Program Reviews

Thailand was fun but in all honesty the elephant experience was why I signed up in the first place. The so called "Sanctuary" was not at all like I had hoped for. Don't get me wrong it was nice to touch an elephant and rub mud on them but the way these animals truly live behind the scenes was unfortunate to see firsthand to say the least. The four elephants residing at Hug "Sanctuary" were all tied to trees most the time when visitors were not on the agenda. Not to mention they ALL had chain collars! Mae Ban even broke off her chain when she was tied to the tree as we were cleaning up around her! Their enclosure was less than an acre when the vicinity itself had over 20 acres of cornfield. We passed more elephant friendly sanctuaries along the same mountain, ones with big open enclosures where the elephants roamed freely without collars. I witnessed the mahouts kicking and slapping our elephants to get them to obey commands. All in all what I expected to be a heart-warming experience turned into a heart-wrenching one. In which it left me wondering why I had bothered to support a place like this in the first place. I guess you truly don't know until you get there because the company makes it look so "Ethical" on the famous World Wide Web. I wrote a comment on BAMBOOs Instagram post on February 14th about my experience and they decided to delete it which I Find even more SHADY. Don't support this elephant experience and do research for REAL SANCTUARIES in Thailand.

I can't tell you how wonderful the experience was for me and at 72 wasa little nervous. I needn't have been as our guides in both countries were exceptional.We saw so much of the elephants feeding washing walking with them. In Cambodia the children were beautiful souls, eager to learn
Included was Angkor Wat such a bonus !!! We went also to Ton le sap lake to the floating village too. Everything was amazing and will live with me forever. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The Elephants very mischievous and grab the bananas. Building for the community meant that gradually all had homes. Angkor Wat was amazing with tuctucs everywhere
Monkeys ran freely around some with their babies
Pub Street I'm Siem Reap is a must. Tonlesap lake is the largest in SE Asia.

The Bamboo organisation was terrible in Bangkok. The saving factor was the elephant encounter which was amazing and the actual tour guide who was a freelancer. All aspects of hotels, travel and meals provided changed on an hourly basis. First being dumped in a strange country and left to find a hotel with only the name and that was no longer the hotel who's info you had been given. A 2nd day travel departure changing, meet time at 8 pm the first evening informing you that the following day you were not leaving at 6.30 am but 2.30 am (result no sleep)Things just got worse from then on when it came to arrangements. No help from management just a threat of how you could be thrown off the tour if you complained. Elephant encounter made things a lot better because this was EXCELLENT. Left out of pocket having to pay for meals and transport that were suppose to be provided .
Cambodia was a complete contrast, well run and amazing hotel. Odd that this part of the trip has changed after we left and they will not be using these staff and this hotel in future (do not understand why, were they too well run and thus not providing as much profit for the company - purely my interpretation of the reason)

I just returned from an amazing experience with the Young at Heart Turtle conservation tour.
I had no idea what i was signing up for, but everything definitely exceeded anything i could have imagined. The BamFam staff(friends) - Kim, Jorge, Joel(Angel), Abarca and everyone else we met on our journey, are excellent and are always making sure you experience everything. (If you wish or are able to) We had a small and amazing group. Strangers for the most part, but we clicked. (Shout out to Angie, Nicki, Patti, Pam and Denny) Actually, we feel we had excellent karma. Within hours of getting to our first location in San Miguel there were turtle hatchlings in the hatchery, a rare daytime nesting Olive Ridley(turtle) and a mini Arribada at a neighbouring beach. (Plans changed ate, napped and at 2 am(pitch black😀) we got up and was driven to the beach to experience this amazing phenomenon. This journey just went up and up...coffee plantations, cocoa plantations, Antonio Manuel national park, etc. Fooood...omg
So i cant say enough...you need to try it. I highly recommend this option.
Very safe for a solo traveler.
Pura Vida
Gina

It was my first time to go to a foreign country when I went to the Philippines and did my volunteer work. People I met there were very kind, cheerful and lovely. Especially, children were so lovely that I have missed them. I'm Japanese and pronounciation of Japanese was unfamiliar with them. That's why they couldn't say my name perfactlly. So they just called me "Kuya.T." Kuya means elder brother. Whereever I went, children called me Kuya.T and I was surrounded by lovely kids with full smile. This time was unforgettable and precious for me.

