Help out a small community with a big heart to protect priceless elephant habitat at LIFE project.

Make a difference on a 6-day volunteering trip at our LIFE project. A key focus of LIFE is the community and helping them to protect both their elephants and the elephant’s natural habitat – 90,000 acres of pristine cloud forest.

On this trip you will have the opportunity to hike into the forest to observe the elephants living and roaming freely, from a safe and respectful distance, all the while learning about their natural behaviours and habitat from the people that understand them best – the mahouts!

Volunteering at our LIFE project has a strong focus on community, from both an immersive and assisting perspective. Assisting with much needed projects throughout the community, as well as having the chance to learn about and try your hand at traditional fabric and bamboo basket weaving but also provide much needed help with community based projects.

While there will be hard-work involved, there will also be plenty of time to enjoy your surroundings and find yourself falling into a much slower pace of life.

Your visit and support enables the community to continue protecting the vast forest that the elephants call home.

We work in partnership with the community, developing a model for sustainable community based tourism while providing financial support to Karen mahouts so that they can continue to care for their elephants with the highest welfare standards in the forest surrounding the village.

Itinerary: 6 Days / 5 Nights – Volunteering

Note: Itinerary is subject to change depending on season and weather conditions, however we endeavor to provide all volunteers with a full and immersive experience.

DAY Prior

This project is located near the city of Mae Sot. We recommend you arrive to Mae Sot before 5pm on the day before your stay with us. Mae Sot is a diverse and fascinating border town, with one of the best border markets in Thailand. You can stay at your chosen guest house or hotel and enjoy the Thai-Burmese fusion cuisine. Mae Sot is easy to get to by bus or flight.

Note: we can arrange pick up and drop off in Chiang Mai and can provide the cost on discussion prior to booking.

DAY 1

• Arrival and introduction

• Wake up and enjoy breakfast in the town of Mae Sot.

• After breakfast, begin the beautiful drive up into the cloud forest to the tiny Karen village perched on top of a mountain.

• On arrival you will be welcomed by the villagers and introduced to your host family and taken on a tour of the village.

• Spend the afternoon learning about traditional fabric weaving with the women of the village, and learn how to weave traditional bamboo baskets with the men of the village.

• Enjoy a welcome dinner.

DAY 2

• Cultural immersion / Community day

• Have breakfast with your host family.

• Prepare yourself for a day out with members of the community, assisting with community based projects and learning about the culture.

• There will be time in the afternoon to relax and enjoy being in the heart of the community, dinner will be prepared by your host family.

• (Projects vary depending on what the village need help with during the time of your visit).

DAY 3

• Elephant observation day

• Wake up early and have breakfast with your host family.

• Pack your bag for a day out in the forest with the elephants, learning about the life of Karen elephants and their mahouts. Sit surrounded by pristine untouched cloud forest, observing the elephants enjoying the freedom of their forest home, from a safe and respectful distance.

• Have lunch with the mahouts out in the forest, before slowly making your way back to the village. Take some time to rest or wander around the village.

• Dinner will be with your host family.

DAY 4

• Cultural immersion / Community day

• Have breakfast with your host family.

• Prepare yourself for a day out with members of the community, assisting with community based projects and learning about the culture.

• You will have time to relax and immerse yourself in the afternoon village atmosphere, before another hearty meal with your host family.

• (Projects vary depending on what the village need help with during the time of your visit).

DAY 5

• Elephant observation day

• Enjoy breakfast with your host family before heading back out to observe the elephants in the forest.

• Learn about the different plants found in the surrounding forest, including which plants have medicinal qualities for both human and elephant.

• Enjoy lunch with the mahouts.

• Return to the village and enjoy a quiet afternoon in the community.

• Go to the temple and watch the sunset over the mountains on your last evening with us. Soak up the views which stretch as far as the eye can see over into Myanmar.

• Dinner with your host family.

DAY 6

• Farewell’s and departure

• Enjoy a final breakfast with your host family.

• Say your goodbyes and depart to Mae Sot.

Accommodation Choices

Option 1: Homestay (included in basic program fee)

Staying with a host family is both welcoming and comfortable. Placing you in the very heart of village life, leaving you with a real sense of community living. Each homestay is different, but all host stunning views and friendly smiling faces – all of which will be eager to learn more about you, your family and your country, making you feel right at home in no time.  

Your host family will provide you with bedding and a mosquito net. The Karen sleep on the floor and this is what is also provided for you, with the addition of a small mattress for additional comfort.   Bathrooms are clean and accessible with Asian style squat toilets or western toilet and traditional bucket showers – which are either refreshing or bracing depending on the time of year!

Your host family will cook for you throughout the duration of your stay, providing you with delicious traditional Karen dishes and the opportunity to sit together and be a part of their incredibly unique and special way of life.

Option 2: Our guest lodge (a small additional fee per person will be added to program fee)

Our guest lodge has been built at the very top of the village, providing guests with the most incredible views over the village and out across the stunning forest and mountains.

The lodge is equip with comfortable beds, mosquito nets, a large communal area allowing you to soak up the surrounding views and a private bathroom with a western toilet and hot shower.

While you will not be staying with a host family, there will be a family allocated to cater for you during your stay, providing you with delicious traditional Karen dishes and hot drinks... and your meals will be at the family home.

Please note; by choosing option 2 our guest lodge, there will be a small add on fee of £50.00 GBP per booking.

Getting to Mae Sot

Traveling to and from Mae Sot is incredibly easy and there are multiple travel styles to choose from. Mae Sot is accessible from both Chiang Mai and Bangkok, with easy flight connections down to the beaches in southern Thailand;

Fly to Mae Sot- Nok Air provides between 4/5 direct flights from Bangkok daily.

If this is the option of travel you choose try to aim to arrive in Mae Sot by lunch time. Please do not book a flight any earlier than 11:00am on the day of your departure, as our team will need time to transport you back to Mae Sot airport. An 11:00am flight will give you plenty of time to connect with further flights traveling within Thailand.

VIP Bus to Mae Sot – Green Bus Thailand provides 2 buses from Chiang Mai to Mae Sot daily (8:30am and 1:00pm), this journey takes approximately 6/7 hours through beautiful Thai countryside.

Please remember you will need to arrive in Mae Sot the day before your trip and if planning to travel back to Chiang Mai by bus straight after your trip with us, please book a your bus trip for the following day.

Private Transport to Mae Sot - We can arrange pick up and drop off in Chiang Mai and can provide the cost on discussion prior to booking.