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Volunteer Ethically with Sri Lanka's Domesticated Elephants

Volunteer Ethically with Sri Lanka's Domesticated Elephants

Elephant Care Relief
Elephant Care Relief
5 · 3 reviews
Wish List

Elephant Care Relief

5 · 3 reviews
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Location
  • Sri Lanka
    • Kandy
Length
1 to 52 weeks
Project Types
Youth Conservation Wildlife Conservation Elephant Conservation Tourism

Program Details

Language
English
Age Min.
18
Age Max
75
Timeframe
Year Round
Housing
Guesthouse Host Family Hotel
Groups
Small Group (1-15)
Travel Type
Budget Family

Pricing

$350
Price Details
Payment for your stay includes: Airport Pickup, Food, Water, Accommodation, Transportation around the project, and other smaller Amenities.

We offer meaningful volunteer programs that give you a unique insight into what it takes to run an ethical elephant project here in Sri Lanka. You'll get a behind-the-scenes look and play an active role in supporting the care and treatment of our elephants. We’re committed to making your stay enjoyable, relaxed, and - most importantly - educational. Connect with our elephants both physically and emotionally, while immersing yourself in an authentic Sri Lankan experience, far from the typical tourist trail. We’d love to welcome you to our community!
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Some Activities Airport Transfers Equipment Meals Transportation
What's Not Included
Airfare Domestic Airfare SIM cards Travel Insurance Visa
Nov 13, 2025
Oct 03, 2019
Wish List
6 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

We are Elephant Care Relief, a project set up in Sri Lanka, whose sole focus is the physical and mental health of Domesticated Elephants. We are determined to make a change to the conditions currently faced by all of Sri Lanka’s Domesticated Elephant Population.

We offer volunteering every week. Saturday is our arrival day, which is the day we hold our orientation, and Sunday is our departure day; however, we are happy to be flexible with this. Below is a list of typical tasks that we need your help with on the project:

Collecting Food (from large kuittle trees to smaller jackfruit leaves)
Cleaning Elephant Beds
Replanting Grasses
Making Medicine Balls
Providing Medicine to Elephants (if needed)

As part of your volunteering, we also hold what’s known as an “education day” on Wednesdays, showing you firsthand the problems with domesticated elephant treatment in Sri Lanka. This allows you to process and experience it all for yourself to understand why what you are helping is worth it.

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Program Highlights

  • Make a direct impact on Domesticated Elephant Conservation
  • Ethical Volunteering
  • Persdonal Experience with Elephants
  • Understand and interact with local culture
  • Leave with an unforgettable experience

Video and Photos

Volunteer feeding the elephant a sweet treat
Project founder Amarasiri with Mali
Elephant Mali ready for the day
Project manager Myszka chopping down a tree for the elephants
Myszka and Amarasiri with Amarasiri's family
Mali and Rani in the river
Mali in the Jungle
Watching Mali in the Jungle
Collecting food in the truck
Mali

View All Photos

Program Impact

The impact you create by volunteering on this project is huge. Just one week of volunteering helps an elephant escape the harsh and distasteful environment they are accustomed to, and gives them a better life they want to lead.

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Program Reviews

5.00 Rating
based on 3 reviews
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  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 5
  • Support 5
  • Fun 4.35
  • Value 5
  • Safety 5
Good for Solo Travelers, Couples, Students
Showing 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Vanessa
28
Germany
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Totally recommendable

Oct 3, 2019

Here I have definitely made the most important experience with an elephant! Here you will be enlightened a lot. The host family is super-hearted and takes care of your well-being. You can look forward to an experience in which you get close to the traditional cultural life through the accommodation and host family. It was great fun to get the food for Mali and scrub her skin at the river. She is such an amazing and wonderful creature. Short to the process: after breakfast you go together with the host father to the place where Mali and her Mahoud live. There he buys sweet parts so you can greet them with it. After that, you walk through the jungle to get her food, helping the Mahoud carry. When enough is found, you go to the river to wash her, it's really fun. After that you will get lunch and go back home by bus. You are always accompanied, so do not worry. I think such a project exists only here and it is the best that you can do as an elephant lover.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
On my last day it rained so hard that the project could not actually have taken place. But the Host dad drove with me to Mali, because I still wanted to say goodbye. That was really nice of him, because it rained really really hard.
118 people found this review helpful.
Helpful
Washing
After finding enough food
Michelle
28
Mexico
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing experience!

Oct 1, 2019

It’s a program where you learn to appreciate the needs of an elephant, they usually live in really bad conditions and with this program they are trying to make a change. Really recommend it. Also you get to live with amazing people and get to know other volunteers. When I when I was with a beautiful elephant named Mali, she was really kind and let all of us be near her and helping her
With this program you learn to appreciate nature and all its surroundings, you can really disconnect from the rest of the world and focus on other needs that we have in this world. I really recommend it for all types of persons, from animal lovers, to people who want to get out of their comfort zone. Sri Lanka is specially a beautiful country and you can make a change if you want to do it.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
Seeing how lovely the elephants are and how friendly they are
117 people found this review helpful.
Helpful
Jack
29
United Kingdom
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Brilliant and wholesome experience

Oct 1, 2019

Compared to many many elephant projects in Sri Lanka this one is by far one of the most caring for the elephant itself. Plenty of chance to see the real Sri Lanka and meet and live alongside a Sri Lankan family. The family is one of the nicest, most accommodating family I’ve ever met and I was sad to leave them finally after 2 months. Would highly recommend!!

132 people found this review helpful.
Helpful

Questions & Answers

About Elephant Care Relief

The Elephant Care Relief is a project set up in Sri Lanka, whose sole focus is the physical and mental health of Domesticated Elephants. We are determined to make a change to the conditions currently faced by all of Sri Lanka’s Domesticated Elephant population. We aim to create a paradise where we can properly focus on the welfare and well-being of...

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