Itinerary – Elephant Conservation Camp
Day 1 (Tuesday):
Relax and prepare for a world-class trip on Singapore Airlines. Prior to your departure, you will have received your pre-departure packet, which will include your Rustic T-shirts, airline tickets, and important contact information.
Once you arrive at your international departure city, our Flight Liaison will help you get checked in to your international flight. Working with our Flight Liaison will be your Flight Leader, who will escort you all the way to Thailand! Our Flight Leaders are most often school teachers or good friends of our organization who happily fill this role for us each year. Once you’re checked in, feel free to relax and get acquainted with your new friends before boarding your flight to Thailand!
Day 2 (Wednesday):
Today is lost as you cross the international dateline. Fear not – you will get this time back on your way home.
Day 3 (Thursday):
Sawat dee, and welcome to Thailand! Upon your arrival into one of the world’s most modern airports, you will immediately get the feeling that you have arrived in a place that is far different from the United States. Thailand is known as one of the most welcoming countries in the world and is affectionately nicknamed the ‘Land of Smiles.’
As you exit the arrival hall with your friendly Flight Leader, you will meet our team of staff. They have been anxiously awaiting your arrival and will lead you up to the fourth floor of the airport, where you’ll have a relatively quiet place to unwind and meet new friends who have arrived on different flights or are connecting from different programs.
We’ll have ample space for you to relax, as well as a nice assortment of food and refreshments for you to enjoy. This may be your first chance to have truly authentic pad-Thai (you’ll like it, trust us), or one of the other traditional dishes (including vegetarian options) we have to offer. You can also expect to try a few delicious Thai fruits that you’ve probably never seen before but that you may quickly grow to love.
In the mid-afternoon, you’ll hop on a quick one-hour flight up to Chiang Mai, where you’ll stay tonight. Relax, get a foot massage, and enjoy a nice dinner before retiring for the night at our Chiang Mai Base House.
Day 4 (Friday):
After a great night's rest and a simple breakfast, you will depart for the elephant camp by 8:30 a.m. From Chiang Mai, it’s just over an hour's drive through the mountains outside Lampang to your new home for the next week.
Once you arrive at the camp, you will meet the entire staff – including the elephants – and then the senior camp officials 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 will be officially underway, and you will waste no time in getting down to business.
Your first order of business will be to look the part – so everyone will receive a custom mahout (or elephant trainer) suit. Once you are comfortable in your fashionable new attire, you will be assigned to an elephant. Depending on the size of the group, there will be between one to three students assigned to each elephant. The first things you will need to learn will be the basic mahout commands and how to interpret and communicate with these amazing animals. Before you know it, you'll be riding your elephant into the jungle, learning its personality, and communicating with it – it’s all part of your new job as a mahout.
In the evening, you will 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 7 a.m. Once your elephant is fed and cared for, you will head back to the camp for breakfast.
After you are well fed, you will hop on your elephant and ride down to the elephant show. The show is a fundraising event for the camp and a great way to show the public these amazing creatures’ intelligence and potential. As a member of the mahout training camp, you will get a unique insider’s perspective on the show.
After a stop at the nursery to meet the baby elephants, you will head to the elephant-dung paper factory, where you'll see how this useful product is made – just be sure to watch your step! Then ride your elephant back to the camp base. At this point you will set your elephant free to roam in the jungle for the rest of the day. In the evening, after a delicious dinner, you will take part in a scavenger hunt that will get you acquainted with the new students and staff on the trip.
Day 6 (Sunday):
Rising early, you will once again take your elephant down to the river for its morning shower. Then, after breakfast, you will begin the day’s lesson – 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 a glamorous profession, mahouts are essential for the survival of elephants in the world today, and they are very respected in Thai culture.
You'll learn about the special relationship that develops between the mahout and the elephant, the tools and skills involved, and how they communicate with one another. Then practice the training commands with your elephant, learn how to weave rope for a saddle, and find out how to strap cargo on comfortably. You will have gone a long way in developing your own relationship with your elephant by the time you release it back into the jungle in the afternoon.
Then head back to your room for a quick shower and get ready for a night on the town in Lampang. After having a chance to check your e-mail at an Internet cafe, you will visit a market where you can pick up a few souvenirs. Then enjoy dinner in a restaurant popular for its live music and dancing!
Day 7 (Monday):
After the morning elephant bath and breakfast, you will use the skills you learned yesterday to load up your elephant with everything you will need for a night in the jungle. Then climb aboard and head toward the jungle camp, which is about an hour’s ride away.
Once you reach the camp, you will give your elephants a chance to rest while you head into the forest with the mahouts in search of bamboo. You will craft what you find into several different kinds of products, including cups and straws, with the help of the mahouts. Then enjoy lunch cooked over an open fire before heading to a nearby waterfall, where you can cool off and relax after a long day in the heat.
As evening falls, you will throw on warmer clothes, eat a jungle feast, and play some crazy games before gathering around the campfire and singing and dancing the night away. For many students, this night is the highlight of the whole trip!
Day 8 (Tuesday):
The sun will wake you up early this morning, and you will help your mahout bring your elephant in from the jungle where it spent the night. Then, after taking the elephants on a short walk to an area where they can munch on fresh greens for breakfast, you will pack your bags once again. You will spend the morning hiking to a nearby waterfall, where you can relax and enjoy your time in this pristine forest. Once everyone has cooled off, you will head back to the camp for lunch. Then climb back aboard your elephant for the journey back to the main camp. After a well-deserved shower and hearty dinner, everyone will settle in for a relaxing movie night.
Day 9 (Wednesday):
After the morning elephant bath and breakfast, you will head to the elephant hospital for a tour. Learn about the elephants’ lifespan and how injured elephants are treated and cared for here. You will also learn about the many elephants the camp has rescued from abusive situations and how they are rehabilitated. This will be your last chance to ask any lingering questions you have about these gentle giants before you head home, so don’t be afraid to speak up!
It will now be time to say good-bye to your elephant, your gracious hosts, and the camp. At the closing ceremony, you'll receive a certificate of completion for the program. At 4 p.m. you will depart for Chiang Mai, where you will grab dinner and do some final souvenir shopping at the world-famous Night Bazaar. Then you will head to one of our Chiang Mai Base Houses for the night.
Day 10 (Thursday):
This morning, you will wake up, grab a quick breakfast, and head to the airport to catch your flight back to Bangkok. Once in Bangkok, you will meet up with your new staff for 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 your elephant with you. Thanks for helping their cause – they hope to see you again in the 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 Week in the Jungle
At the Royal Project with Your Elephant
Classes, Practical Skills, and Jungle Trekking with Your Elephant