Volunteer Work With Elephants

My partner and I have had so much fun during this programme! Not only did we achieve our dream of working with elephants, but the programme also offered heaps of opportunities to explore more of Jaipur, including forts, safaris, and more! We had an amazing and accommodating taxi driver who went above and beyond to get us wherever we needed to go, whenever we needed him! The host family has been super accommodating and welcoming; we even tagged along to one of their daughters’ wedding! We had such a blast throughout the programme and I would highly recommend this programme to anyone wanting a super stress free, fun way to explore the city, as we got heaps of our own spare time to explore on our own as well as with the super well organised activities prepared!

Had an absolute blast working with the elephants and seeing the sights of Jaipur! Everything ran smoothly and according to plan. Spending time with these elephants was a once in a lifetime opportunity and it was amazing to spend an extended period of time with these beautiful creatures.
The staff of the program were second to none, our coordinator (Surendra) was absolutely fantastic and we were very lucky to have him. Surendra was great at suggesting activities and sightseeing. He also was great at talking to the locals on our behalf when our minimal Hindi did not suffice. Also special mention of the host family for their amazing hospitality. The family went out of their way to ensure we were comfortable and to make sure we got the most out of our stay.

I spent 12 days volunteering with elephants. I loved the elephants and work was what it was described on the net.

Prity guesthouse was a great experience. They are very welcoming and they let me participate in their birthday party and diwali. They always made sure I am happy with everything and my trip is safe as I am a female solo traveler.

People at guesthouse answered all my questions about India and their culture and so did Surendra and the conversations were easy and interesting.

I also recommend to use VWI's drivers. Tota Ram and Shekra. They know the place well and have great characters. I had one scary experience with a tuktuk I took from a street so to avoid any risks I would use these guys. I highly recommend women travelers to be careful here.

My only disappointments were the chains elephants have. I am a huge animal lover and it was hard to see that but this is how it is for now. I heard some of the elephants were rescued from places like circus which I consider a lot worse option for them. Here the people who work with them genuinely care about them and they made sure I cleaned their blocks well enough. Hopefully one day they have bigger places where they can stay when they are not working. Also I had imagined there are other volunteers the whole time I am staying here but because of the time of the year (October) and people not having holidays I felt sometimes lonely even though VWI gave me ideas what to do on free time. I would definitely do this again but I would make sure that there would be company of other volunteers or my friends.

Volunteering with elephants was truly an unforgettable experience I will never forget. If you love elephants and want something different with your time in Jaipur then this project is right for you. We got to spend lots of time with the elephants away from the traffic and crowds. We helped make chabati for them, fed them, cleaned their area, gave lots of hugs and pats. Was awesome to meet other volunteers on the program from other countries. The staff work very for these elephants. The staff are very friendly and made us feel very welcome. We also visited the baby elephant close by. I now have so many amazing memories bonding with these elephants and incredible photos to treasure. I highly recommend you join this program, you won’t regret it.

I worked with Volunteering with India in the medical project but I had the opportunity to work as a volunteer in the elephant project for one day.

At the beginning I wasn’t sure I’d like it but finally I have really enjoyed my time there, being part of the team, cleaning and taking care of the elephants especially because not all the elephants can be returned to the wild and this project provides a lovely home for them.

It has been an interesting experience and I also enjoy to spend time with the people in charge of them.
They can teach you how to interact with these kind of animals.

Now I can say that elephants standard of living is higher than before and these are some of the reasons why I recommend this project.

... India at least once in their lifetime.

It was my first time here and I felt safe as at home from the first instance. The first hours in India were amazing and really funny, it started on the road from Delhi to Jaipur with the coloured trucks and the horns from the traffic with the crew.

The crew from Volunteeringwithindia is amazing, they helped me, showed me about the city and their work here and I learnt a lot from what I saw. I also exchanged a lot of experiences and knowledge with the other volunteers from the programme.

The guesthouse was a happy sweet place and Toto was a great tuktuk driver as well as a good guide.

The experience about working with the elephants was very good to me as well as the time I spent in Jaipur. I would do it again for sure.

Thank you all guys!

