Thailand Volunteering

Thailand Elephants

Elephant Mahout

Surin Elephant Festival

November 2008
This is definitely one for the elefans amongst you! A one-off itinerary which combines visiting the annual Elephant Festival in Surin with a week spent volunteering at our elephant mahout camp in Pattaya. Along the way, we'll also visit the sites of Bangkok and maybe even catch a glimpse of some wild elephants in the jungles of Khao Yai National Park.

About the Festival
North east Thailand's most popular - and certainly most visited festival - is the annual Surin elephant festival. This is always held, come what may, on the third Saturday of November. Whilst undoubtedly it has become a tourist and commercial spectacle, the festival is also a fascinating tribute to all things "elephant"!

In this very well patronised tribute to the Buddhist kingdom's best loved animal, over two hundred of the giant beasts are assembled to entertain and thrill the huge crowd, which gets larger year by tear. Few visitors are disappointed with what they see.

The stars of the show perform a range of tasks which are well beyond the ability of many smaller domesticated animals. Between folk dances and other cultural performances, these versatile behemoths star in displays of old-time elephant hunts, demonstrations of intelligence, strength and gentility, and the spectacular re-enactment of a war elephant parade.

At Surin itself the festival takes place over two days. There are elephant races, sparkling demonstrations of old-styles elephant hunts as well as numerous displays of the sheer strength and incredible versatility of the elephant. Battle cries resound around the dusty arena as the festival recreates battle scenes of yesteryear and there is even a tug-of-war between an elephant and some seventy brawny members of the Royal Thai Army. They perform in ordination and harvest ceremony scenes and the young calves following their mothers have the spectators cooing. There are sprints in which the swiftness of the animal is well demonstrated - in short sprints they can reach speeds of up to 35km an hour. The Surin elephants take part in soccer, pick-up small objects such as matchboxes with their trunks and obey different commands.

Itinerary
Day 1 - 16th November
We will meet you at the airport in Bangkok and escort you to your hotel in the city centre. Spend some time relaxing after the long flight and of course you can look around Bangkok in the afternoon or evening. We will all gather for dinner and you will have the opportunity to meet other members of the group. (D)

Day 2 - 17th November
After breakfast we will visit the Grand Palace which is one of Bangkok's most famous attractions. In the afternoon we will visit the ancient city just outside Bangkok. Here you will find numerous reproductions of palace halls, temples, stupas, stone sanctuaries and traditional houses from all regions of the country. We will return to the hotel at the end of the afternoon. (B,D)

Day 3 - 18th November
Today we will take a trip to the ancient city of Ayuthaya, situated 70 kilometres outside Bangkok. Here you will find many beautiful ancient temples and ruins built about 600 years ago. Many years ago Ayuthaya used to be the capital of Thailand. In the late afternoon we will return to our hotel in Bangkok (B,L)

Day 4 - 19th November
In the morning we depart to Khao Yai National Park. We will take you to the visitor's centre where information is available about Khao Yai's nature and wildlife. After lunch, we will start our first jungle trek and will head towards the beautiful Heaw Suwat Waterfall. After the trek along the trail, we will drive towards the top of Khao Kay and where we can enjoy the beautiful view. We will return to the headquarters for dinner and at around 7.00 o'clock in the evening, we will enter the world of nocturnal wildlife with a night safari. If we are very lucky, we may even see a wild elephant! Overnight at the nature resort. (B,L,D)

Day 5 - 20th November
We wake up early in the morning while listening to the unique sound of the gibbons. After breakfast, the park officer will take you for a walk along the Mo Singto nature trail to watch the white-handed Gibbons. This is a good opportunity to learn about their behaviour. Lunch will be taken in the forest. Early in the afternoon we will return to our nature lodge to relax. In the afternoon we will go for one more walk. Besides the gibbons, we may also see deer, squirrels, civet cats and many birds, such as the rare hornbill. (B,L,D)

Day 6 - 21st November
In the morning we will leave Khao Yai and travel by minivan towards Surin. We arrive here in the afternoon and will check in to our hotel. You will have time to walk around the city and maybe do some shopping. (B,L)

Day 7 - 22nd November
Full day at the Elephant Festival! (B)

Day 8 - 23rd November
We will leave Surin and head to Pattaya where we will stay at Green Jomtien Studio's (B,L,D)

Days 9 to 14 - 24th to 29th November
Volunteering at Mahout Project (B,L,D)

Day 15 - 30th November
In the morning we have breakfast together and afterwards we will take you to Bangkok airport or the bus station. This trip has come to an end. (B)

Requirements for volunteer project
If you are interested in joining this program, you need to meet a few basic rules:

*	Minimum age of 18 years ("tame" children also welcome with a responsible adult!)
*	Besides working together with the elephant and Mahout, you are also expected to support with general activities like cooking and cleaning.
*	Minimum stay of 1 week
*	A normal level of fitness
*	You need to respect the Thai culture, be open-minded and have a social attitude towards the local people.