30 – 12:00 with a breakfast break and comfort breaks
Lunch: 12:00 – 13:00
Afternoon tasks: 13:00 – 17:00 with comfort breaks
The sanctuary is designed to replicate life in the wild as best it can. The elephants roam freely and are very sociable creatures. Working closely with the elephants means helping to maintain their environment and taking them to bathe and feed when necessary.
While the elephants have been somewhat humanised, hands on activities with the elephants can never be guaranteed as tasks are always centred on the needs of and benefits to the elephants. However each day in the morning and afternoon volunteers will have the chance to feed the elephants banana balls which offers a lovely chance to get a bit closer to the animals.
Oyster assesses projects carefully to ensure that they offer high standards of animal welfare and environmental practice. We also check that volunteers understand key points of good practice before working with animals. To find out more, see our animal welfare policy.
This project is open to people from all walks of life, and as such you should expect to be with a group of volunteers of all ages. We cannot guarantee that there will be other families there at the same time as you.
Yes, absolutely. This can be arranged by the project staff once you are at the sanctuary.
We do not include the return transfer to the airport automatically, as many travellers choose to do some more travelling in Thailand after their volunteering. As there are departures every Sunday, there are often people wanting to go back to Bangkok / the airport at a similar time. This means that volunteers can share a car and divide the cost of the transfer between them.
We encourage shared transfers as it means that the environmental impact is reduced – and it might save you money too.
Thailand has a tropical climate and as such you can always expect rain and sunshine – and sometimes within minutes of each other! Typically the wettest season is September and October, so you should make sure to have wet weather gear at this time of year. This being said, the rain is often in short sharp bursts and doesn’t stop you from doing anything on the project. As a guideline, you can expect:
Cold season: November – February. Temperatures approx 15 – 30 celsius.
Hot season: March – June. Temperatures approx30 45 celsius.
Rainy season: July – August. Temperatures approx25 – 35 celsius.
Wet season: September – October. Temperatures approx 25 – 35 celsius.
We would recommend budgeting approximately £30 per person a week for food and free time activities.
There is really easy access to cash machines from the centre so you do not need to take all your cash with you.
If you are going for over 4 weeks, you might like to consider getting a cash card. Cash cards are a safe and convenient way to take your money travelling with you – they act just like debit cards but do not have the same fees as you might have to pay on your bank cards from home. Check out our blog for details on how the card works here.
No visa is necessary for under 30 days from UK and most western European countries. We will give advice on longer stays.
You will need to make sure your passport is valid for a minimum of 6 months after you arrive in Thailand.
You must have your vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus and polio. Without these you will not be able to work on the project. You should visit your doctor or travel nurse to find out what other vaccinations you may need.
It is strongly recommended that you are vaccinated against Hepatitis A and B, rabies and tuberculosis. These are entirely optional (at your own risk) as these diseases do occur in Thailand but have not occurred at the centre. Please follow your doctor’s advice.
For any more information, including entry requirements related to Covid-19, please see the Fit for Travel website or the UK government’s travel advice page for Thailand.
There are medical facilities approximately 30 minutes from the project sites. Larger hospitals can be found within 3 hours drive in Bangkok.
The centre is in a very secure and safe area and a full safety briefing will be given upon arrival. There is a safe on site for storing valuables. You will be sharing on-site accommodation with other volunteers and the coordinators live on site too. This is a hands off project, except with the elephants, and you will be fully trained for all aspects of the role.
The sanctuary is about 20 minutes from the tourist towns of Cha Am and Hua Hin. They are beautiful and used to having tourists frequent them. Please be aware this is a Buddhist country and you should not have too much flesh on show!
You will be living right in the heart of a small rural village in the sanctuary grounds. Walk five minutes into the small town in order to check the internet, get some laundry done and get to know the locals.
There is intermittent access to wifi at the sanctuary, however this is neither reliable nor fast. Many volunteers buy a local SIM card to access data on the move.
There is mobile phone signal at the centre and you can receive incoming emergency calls at the centre too.
