Making memories and new lifelong friends at the elephant refuge centre in Thailand.
I signed up for 2 weeks volunteering at the Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand through the Mighty Roar. It was unlike anything I had ever done before and was the most incredible experience of my life! The support I received from the Mighty Roar was amazing, with swift replies to any questions I had whilst planning my trip and constant reassurance whenever I needed it when feeling apprehensive about my first alone, abroad trip.
"I am so grateful to the Mighty Roar for making this experience so easy to get involved with and their constant support throughout from start to finish! "
When I first arrived in Thailand I felt super anxious and couldn’t immediately locate my taxi driver. Within minutes of phoning the UK support team they had got into contact with the volunteer coordinators at camp in Thailand, who then phoned me with the exact location of my driver! I felt completely supported and did not feel on my own whatsoever! Panic over!
My time at the sanctuary was absolutely incredible, nothing could have prepared me for the hard work and extreme climate conditions (45 degrees!) but I enjoyed every minute with such committed and friendly staff and other volunteers. I loved meeting people from all over the world! There were roughly 70 other volunteers at the foundation - not all working on the Elephant zones but on other wildlife areas too as there are plenty of other animals there! I made friends with most people - it’s hard not to when you’re working all day everyday with them - and as everyone is so like-minded it was super easy to get along with them and enjoy the work together. I hope to visit the close friends I made during my time there - even if they are all from different countries all over the world!
The accommodation was lovely - basic but good fun! It took some time to adjust to having no air-conditioning in such heat, however we quickly found ways of cooling ourselves down. My bed was very comfy and I had lots of space to myself, with really friendly roommates my age.
A typical day at work would include making the elephants breakfast (banana balls!) and then composting each of their enclosures. The afternoon would be full of making enrichment toys out of tyres or banana trees filled with fresh fruit to keep the elephants occupied! Other days we would spend our mornings on a banana tree harvest, extremely physical work but always followed by a rewarding swim in a local fresh water river to cool down - the best part!
On my days off I explored the neighbouring city of Hua Hin. I enjoyed a meal on the coast by the white sand beaches and a morning of fun at the city’s water park!
I think my favourite memories from this experience were taking the elephants for their daily walks and getting to know the locals who worked there. We played a particularly fun game of football ‘mahouts vs volunteers’! So got to know the staff very well. Another fond memory was waking up before sunrise to watch the oldest elephant at the sanctuary take her morning swim in the lake! Truly magical!
I am so grateful to the Mighty Roar for making this experience so easy to get involved with and their constant support throughout from start to finish! Thank you so much!