Well how about having a new family for a week? This is what I got from my experience in BTC Costa Rica. All I had to do was find my passion in this life and be part of a family that can nourish and help me grow and expand my idea in the right direction and the right influence. Everyone in the program came in with the good intentions and want to be part of humanity in helping other human being in their own way and their own projects. We were exposed to inspiring people that actually were the change in their community. I loved this experience as it helped me dig further down inside myself and try to find my way in connecting with people and make them feel my passion about my cause in food waste management as a whole. The coordinators, Colin and Caitie, have dedicated their time for each and everyone of us to take us into the right direction and connecting us with the right people.

If I can do it again, I will! I recommend this to anyone who has the passion and the power inside to change something around them that they don't like.

African people, especially Ugandan's are very welcoming and humble people. I was sitting in my room of the guest house on night getting ready for bed when the young woman/lady who did alot of the food preparation and washing came in asked if she could sing for me. She sat down and sang me a couple of songs, some from Bon Jovi and some Celine Dion. If was one of the most heart warming experiences I have every had. It must have taken alot of courage to do what she did and I am grateful that she did.

I have done multiple solo volunteer travels in the last year, and this has been my favorite by far. Peru is a beautiful country, full of rich culture, history, and amazing people.

I have a background in medicine and work at cancer hospital, and I really enjoyed my experience at my volunteer placement. I signed up for a week trip to visit Cusco for a childcare project. I was placed at a pediatric oncological unit, where kids are unfortunately not able to visit with their families daily for various reasons. They are in isolation given their conditions, so there is a need to have volunteers be their support system during that time. It was truly an amazing experience. These kids are so special.

Cusco is a very safe city, but basic common sense and precautions are needed for anyone traveling alone to any country. It was so fun exploring the different neighborhoods, Machu Picchu (will need 1 full day to visit), and other surrounding areas. There's so much to do.

I signed up with GVN (global volunteer network), but was primarily in contact with the local support staff of a sister company Maximo Nivel. The staff was wonderful and always available for support.

If planning a trip to Machu Picchu, I would highly recommend researching different companies to visit it with. The company I was referred to, World Wide Excursions, was ok but quite a bit more expensive compared to other companies. And my experience was not as great, considering the tour guide I paid for never showed up to give me a tour.

The price is also considerably less with GVN, compared to other organizations out there. They're organized, and I truly felt safe with Maximo Nivel as well. My homestay family was also wonderful and thoughtful. The homestay had internet and was in a safe area of Cusco.

Overall, I highly recommend volunteering with GVN and Maximo Nivel.

My time in Uganda was life changing. I have an overabundance of stories of my time in Uganda, and cannot talk about my time there enough. The Real Uganda is an amazing program that offers outstanding opportunities for both Ugandans and volunteers.

If you choose to let this experience continue it never really ends. I still keep in touch with the director of the project I worked at,Tony, through Whatsapp every week. I graduated two weeks after I left Uganda, in June, and I had let Tony know the date. He made the effort to call me while in one of the villages with the women's group I worked with, and the women sang me a cultural song in congratulations. It totally blew me away, although it didn't surprise me at all because that's just how amazing those people are. There was also one time when he was at home at the compound, where I also lived while there, and he put the kids that live there on the phone (which totally made me bawl my eyes out). It could barely be considered a conversation because of their limited English and my limited Luganda, but we just kept saying the same words over and over because we were so excited to speak to each other. For me, these two things totally reinforced everything about my experience and the relationships I formed there.

The director of The Real Uganda was a source of endless knowledge and helpful information for me. She provided me with fantastic resources for planning tourist excursions on weekends, and helped me learn how to navigate and better understand the Ugandan culture. We discussed how to work from the ground up, and not be just another person with a "white Saviour complex". She helped me in a way that made this an optimal experience for me and the people I worked with. I could not be happier with my experience with The Real Uganda, and I cannot wait to be back- I am already planning my next trip.

Had a great time volunteering with Freddy and the construction crew at Casa Maria. The residents seemed to be extremely appreciative that we were there and it was a fun and rewarding experience.