Thailand Elephant Experience: Animal Welfare, Conservation & Jungle Trekking

After my Thailand experience, I didn’t know if any other trip could compare, but I went right to elephants. From the start, it was another amazing experience. In Elephant Freedom Village, we got to be hands on, feeding, bathing, playing, and learning directly about elephants. We learned about their way of living with their mahouts and all of the things the mahouts do to take care of their elephants. Our second stay in Huay Pakkoot Community Elephant Foundation, we did elephant trekking and observed elephants in a more wild setting. We got to see a different way of taking care of animals. The third place we visited was Burm and Emily’s Elephant Sanctuary where we got to see retired elephants in, once again, a more wild setting. Throughout each of these experiences, we were able to learn differences and similarities, one of the biggest being how much they love their elephants. Apart from just the elephants, all of the guides were incredible and taught us so much. They brought so much knowledge and energy to the trip, and it’s because of them that I enjoyed the trip so much.

This GIVE experience changed my life and was completely unforgettable. Our guides, P’Chiarra, P’Dee, P’Pohn Pohn and P’Anne made this trip magical and so so special. It taught me the importance of ethical tourism and that we all have to do our part in educating ourselves on these issues that could hurt our beautiful world. It helped me realize that I could be part of a smaller ripple that could make a bigger wave. I plan to share my experience to inspire others by educating others about ecotourism and the mission that GIVE dedicates themselves too. I want others to be able to see experience everything me and my group did and see how beautiful our world can be when we step out of our comfort zones and take that leap. Thank you GIVE for the best trip of my entire life and for changing the perspective of my life. This company made me realize how I want to move forward with my own career and do my own part in this mission.

This trip was an amazing experience! I found forever friends with the other people that went on my trip and my guides were amazing. Shoutout to P'Ann, P'Dee, and P'Phon for creating a once in a lifetime experience. They are genuinely some of the kindest and most caring people I've ever met. They made me feel safe and cared for in a new enviornment. I can't rave about them enough. The trip itself was also such an amazing experience.v Being up close to all the elephants and learning about the Thai culture was unbelievable and I can't wait to go on another GIVE trip soon!

My trip with GIVE is an experience I will talk about for the rest of my life. No vacation nor road trip I’ve been on can hold a candle to what my trip to Thailand was like. I went on the weeklong Elephant Experience with my guides Ann Jitsook, Dee Trachookwamdee, Chiara Hendrix, and Phon Phon. My guides all provided unique perspectives and guidance that helped open my mind to the beautiful culture of Thailand. Chiara was amazing at making sure the change in cultural norms and environment didn’t become overwhelming and was always willing to lend a helping hand. P’ Ann did the same and always brought positivity into every conversation and activity we did. She was always smiling and happy to share about anything you asked. P’ Dee helped substantially in explaining every activity and was always willing to re-explain things when there was confusion, sometimes three even four times. As well as this, he was always lifting spirits with his jokes and sense of humor. In fact, there was never a time I wasn’t smiling or laughing when P’ Dee was there. Last but certainly not least, is Phon Phon. Phon Phon is genuinely the most joyful and kind person I have ever met. He always led with such a passion and joy for sharing his culture. This helped spread a sense of curiosity and wonder throughout the group. I can’t remember a time when Phon Phon wasn’t being asked a question but he was never annoyed and instead flourished in that kind of environment. I will forever remember the light that he shined and hope to carry even a fraction of the same joy with me in future travels. Overall, this experience would not have been as special without the guides and contributing communities. I will never forget the people I met and the wonderful experiences I got the gift of taking part in. This trip taught me so much about world travel and even myself. Thank you GIVE!!

Being able to experience Elephant Freedom Village, Huay Pakkoot, and Maechaeng was truly a once in a lifetime experience. The people were all so incredibly generous and seeing the elephants was amazing. I loved all of the food that I was served and the locals made sure had plenty of food and that we never left hungry. Accommodations were all quite nice as well, and we had air conditioning almost every night, even though it wasn’t even that hot at night. Overall an amazing trip and I would 100% recommend it to anyone.

If you love elephants, this is the trip for you! We visited many different elephant sanctuaries over the length of this trip with the goal of learning what different approaches there are to elephant conservation and care. We were able to experience hands-on sanctuaries as well as hands-off, and even an elephant retirement home. Even though the approaches may be different, the one thing that was constant was the love and care that these sanctuaries gave to the elephants. This trip was extremely educational, and was an amazing add-on to my two other Thailand programs I participated in!

This trip was the most impactful and memorable experiences I have ever had in my life. I cannot begin to explain how much fun all the other volunteers and the guides were. All of the days were filled with laughter and joy even when we were doing the physical labor such as farming and planting trees next to the elementary schools. The best part in my opinion was the elephant experience, the sanctuary treats these elephants so well and they are rescued from logging industries or horrible homes. They get to roam over 400 acres of land and they have mahouts that know how to track them so they aren't confined in one space which I think is very important to know that GIVE isn't using unethical tourism in their trips. The meals were SOOO good and most of the time you went to local restaurants to help support local people who may be struggling. I swear every meal I had I went in for seconds, it was AMAZING. Also don't be scared about safety, all the guides take careful safety measures and all the food is perfectly safe for you and everyone who the organization works with is safe.

My trip to Thailand was the most rewarding and fulfilling experience! In only two weeks, I got the opportunity to fully immerse myself in Thai culture. The guides on the trip were easily the most insightful, inspiring, and pure humans. From playing with and teaching the kids at the schools to working in the permaculture field, each day offered a new chance to learn, grow, and challenge yourself. While in Thailand, I had never felt more grounded and at peace thanks to all of the welcoming and truly kind locals we had the pleasure of meeting. Getting the chance to embark on this adventure has been indescribable and absolutely life-changing. I am forever grateful for this journey for changing my perspective on life, teaching me how to care for our planet, and allowing me to make life-long friendships. Choosing to travel with GIVE was the best decision I ever made.