Thailand is 7 hours ahead of GMT (GMT+7).
In Thailand, a mixture of European plugs and American plugs are used.
- The local village is just a short walk away and has a night market and shops.
- There is an on-site bar which is open until the early evening every day.
- Trips are often organised to Petchaburi, Hua Hin and Cha Am in the evening to see the night markets and explore.
- There is a weekly trip to a local shopping mall, particularly useful for those with specific dietary requirements
- For a night out volunteers can take a taxi to Hua Hin, which has lots of great bars and restaurants and also a night market which sells lots of cheap clothes and souvenirs.
- The Thailand animal sanctuary is located on temple grounds, so it is very easy to visit the temple and experience Thai culture on your days off.
- There are also amazing beaches just 15 miles away and fantastic hiking in the national park.
You will have evenings free and one day per week off.
You are welcome to take one full day off a week as the volunteering does involves long hours and manual labour. If you want to volunteer on your day off, this is also fine!
Supervision will be fairly intensive during the first few days, when you will receive a thorough induction and work-related training. Once you are comfortable with things, you might not always have a supervisor working alongside you, but there will always be staff and other volunteers around to help, and you will always be accompanied for any high risk activities.
Staff at Oyster’s head office and in-country will be responsible for your safety and welfare while you are at the project. This will start from the moment you are picked up from the airport / your hotel until you are due to leave the project on your last day. Before and after these times, you will be outside Oyster’s responsibility and should make sure that you act safely and avoid risk. This is also true if you choose to leave the project during your time off. We will give you plenty of guidance and advice about this.
Project Reviews
“I booked a wildlife volunteering trip in Thailand with Oyster Worldwide, and knew immediately that I was in capable hands. My coordinator was so quick to respond to emails and queries, happy to move my dates when life got in the way and delayed my initial booking, and provided me with all the info I needed before I set...
“I booked a wildlife volunteering trip in Thailand with Oyster Worldwide, and knew immediately that I was in capable hands. My coordinator was so quick to respond to emails and queries, happy to move my dates when life got in the way and delayed my initial booking, and provided me with all the info I needed before I set off. My three weeks in Thailand were an absolute dream. I spent the first two with primates, bears, birds and all manner of other beautiful animals, and then did the third week with elephants, and both experiences were magical. The work was hard – you’re up with the dawn preparing food, harvesting banana trees, scrubbing bear pools and monkey enclosure – but it was the most rewarding I’ve ever done. I met so many brilliant people, staff and other volunteers, and made friends and memories for life. I cannot recommend it enough, and will definitely be booking another trip!!!”
“Back home after a hugely rewarding 2 weeks working with the elephants at the sanctuary. Think for a volunteering holiday such as this, a basic level of fitness is a must- especially when helping out on the harvesting of the banana tree trunks. Being able to “rough” it for the duration also helps i.e. accept that you won’t have the same conditions as at home :)”
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“I am having a wonderful time. The work with the elephants is quite hard but so enjoyable. I have had the chance to make food and feed them. Wash them and take for a walk. The harvesting (collecting Banana tree trunks) is very hard work and too much for me but I have been able to help in many other ways. This week I am with the wildlife. Making food and feeding various primate and many other animals. Some of the background stories as to why a lot of the animals have been rescued here is quite heartbreaking. Makes the work that we are doing feel so very worthwhile. The most memorable and exciting part of my holiday was working with the elephants and wildlife, and meeting an array of other people of all ages and cultures. Kind hearts were something that ran through the other volunteers. I really felt that the work the volunteers did, contributed to the welfare of all the animals and supported the local environment. Do not underestimate how hard the work is though, it is not a party place! Take old clothes that you would be happy to leave behind as your clothes will get dirty and stained! This was a flipping fantastic and fulfilling holiday. Made me feel proud of myself and my contribution.”