I have thoroughly enjoyed my 3 weeks volunteering with elephants! From my experience, each elephant is truly loved, respected and cared for by their mahouts. I think it is very easy (for Westerners especially) to judge and condemn the use of elephants for tourist rides, but after working closely with both the elephants and their mahouts, I encourage people to be more open-minded.
The actual work consists of waking early (arriving around 5.30am) where you begin by cleaning the area, washing the elephants, and feeding them bananas and chapattis. It’s hard work, but it gives you a real hands-on taster of what it’s like to look after these amazing animals, and the mahouts appreciate the help. The elephants all have very different personalities - some naughtier than others!
I always had a VWI coordinator with me too so if I had any questions, he was able to translate which helped a lot as the mahouts don’t speak much English.
I have felt welcomed, supported and valued during my time here. I would definitely recommend any of the VWI programmes for anyone keen to have a taste of the ‘real’ India!

We volunteered to join two projects with VWI and started at Elephant village. Upon arrival in Jaipur me and my husband were picked up from the airport late at night by the coordinator and immediately felt welcomed and taken care of. We received an itinerary which explained everything in great detail and was very helpful for us to understand what the elephant project involved. We were collected every morning on time at 5am. The coordinator for the elephant village was super flexible -if we woke up late it was never a problem. He met us as the sun started to rise with a big smile making everything joyful from the beginning . The work was much easier than we initially thought. The elephant huts were cleaned every morning followed by elephant showers and then feeding time. The elephants are working animals, this at first made us feel a little uncomfortable. But as the days went by and after learning more about the government scheme for families and elephants. The elephants are always very gentle and calm, and we soon realised that they were very well taken care of by their owners (mahout). We felt overwhelmed by their kindness and care- the mahouts who have very little demonstrated such patience and love for their individual elephants.. and so it was clear to us that this was a positive environment for them all.

I was able to work with the elephants for a week in Jaipur and in that time got hands-on experience with the elephants everyday! A typical morning would consist of cleaning out the elephants area followed by washing them with water and brushing them down. We were able to get to know the people who looked after them everyday and formed lovely friendships with them, which made the experience even better. The elephants were all so friendly, which meant we were able to constantly feed them treats such as bananas, which was such an incredible experience. The people working there made you feel very safe around the elephants, which increased my confidence when around the elephants. During the two afternoons we got to spend with the elephants, we were able to make chapati for them from scratch which was such a unique experience. During this time we also got to know the elephants better as well as feeding them more sugar cane. Overall it was such a unique experience and very fun! I would recommend it to anyone who likes animals and wants to be hands-on with these amazing creatures!

I volunteered with Elephants Program for a week because I wanted to discover those magnificent animals and to be in immersion into indian daily life, and I am fully satisfied. It's an unforgettable experience. The guesthouse family is lovely and always available to help you or happy to have conversations with you. The team members I met, Sukret, Rohid and Shekhear, were perfect. Everything was properly organized and booked. They take good care of me and, as a lonely traveler, I never felt alone. My experience with elephants was precious and mahouts' life is so interesting to discover. Elephants are so sensitive and intelligent animal and it is a great opportunity to discover it by myself.
Big thanks to the Prity Guesthouse family and to VWI team !
I definitely recommend this program.

Here are some photos we took during our unforgetable experience with Elephant Program.
It wasn't hard to wake up twice a week at 4:30 am to go to Elephant Village. We enjoyed leaving so early because we knew that we will see "our" elephants still sleeping or just awoken. It's a magical experience to look at them wake up gently at dawn. It's also very interesting to learn how to feed them (especially by making chapati ! It's a hard job !)

My wife and I stayed one week in Jaipur in September 2018. We choosed the Elephant Program of VWI. It was an unforgetable and a life time experience. It was beyond our expectations and we were very sad to leave after spending one week with the elephants and their mahout. Before staying there, we couldn't imagine how elephants are intelligent and also very sensitive animals.
We would like to thank Sukret and Govind for their kindness and availability.
It is a really wonderful experience for those who want learn more about elephants. But it's also an unforgetable human experience.

It is simply one of the best experiences you can have traveling abroad. Not only is it an authentic experience but you also get to give back and travel with a purpose and I loved every minute of it.

