Food, Lodging and Travel
The project is located in a Karen Hill Tribe village. You will be allocated a homestay in the village with a friendly host family. Karen people live in wooden/bamboo houses in the mountains. Accommodation is very basic, you will have a private room with a mattress on the floor, bedding and a mosquito net.
The bathroom is a separate room outside usually with a squat toilet and cold bucket shower. However, some families will have a western toilet with a shower head on the wall. The village has fairly reliable power and water, but will occasionally lose power temporarily. You have access to power sockets in your homestay for charging devices.
Your host family will provide lunch and dinner, and you’ll eat a basic Western breakfast of eggs, toast, cereal, tea & coffee, with your fellow volunteers at the volunteer house. All filtered water is provided. Karen food is generally vegetables, rice, noodles, eggs, and occasional pork, chicken or fish. Vegetarians/vegans can be catered for.
There are a couple of little shops in the village that sell drinks, snacks, and beer for purchase.
Volunteer Requirements
You must have a high level of fitness, as you will hike daily into the forest to find the elephants and the terrain is mountainous. Even just getting around the village is very hilly. The project is not suited to anyone with any sort of health issues.
Volunteers should be 18 years or older and strongly motivated. You must show proof of travel medical insurance.
How to Get there
We recommend arriving in Chiang Mai (CNX) the day before you start and staying in the city somewhere around Old Town. Pick-up is on Sunday morning between 8-9 am.
At the end of your stay, you will be taken back to the city on Saturday afternoon.
