Elephants, samosa parties and chai - Incredible India did not disappoint!

My flight arrived early but within 5 minutes Sukret was there to pick me up. A great Service.

The accommodation was very good, the guesthouse had everything you could need including WiFi internet, space to dry your clothes and a shop nearby that sold everything you would need day-to-day. The food was very tasty, available on demand and plenty of it – there was always the offer of more.

Toteram-ji, the taxidriver, drove me everywhere and he was awesome! I found that most of the time I would get into the tuk-tuk and I didn’t know where I was going but I always went somewhere exciting! I will miss our samosa parties in the tuk-tuk a lot. He was on time, his driving was great and his smiley hallo, good morning! at 4:30 a.m was always much appreciated.

Govind was my project supervisor and he really made my trip amazing. He was very helpful with any questions. I am yet to find one he couldn’t answer. He included me in things outside the project with his friends and family and I loved every minute of it. Sukret was also extremely helpful and answered my questions promptly. He was always around to check everything was ok.

I did the elephant project for 3 weeks. Everyday we left at 4:30 a.m and started by cleaning the elephant enclosure, picking up her poo with your bare hands, washing and scrubbing the elephant, then dressing the elephant ready to go to amber fort. Once the elephants had left we made bundles of food for them to eat later. Some afternoons we would make chappathi’s for the elephants. The mahouts were great fun and I could always get involved with whatever they were doing. The project itself was really enjoyable with a highlight being washing the elephant in the elephant pool on my last morning.

I was bit nervous about going to India with VWI, but there was absolutely no need to be. The staff at VWI was professional, friendly and couldn’t have been more accommodating. They were very inclusive and I really enjoyed getting involved and learning about Indian culture firsthand. I was treated so well – I loved meeting their families and their friends. My sari will remind me of all the great times I spent with them. The sightseeing trips on the weekends were very well organized and included everything. Jaipur is a wonderful city to live in.

I got to experience all the projects offered by VWI; this organization does such a worthwhile job. All projects are well-run and great value for money. All transportation food and accommodation is organized for you, all you have to do is enjoy every minute of the experience, the end of my time in India came a bit too fast.

I would give VWI 10/10, I had an awesome time and want to thank everyone involved. I would highly recommend this company to future volunteers and will come back the next time I am in India.