Wildlife Volunteering in Sayabouly: An Unforgettable Week of Eco Adventures with Elephants
Image by : Elephant Conservation Center
Wildlife Volunteering in Sayabouly: An Unforgettable Week of Eco Adventures with Elephants
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Wildlife Volunteering in Sayabouly: An Unforgettable Week of Eco Adventures with Elephants

 

Duration

7 Days 6 Nights

Start Price

 

Code

SYBL-ECC-7D6N-7DECO

Availability

Always

Physical Level

Easy to moderate

Pick Up

Include

Start Point

Luang Prabang Post Office

Pick Up/Start Time

8:00 AM

Drop Off

Include

End Point

Luang Prabang/Sayaboury Bus Station

Drop Off/End Time

17:00 PM

Destinations

Luang Prabang , Sayabouly

Things To Do

 

Day Tour Type Type


 

Booking Date


 

Booking Code (lakeside-bungalow)
Lakeside Bungalow


 
Adult
 

1

 
 
Child
 

0

 
 
Lao Resident
 

0

 
 
Total Price
 
 

Day 1

Overview

Travel from Luang Prabang by minivan – Boat trip – Walk Through the Forest – Laotian Lunch – Nursery Visit – Hospital Visit – Observe Elephants Bathing – Encounter Elephants & Mahouts – Dinner.

Upon arrival at Nam Tien Lake, we will transfer you to the Center by boat. You will have time to settle into your accommodation before your guide takes you to the forest. Along the way, you will walk past the different enclosures where our main activities take place. After enjoying a family-style traditional Laotian lunch on a lakeside platform, you will observe bath time at the nursery, an area in the forest reserved for our youngest (and cutest!) elephants and their mothers.

When the elephants have drunk enough and returned to the forest, you will take the boat back to the Center for the hospital visit. Our Laotian vet team or our biologist will introduce you to their world, sharing information about common and uncommon injuries and treatments. This is the perfect time to ask questions about the biology and physiology of elephants.

Elephants love water! And you’ll get a chance to see this first hand. Elephants use bath time to socialize and strengthen ties within the herd. You will watch their bathing routines and interactions up close, observing their ears flapping and tails swatting while they use their trunks and trees to satisfy a nagging itch. All of the elephants at the ECC had difficult lives before we rescued them, and the pleasures of bath time are important to their recovery. Our guides will share stories and information, helping you get to know and understand our elephants better.

Now it’s time for elephants to walk back to the forest. After a short trek the mahouts will decide on a place where the elephants can graze for the night. Before dinner, you’ll have some free time to enjoy one of our many scenic viewpoints or paddle in a canoe or kayak on the lake, absorbing the magnificent world that surrounds you.

At 6:00 pm, you will attend a video presentation highlighting our conservation work. You’ll have the opportunity to interact with our elephant specialists, probing lingering questions from your day’s adventures. Then it’s dinner time, where authentic Lao cuisine is served family-style.

After dinner you can relax or enjoy some games or delicious Lao style cocktails at the bar!

Day 2

Overview

Breakfast – Meet the Elephants in the Forest – Observe Elephants Bathing – Socialization Area Observation – Lunch – Afternoon Bath – Positive Reinforcement Training – Vet Check – Dinner.

On the second day, you will meet up with the elephants in the forest. After spending the night in the jungle, it is time for another bath. Enjoy strolling together with these magnificent animals in their natural habitat. Watch them walk, forage, scratch, and socialize. If you’re lucky, you’ll hear them trumpet with excitement! What are they saying?

After bath time, it’s on to the Socialization Area. This is an area where our elephants can freely interact during much of the day. Here, we have created a semi-natural living environment where our elephants can enjoy being elephants. Follow our guide around the perimeter to learn more about the elephant group’s fascinating dynamics. Spend time on the different raised platforms to see how a new herd is being formed. This rare opportunity will bring you closer to understanding elephants’ natural lives, a special learning experience rarely found in Asia.

Lunch is served at the Center. You will visit our Bamboo Forest and elephant food plantation. Upon returnng to the Center, you can observe the elephants having their afternoon bath.

You will then meet our mahouts and vet team again as they will conduct a “Target Training” session. All our elephants are being trained using ‘positive reinforcement’ techniques to facilitate any necessary treatments and to reduce the stress that these treatments or routine checks can give to them. We offer you the chance to follow their work from a safe distance.

Day 3

Overview

Breakfast - Male Elephants Socialization Area - Information Center – Lunch - Food Plantation - Dinner

After breakfast, you will visit the Male Elephants Socialization Area. This is an activity that can only be experienced at the ECC. Male elephants, ranging from massive tuskers to juveniles, form a group of bachelors, just as they would in the wild. Their majesty and power will take your breath away as you observe them quietly and safely from a raised wooden platform. Follow our guide around the perimeter to learn more about male elephants’ social dynamics in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Once back to the Center, you will have the opportunity to improve your elephant knowledge at our Information Center, where we have created a series of displays about the Asian elephant’s biology, social life, ecology, and cultural significance. You’ll also learn about elephants’ vital role in Asian history and their symbolic associations. Time spent at the Information Center with our guide or on your own will help you better understand both the importance of elephants as a keystone species within their ecosystem and the intimate relationship they have shared with humans in Asia for thousands of years.

Lunch is served at the restaurant. After lunch, you will start your eco-volunteer experience! Your journey as a volunteer starts with helping our farmers plant elephant fodder at our plantation. Did you know Asian elephants eat 40 different plant species, including bamboo? At the plantation, you will help our farmers collect elephant food and take it to the Hospital where it will be eaten by our elephants during their daily health checks.

Day 4

Overview

Breakfast – Volunteer Work – Lunch – Volunteer Work – Dinner.

On Day 4, you’ll have a “Mahout Day,” where you’ll follow a mahout into the forest to meet an elephant and follow them for the day, observing their unique skills and learning about Laos culture.

Day 5

Overview

Breakfast – Volunteer Work – Lunch – Volunteer Work – Dinner.

Throughout the day, you can also expect to do activities such as observing the elephants during their afternoon bath, documenting their behavior for our biologist, and help maintain their socialization area and habitat. Beyond elephant-related activities, you’ll support the ECC by joining a bamboo handicraft-making course, where you’ll learn about bamboo species, create crafts, and help maintain the Bamboo Forest. Also, by producing outreach material or information for visitors. Please note: the volunteer program’s schedule may vary due to weather, staffing, and the center’s needs. We are looking for flexible and autonomous volunteers.

Day 6

Overview

Breakfast – Volunteer Work – Lunch – Volunteer Work – Dinner.

Throughout the day, you can also expect to do activities such as observing the elephants during their afternoon bath, documenting their behavior for our biologist, and help maintain their socialization area and habitat. Beyond elephant-related activities, you’ll support the ECC by joining a bamboo handicraft-making course, where you’ll learn about bamboo species, create crafts, and help maintain the Bamboo Forest. Also, by producing outreach material or information for visitors. Please note: the volunteer program’s schedule may vary due to weather, staffing, and the center’s needs. We are looking for flexible and autonomous volunteers.

Day 7

Overview

Breakfast – Volunteer Work – Lunch

On your final morning you will complete your volunteering session and then, after lunch, the boat will return you to the Nam Tien Lake pier, where our minivan will be waiting to take you back to Luang Prabang or to drop you off at the Sayaboury bus station for your next destination.