Is Last-Minute Volunteering More Exciting?
- posted on 04/12/2018
- by Michael Starbuck
This Christmas, why not try a bit of spontaneity? Take a look at our last-minute volunteering trips and aid the conservation of endangered species!
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The Great Elephant Project
Encounter the beautiful Asiatic elephant deep within the heart of the Sri Lankan jungle!
From $955.00
- Up to 30 Persons
- All Meals Included
- 7 - 84 Nights
- Elephants
- Every Monday throughout the year
- Minimum Age 17 (Or 12 With An Adult)
Based on the outskirts of Sri Lanka’s Wasgamuwa National Park, The Great Elephant Project offers volunteers the opportunity to experience life from within one of the country’s most beautiful natural areas, whilst also working to aid human-animal relations. In the last 100 years, the relationship between elephants and humans has become strained, due in part to a merging of territories. It is thought that approximately 90% of Sri Lanka’s elephant population may have disappeared over this period of time, with their odds of survival not being much greater today: an estimated 200 elephants are killed each year as a result of human-animal conflict, with approximately 80 people losing their lives annually, too.
While human-animal conflict has become a great issue throughout the years, it is still possible for communities and wildlife to live in harmony. The Great Elephant Project has helped to develop sustainable solutions to this issue, through initiatives such as 'Project Orange', which not only aid the conservation of Sri Lanka’s elephants but also provide livelihood opportunities to local communities. Despite such impressive efforts, more work must still be done to maintain a balance between man and animal, and your time spent volunteering will certainly help do just that.
As a volunteer, you will take part in a number of activities designed to better understand the elephant populations around Wasgamuwa National Park and their movements. The use of camera traps, GPS and remote sensors, alongside other traditional methods, will allow you to help contribute to a database of information, which in turn, will enable the project to develop new ways of reducing human-animal conflict.
What’s more, you’ll also spend time alongside the local community, helping to restore areas already damaged by elephants, and educating the younger members of the community. Whether teaching English in the local school or hiding in tree huts as you try to spot elephant herds below, The Great Elephant Project promises to be a volunteer experience you will never forget.
Project Details
Activities
The following are some of the activities you may get involved in whilst volunteering with elephants in Wasgamuwa. You may not take part in all of these activities as they are dependant on the requirements of the project at the time you are volunteering, and also on your length of stay. Volunteers joining for 3 weeks or more, will have the opportunity to complete most or all of the activities shown here.
Elephant Observation & Data Logging
Perhaps one of the most exciting elements of your time on the project will be the afternoons and evenings spent in tree huts, as you keep a look-out for wild elephants. Sitting up in the trees, you will look down upon an ‘elephant corridor’ in wait of herds of elephants. Once they emerge, you will gather data on their size, sex, and other significant physical features. The data will then be used to help the project monitor Asian elephant populations in the surrounding areas, allowing them to assess any potential risk of human-elephant conflict.
A Trip To Wasgamuwa National Park
During your time on the project, you will take a trip to the nearby Wasgamuwa National Park, a species-rich location which is also home to a number of wild elephants. This is an incredible opportunity for you to witness a range of animals in their natural habitat, from bird species to boars, sloth bears and even leopards! You will definitely want to take a camera with you on this part of the project, as it really is the perfect opportunity to capture some amazing moments.
Species Monitoring & Data Gathering
Your mornings will be spent completing a range of activities, including data collection. You will use various research methods designed to indicate the overall health of the forest and its inhabitants; methods include collecting data from camera traps, noting down the presence of pug marks from species such as leopards, boars, deer, and of course elephants and completing bird-mapping surveys, to name but a few.
Trail Transects
Another important activity during your time on the project will be to embark on trail transects in search of elephant dung. While not the most glamorous of activities, it certainly is an important one, as their dung can tell us a lot about their ecology. It can indicate the age, size and gender of an elephant, and also gives an insight into their eating patterns. This information, in addition to the location of the dung along the trail, can give an insight into their movement and help the team to predict any potential areas of human-elephant conflict.
Electric Fence Monitoring
Rather than fencing the elephants in to avoid conflict (and therefore impeding their freedom), the project has helped to establish electric fences around the local villages. These fences were erected to dissuade elephants from entering and causing damage to the villages, and as a volunteer you will help to check on the state of these solar-powered structures. Information on the condition of the fences will be relayed to the local fence committees who main and operate them, and will help them to determine if their design and management is in need of improvement.
Human-Elephant Conflict Resolutions
Every year, human-elephant conflict sees around 3000 local homes damaged or destroyed. When members of the local communities are not able to repair these themselves, the project provides monetary donations and also volunteer manpower to assist. Therefore, you may get involved with minor construction work to help repair houses, wells, food stores and more. In addition to property damage, human-elephant conflict has caused transportation issues for children walking to school, so the project came up with the idea of the Elebus: a free, safe way to transfer the children through an elephant corridor to their destination. Why not hop aboard and help out with the school run?