“Working with the elephants was so rewarding. The work was hard but every minute was worth it. My tips to other travellers would be take old clothes, you will get wet and dirty every day. Gloves are important! You’ll work hard but it is worth it. If you go for more than one week, I suggest you have a go at both sides of the WFFT volunteer program – Wildlife and Elephants. I absolutely felt that my holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts and supported conservation so I would highly highly recommend this trip!”
“Everything went very well, the staff were great and of course the elephant experience was second to none! Daily work was hard, especially “harvest” but very worthwhile. Transfer from Bangkok was faultless and driver v. friendly. Accommodation was fine: we were expecting basic, but had own bathroom which was great. Lots of v. useful info on My Oyster system, this helped us prepare properly. Katie was very welcoming and the tour on day 1 was fascinating, as was hearing from the founder (Edwin). Project staff were great and v approachable. Highlight has to be feeding/showing elephants! Preparing their “enrichments” was fun too. Waking up to the sound of birds and monkeys was unreal. Dogs that live on site were v sweet. Many of the volunteers are young, don’t worry about age gap…just throw yourselves into it…feeding elephants before breakfast is great, even if it is an early start! Take lots of mosquito repellant! Treat even small scratches with antiseptic cream to prevent infection …pharmacies can sell antibiotics over the counter if needed. The village has a couple of places selling nice coffee! Go on the trip to the bat cave + market: The bats are extraordinary. Take lots of photos! It’s given our daughter some gap year ideas…many of the volunteers are on a gap year travelling around SE Asia. And interesting to talk to about their experiences. Made us think about going back to that part of the world next year!”
“I enjoyed my trip to Thailand a lot. It was hard work (and long hours), but with great people. I had a lot of fun caring for the elephants and the other animals at the sanctuary. The staff were very friendly and helpful. My room was comfortable (if basic) and I shared with three others. My advice to people thinking about this project would be to go for it, but to remember to bring decent footwear you don’t mind ruining (feet will be wet a lot of the time) and plenty of insect repellent!”
“I had a great time, thank you!! Just settling back in, wish I could have stayed longer but I’m a student nurse so had to get back to placement!!”
“We had an amazing time in Thailand with the Elephant volunteer program. It was such an amazing experience. Be ready for physical work it is quite a busy day with hot conditions! But we definitely felt our trip helped with the rescue of animals. Thanks for all your help organizing the trip!”
“Kate with Oyster has been tremendous as my guide to all things pre-departure! My questions were answered efficiently, and always politely, Kate checked in regularly and assured me of everything I needed along with time frames. She was so supportive of my reality in needing to renew my passport. Never critical, never condescending, despite my ridiculous mistake of letting it expire in the middle of Covid! I could not be more complementary of all that Kate did to make this trip come together. I am at the departure gate right now as I head off to Thailand and want to say thank you thank you thank you! ”
“Having a great time thanks. Day off today so stayed over in Ch Am last night. Meeting some lovely people. Mostly youngsters travelling. Accommodation is fine although I’ll never get used to cold showers! I would certainly recommend the experience ”
“Thank you for getting in touch, I had an absolutely amazing time out in Thailand and I was so sad when I had to leave. I’m not sure I have much feedback to give, the kit list Oyster provided was spot on and I was prepared for what Thailand would entail ”
“My trip was absolutely amazing!! I enjoyed every second of it and would totally recommend it to people to go!! I complete this for my Gold Duke of Edinburgh and it was the best thing experience I could have chosen for this”
“It was a memorable experience and I was glad to have participated. Although there are of course always ways that things might be improved a bit, I have tremendous respect for the organization and for those who work so tirelessly for such a good cause. Thank you for everything! ”
“Probably one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I met so many amazing people and of course, got to be up close and personal with the elephants. I do really miss it a lot. If I ever have the chance in the future I would definitely go back and volunteer again! Thank you so much for all your help for making this possible!”
“I had a really good time while working with elephants at. Met some very nice people and made some good memories. Thank you very much for you help leading up to and during our trip, it helped immensely.”