The organizers Sukret and Govind were just wonderful, and of course the guest house family. When I arrived as a solo traveler during November 2016, the black money crisis was going on and I was quite worried about withdrawing cash. I had only been in India 1 night and Sukret came to pick me up and covered the cost of my guest house expenses since I had no cash at the time. It was a large problem across the country. That gesture right from the beginning really wow'd me. Everyone went over and beyond to help me during my stay to ensure that I had enough cash to cover the basics and enjoy some of the tourism too. I am so grateful for their gracious hospitality. Also the food is fabulous

Furthermore, I clearly didn't read all the details but was pleasantly surprised with the activities taking place every weekend ( monkey temple, amber fort, bollywood movies, etc). However, if you are abit of a yogi Sukrets father does his morning yoga and is a great teacher. A great opportunity to start your day off right after you finish with the elephants first of course. They live not far from the guest house, but is still a drive away.

I spent a total of 2 weeks with the project and did 1 week teaching at the orphanage and the other with the elephants. A nice balance of being exposed to both projects.

I thought the accommodations were perfect since it is a guest house after all, you are a guest in their home so don't forget it. The family is very accommodating and look after you well. No need to hesitate to speak up though either if you need something. I would definitely recommend staying here, the location is seriously in a prime spot, you can walk to most things or are a short tuk tuk ride away:)

I actually volunteered twice for the Elephant program, once in 2014, and again in Feb 2015. It is a super fun program that not only gives you a once in a lifetime experience up close and personal with Elephants, but also gives you a window into the life of the people who own and care for these animals and their families.
You can expect to wake up early (4 or 5am.) And take a 20min tuk tuk ride to the Elephant Village. There is some dirty work involved, such as picking up the poop (they give you gloves) and emptying the poop in a field. But the experience is great, the elephants are friendly and love treats such as bananas, apples, oranges...after all your hard work, you'll enjoy a nice cup of chai and a chat with the mahouts. Maybe even an elephant ride or two!
***Be advised going into this program that this is not an Elephant rescue program, or a Elephant Reserve. These elephants WORK. They are used to give tours up to Amber Fort and other places around Jaipur. Sometimes they are used for weddings. Some of these elephants were rescued from circuses or other abusive settings and brought to the elephant village. They still are used for tours however. In this program I can tell you first hand that these elephants are properly cared for. They are provided with veterinarian care regularly (one had an ear infection and was visited by a vet and treated daily with topical ointment as well as antibiotics while I was there.) They are fed properly (probably excessively! They get lots of treats!) and all are provided shelter and bedding to sleep on. They are chained when inside their shelter, and they are chained while you are cleaning up around them. This is for the protection of the people working near them. Although elephants are friendly and peaceful, they are still a huge animal with a lot of power and capable of severe damage, even if it is unintentional. As far as other reports of use of a bull hook go, I have seen a bull hook in one location. I have never seen it used on any of the elephants. None of the elephants I was around ever had wounds indicating bull hook use, or any other kind of abuse. Some of the elephants, that came from previous circumstances, have old scars around their ears and top of their head. These are obviously very old, and have been healed many years. Never have I seen any elephant with any fresh wound anywhere.
Volunteers help in two ways in this program: 1) The fee you pay to do this program goes to help the families who own the elephants, as well as provide food and care for the elephants themselves. These families are poor. The elephant tours are their sole source of income for many of them. Some of them can hardly afford to feed themselves, let alone an elephant. This program ensures that the elephant is properly fed, cared for, sheltered, and has access to medical attention.
2) Helping the family clean and take care of the elephant in the morning gives the family extra time to take care of children, spend time together, eat breakfast together etc. before they go out to make their money for the day.
I enjoyed this program so much I came back a year later and did it again. I think it does a lot of good for these people, as well as the elephants. But if you're looking for an experience working at an elephant sanctuary or reserve for rescued elephants, this is not it.

I traveled alone to India and worked 2 weeks with the elephants in the month of February. It was a life changing experience for sure and I feel blessed to have been able to work so closely with these magnificent animals. Totoram, the tuk tuk driver is a wonderful man who I felt safe with and well cared for. All the employees of VWI made me feel looked after as they checked in with me regularly to see how I was doing. The program is very affordable. The guest house was good. Living there was an authentic Indian experience that I will never forget. Although I am not a morning person, getting up at 0430 hours and being the first person the elephants saw in the morning made my day. I took bananas as a treat so they could start their day off happy. It was pretty cool to see the city come alive during the morning tuk tuk rides. Having the afternoons off to sight see or shop or hang out was perfect. I highly recommend this program to everyone. The work was not hard and the memories will be in my heart forever. Good Job VWI!