Day 1, Tuesday Depart USA
Welcome Aboad! After connecting to your group flight, time to relax and enjoy the trip across the Pacific with Singapore airlines. A Rustic Pathways Flight Leader will escort all scheduled group flights to Thailand.

Day 2, Wednesday In Transit
Today is "lost" as you cross the international dateline. But don't worry too much - you'll get it back on your way home!

Day 3, Thursday Sawat dee - Welcome to Thailand!
The morning begins as you arrive in Singapore at sunrise. Stretch your legs and have a quick look around one of the world’s nicest airports for a couple hours before continuing on to Bangkok. Arriving at Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport in the early afternoon, you’ll be greeted by many staff and program leaders who have been eagerly awaiting your arrival. After a quick meet and greet session, you'll fly up to Chiang Mai and meet up with the rest of your group, as some people will be connecting from the Amazing Thailand Program*. Settling into the Rustic Pathways Chiang Mai Base house, we'll have a brief orientation, a tasty feast, and maybe even a quick look around the city.

*Students continuing to the Elephant Project as part of 'Elephants & Amazing Thailand' will have this entire day to enjoy an exciting variety of optional activities in Chiang Mai while waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. Some options include swimming and gym time, a trip to Chiang Mai's newest mall - Central Airport Plaza, visiting some cool traditinal markets, going for a great hike to a meditation retreat and a waterfall, bowling or even go-kart racing. Tonight will be your last chance for a few days to use the internet and make phone calls as the elephant camp has only emergency phone service and no internet.

Day 4, Friday
After a great night's rest and a simple breakfast, we'll depart for the elephant camp by 8:30AM. From Chiang Mai, its just over an hour's drive into the mountains outside Lampang and your new home for the next week (or as long as you choose to stay!) We'll get together and meet the entire staff at the camp - including the elephants - and then the senior officials at the camp will offer an opening prayer ceremony, which is performed for good luck and to show the commitment of the group to the task at hand. With the ceremony finished, the program is officially underway - we'll waste no time and get right down to business. Your first order of business is to look the part - so everyone will receive a custom 'mahout' (elephant trainer) suit. Once everyone is comfortable in your fashionable new attire, we'll assign each person an elephant. Depending on the size of the group, there will be between 1-3 students assigned to each elephant. Straight away, you'll begin learning all of the basic mahout commands and how to interpret and communicate with these amazing animals. Soon you'll be riding the elephants into the jungle, learning their personalities, and communicating with the elephants - its all part of your new job as a mahout. In the evening, we'll settle in to jungle life, with plenty of time to relax and share stories with your new friends around the campfire.

Day 5, Saturday
The morning is truly a special time in the rainforest of northern Thailand. The birds bring the forest to life and the sun cuts bright rays through the fresh morning air. Rising early, you'll walk down to greet and bathe your elephant at 7AM. Once your elephant is fed and cared for, we'll head back for breakfast. Next, we'll hop on our elephants and ride down to the elephant show. The show is a fund raising event and great showcase of the amazing potential of elephants, and you'll have a unique insider perspective of the show. Afterwards, we'll head to the nursery to help care for and visit with the baby elephants. Then it's on to the elephant-dung paper factory, where you'll see how this useful product is made…but be sure to watch your step! Ride your elephant back to our camp base, where we'll set the elephants free to roam and be free in the jungle for the rest of the day. Tonight, we'll have a little fun competition with a team scavenger hunt - let the search begin!

Day 6, Sunday
After the standard morning routine of bathing the elephant and getting prepared for the day, we'll begin our focus lesson for the day - the life and practices of a mahout. Many people don't realize that being a mahout is a life-long career. Although they don't make much money and it is not glamorous profession, mahouts are necessary for the survival of elephants in the world today, and very respected in Thai culture. You'll learn about the unique relationship between the mahout and the elephant, the tools and skills involved, and learn more about how they communicate. You'll have a chance to practice your commands, weave rope for saddles, and learn how to strap cargo comfortably onto an elephant before returning them back to the jungle. Time to go back and shower, because tonight we're gonna hit the town - to downtown Lampang. As we're back to the 'city' and 'reality' (ok, not quite...just a cool little town in northern Thailand), you'll have a chance to use the phone and check e-mail. We'll check out a local market, walk the streets and enjoy a relaxed dinner at a local restaurant - always a hit with its live music and dancing.

Day 7, Monday
After our morning elephant bath and breakfast, its time to hit the trail and go deep into the jungle You'll load up your elephant with everything we'll need (using the skills you learned yesterday) and then we'll ride to a jungle camp about an hour away. After reaching the camp, we'll give our elephants a warm 'pat on the back' for a job well done and head into the forest to help the mahouts search for bamboo for making bamboo products. After lunch, we'll hike to a nearby waterfall where we'll have plenty of time to relax and go swimming in the clear mountain water, and even try some natural waterfall sliding. As evening falls, we'll throw on our warmer clothes, eat a jungle feast, play some crazy games, before gathering 'round the campfire and singing and dancing the night away.

Day 8, Tuesday
Rising early in the jungle, we'll step outside into the fresh morning and go to greet our wonderful elephants. We'll take the elephants on a short walk to a new area where they can relax and munch on some quality greens while we 'gin kao' (eat rice) ourselves. Packing our bags once again, we'll go on a 2-hour hike through lush rainforest to a refreshing waterfall, where again we'll have time to enjoy our time deep in this pristine forest. We'll eat some lunch back at the camp before returning back to the main camp by elephant. Shower up, then we'll have a hearty dinner before getting comfortable and throwing on a movie to cap off a long day returning from the jungle.