“Our time in Thailand was amazing. We really had a fantastic time and would go back for sure. We loved it there—we loved the people, the elephants, and all the other animals! We are definitely missing it. We were sad to leave 🙁 we wanted to extend our trip, but unfortunately there is too much going on back home that we couldn’t miss. Thank you for everything! Your help was amazing, we would have been very unprepared without you!”
“I can say it was two of the best weeks of my life. I enjoyed every single day there and it was very hard to leave. One highlight was meeting so many amazing people from so many different countries, it definitely made me grow as a person and have more of a stronger knowledge for different cultures across the world. I would say I became more independent by being outside of my comfort zone in doing something I’ve never done before and it was by far the best thing I’ve ever decided to do!!”
“It’s been really good here. I wrote my second year dissertation on elephant riding and the impact of the education on people’s perceptions, so I have been able to share some of the things I’ve learnt with other volunteers and the staff. The coordinators have been really encouraging. I’ve been made team leader for a group of 5 volunteers- I’m loving the responsibility!”
“It was really helpful to have Oyster help me find such a brilliant ethical way to travel and I feel richer as a person for the experience. Anne was very helpful, checking in by email, helping arrange transport to the sanctuary, and offering
“It was such an incredible experience that I’ll look back on in years to come with so many memories from my time there. I felt very safe there, and I think a lot of that was from booking it through you, and knowing you were only an email away. Everything was smooth sailing from the minute we left our homes and we are so grateful for your team for making this work so well. It was a bit daunting travelling so far on our own at first but we really didn’t need to worry!”
“I really enjoyed my time in Thailand, not only because of the elephants and the sanctuary which was amazing but also because I had a chance to see some other places too. I expected the sanctuary to be hard work, which it definitely was, but the hospitality and helpfulness of the staff and Thai people was great. The contact from Oyster was also good as they kept me updated :)”
“Thailand was absolutely amazing – had so much fun learning new things and meeting all sorts of different people! It’s definitely motivated me to do more voluntary work in the future. Thanks so much for all your help and the organising that came with it you were so helpful and gave me reassurance on my travels!”
“Excellent, it far exceeded my expectations. Highlights included interacting with the elephants by washing and walking them, interacting with the volunteers and exploring the culture on days off”
“It was extremely rewarding. I really felt like I was making a difference, and the sanctuary was run really well. You’re thrown together in a really unique environment where hardly anyone’s met before, and so it really made me more confident as I talked to so many new people from many different countries in such a short amount of time. The sense of reward is incredible, and I feel so proud that I spent some of my summer helping animals in need. I genuinely feel that it’s made me grow as a person.”
“I had a great time in Thailand with the elephants, and I am really going to miss them, along with the people I’ve met whilst out there. Life back home is calm for now. I’m still a little jet lagged, but at least the weather’s cooler! Thank you and Oyster Worldwide for helping me to accomplish this ambition.”
“The highlights were so many! The main one has to be feeding an elephant and getting so close to them, but other highlights include the camaraderie of all the volunteers, of all nationalities, and some of the side splitting laughs we all had there. And jumping in the river fully clothed after a morning carrying banana trees was a highlight. is a brilliant place, and has a caring ethos towards the animals that have been abused. You will come away changed after a placement here.”
“I’m missing Thailand so much! I loved every second of it and will definitely be going back for a longer period of time. I wouldn’t change the experience one bit – I learnt so much about myself, however cliché it may sound! It was so beautiful :)Thank you for helping me out, without you it wouldn’t have been possible and I’m so very grateful.”
“I had the most amazing time volunteering in Thailand. I made so many new friends and, knowing that my help there during my short stay made such a big difference, made me feel great inside. I would like to say a great big thank you for giving me the experience of a lifetime.”
“We just wanted to let you know we are having the most amazing time out here and I wanted to say a massive thank you for helping us to organise everything! I can’t even begin to describe how much I’m loving it out here – which I’m sure you hear all the time!”Would you like to chat to Kate, who manages this programme? Just call +44 (0) 1892 771 973 or email: – [email protected].
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