Day 9, Wednesday
After the morning elephant bath/breakfast/shower, we'll head to the elephant hospital for a tour. See first-hand how the qualified individuals who work here care for elephants in need of special attention. Hear their dramatic stories about elephant rescues, and have the opportunity to ask them any questions you still have about these gentle giants with whom you've become acquainted over the last week. For those staying just one week at the camp, it's time to say goodbye to your group, your gracious hosts, and your new elephant friends. At the closing ceremony, you'll receive a 'certificate of completion' for the program. At 4PM, we'll depart for Lampang, where we'll catch the overnight train at about 8PM. Until then, we have some time to check out a nearby market, send some emails or call home, and grab a bite to eat in in town. The overnight train departs Lampang for Bangkok at 8PM, and we'll have some closing meetings and activities on the train before dozing off to the rhythmic sound of the train as it skates south towards Bangkok.

Day 10, Thursday
Arriving just after daybreak, we'll grab our bags and connect to Suvarnabhumi Airport where you'll meet up with your next Rustic Pathways adventure or head home aboard our escorted group flight. Whatever is next for you, we hope that you always keep the warm memories of the Thai elephant with you for life! Thanks for helping their cause, and they hope to see you again in the near future!

An Important Note about Schedule Changes:
Rustic Pathways reserves the right to change, alter, or amend the daily itinerary for this trip at any time. Changes can be made for various reasons including changes in flight or program schedules, changes in the schedules of various external tours incorporated in our trips, the addition of new activities into a trip, or the substitution of an old activity for a new activity. The itinerary shown here provides a good outline of the anticipated daily schedule for this program. As with any travel program, some changes may occur.

A quick note: Many students over-pack and sometimes have to pay for overweight bags on domestic flights. The weight limit is 15 kilograms (33 pounds). You’ll have frequent access to laundry on this program, so you won’t need that many clothes. We won’t tell on you if you wear the same t-shirt twice!

Carry-on Luggage: A small backpack works best.
Passport and Wallet
A photocopy of your passport
Sunglasses
A durable camera, smaller is better for this program
Journal
A good book
A pen

Checked Luggage: A duffel bag, suitcase, or large backpack. Wheeled suitcases are fun, but may not roll so well in rice paddies. All items listed with “Plastic Bag” should be packed inside a plastic bag in case bottles explode.
2 Photocopies of your passport
Long pants - one lightweight pair and one heavier pair.
Pants that have zip-off legs to convert to shorts are great.
Shorts-two or three pairs
Swimsuit
Underwear-5 pairs
Socks-5 pairs lightweight fast drying synthetic athletic socks are best
Shirts-t’s, tank tops, and athletic shirts.
One long sleeve shirt. Materials such as polypropylene and capilene dry fast and help you stay cool.
Sweatshirt or jacket-lightweight and breathable Rain jacket-lightweight, vented is nice
One casual, but nice-looking outfit for going out to dinner and visiting temples. (If you’re thoughtful, you can accomplish this without packing any clothing in addition to what’s listed above).
Sneakers- light, breathable, fast-drying
Flip flops are the old standby for Thai footwear.
Sandals that strap to your heel work great and are adequate for many of our activities
Water bottle
Personal first aid kit
- Several band aids of assorted sizes
- Double antibiotic ointment
- Medical Tape
- Preferred mild pain reliever
- Sterile bandages-4-6 Ace bandage
- Antiseptic wipes 10
- Sunscreen-PLASTIC BAG
- Insect repellent with DEET, one small bottle-PLASTIC BAG
- Hand sanitizer-2 small bottles PLASTIC BAG
Watch Medications-don’t forget to let the staff know which meds you take
Travel toothbrush, toothpaste
Travel soap container and soap
Contact lens care supplies if needed

Optional Items:
Pictures of home, family to share with the Thai people you’ll meet
A Deck of Cards
Thai/English phrasebook
Travel pillow
A bag for dirty clothes-this can be a mesh bag, a pillowcase, or even a trashbag

Allowance: $150-$300 The Chiang Mai Night Bazaar has an amazing variety of crafts, clothing, and unbelievable miscellaneous trinkets and shopping there is a real treat, so budget more if you’re a big time shopper and less if you’re a go light, less is more, bring home only the memories kind of traveler.

Where will we stay?
We’ll stay at a hotel, the Rustic Pathways Base houses, and and at the elephant conservation center.

What are the accommodations like?
During the elephant conservation camp you'll stay at the Rustic Pathways Base houses, and and at the elephant conservation center. At the Elephant Conservation Camp, we'll be in nice clean rooms with hot water showers and western style beds.

How often can I do laundry?
We’ll be able to wash our clothes every few days.

Are the mosquitoes a problem?
There are mosquitoes. They’re usually not too bad, but you will want to have a long sleeve shirt and long pants in the evenings. Also bring a small bottle of insect repellent containing DEET.

What kind of immunizations do I need?
Check with your doctor that all of your routine immunizations are up to date. Your doctor will also be able to give you the best advice about what precautions to take when traveling to the forests of northern Thailand.

What will I need to spend my allowance money on?
You’ll want money to buy hand made crafts in the villages and at the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. There will be all kinds of souvenirs and fun stuff to buy, so budget some money for that.

What is the weather like?
It’s hot, and humid in the day and a little cooler in the mountains at night. Daily downpours are short and give way to sunny skies. Be prepared for heat and dampness. Synthetic fiber clothes are great because they dry fast and don’t get as mildewy as cotton can.

How often will I have access to email and phones?
Phones will be available nearly every day and there will be a few times during the week where you'll have internet access.

How many staff members will be on this trip?
We never have fewer than one staff member for every five students.