Sustainable Land Use & Livelihood Project Monitoring
Agriculture is a primary factor in human-elephant conflict, with millions of pounds worth of crops being damaged by elephants each year. The project has therefore established several sustainable projects designed to create harmony between humans and elephants. An example of this is ‘Project Orange’, whereby orange trees were planted around a village to deter elephants from coming in and causing damage as they do not like citrus. Not only did this help reduce human-elephant conflict, it also meant the villagers were able to harvest and sell the oranges, creating an income for the residents. You will help to monitor and evaluate similar systems put in place to protect the local communities from elephant raids, and will also learn the value of community involvement in elephant conservation.
Teaching English At The Local Schools
Every morning, three volunteers will be selected to travel to one of the nearby schools to help teach English. You’ll work with children ranging from early primary school age right through to teenagers, helping them not only to learn a new language, but to grasp an understanding of the elephants’ value in the ecosystem and to Sri Lanka’s history as well. The children may seem shy at first, but will open up when it comes to taking selfies and using Snapchat filters!
Free Time
Weekends are free for you to spend as you wish, and depending on the length of your stay, you may wish to explore more of what Sri Lanka has to offer. Consider the ‘cultural triangle’, situated within the centre of the country and consisting of numerous ancient or World Heritage sites across Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Dambulla. Alternatively, you may wish to relax at the volunteer site itself, taking in its stunning surroundings and getting some much-needed rest.
Itinerary
The itinerary below is an example of a two-week stay at The Great Elephant Project, but is subject to change.
Day 1 - The Adventure Begins:
Prepare for an early start, as you will be collected from your hotel at 6am before being transferred to the Fort Railway Station in time for your train’s departure at 7am. Your journey will take you to Kandy, Sri Lanka’s cultural capital, where you will be met by a project representative. After an hour spent exploring Kandy, you will transfer by bus or car to the volunteer field house. Upon arrival, you’ll head straight to the tree huts in an attempt to spot wild elephant herds, before later returning for an orientation and evening meal.
Prepare for an early start, as you will be collected from your hotel at 6am before being transferred to the Fort Railway Station in time for your train’s departure at 7am. Your journey will take you to Kandy, Sri Lanka’s cultural capital, where you will be met by a project representative. After an hour spent exploring Kandy, you will transfer by bus or car to the volunteer field house. Upon arrival, you’ll head straight to the tree huts in an attempt to spot wild elephant herds, before later returning for an orientation and evening meal.
Day 2-14 - Project Days:
During these days, your group will be split out into two teams, with each engaging in a wide variety of elephant conservation tasks out in the field. You’ll trek through the jungle on the lookout for signs of wildlife, such as pug marks and dung, aid a number of projects in the local communities and enjoy a safari through Wasgamuwa National Park. Weekends will be spent at leisure, where you are free to explore more of what Sri Lanka has to offer or to simply unwind at the field house.
During these days, your group will be split out into two teams, with each engaging in a wide variety of elephant conservation tasks out in the field. You’ll trek through the jungle on the lookout for signs of wildlife, such as pug marks and dung, aid a number of projects in the local communities and enjoy a safari through Wasgamuwa National Park. Weekends will be spent at leisure, where you are free to explore more of what Sri Lanka has to offer or to simply unwind at the field house.
Day 15 - Final Day:
After saying goodbye to the project staff and the friends you have made here, you will be accompanied back to Kandy. From here, you will make your own way back to Colombo by train for your returning flight or to commence your independent travel plans. Wherever you may be heading, you can be sure to be walking away with unforgettable memories of your conservation adventure!
After saying goodbye to the project staff and the friends you have made here, you will be accompanied back to Kandy. From here, you will make your own way back to Colombo by train for your returning flight or to commence your independent travel plans. Wherever you may be heading, you can be sure to be walking away with unforgettable memories of your conservation adventure!
Dates, Availability & Price
To secure a place on this project a deposit of $245 is required at the time of booking, with the remaining balance due any time up to 60 days prior to your start date.
Please be advised, although we are able to offer a 7-night option, a minimum duration of 14 nights is recommended for a more in-depth experience. If taking part for only 7 nights there is no guarantee that you will be involved in all the activities listed.
Select a duration below to see the project start dates. All dates shown are currently available for you to join this project!
How To Book
Updates & Outcomes
This project is the first participatory community-based Asian elephant research and human-elephant conflict resolution project in the world and is highly respected. Volunteers here will get to experience a number of field research and conservation activities designed to help develop measures for elephant conservation, sustainable land use, and to mitigate human-elephant conflicts.
The monetary contributions of the volunteers is what makes it possible for the wildlife research, elephant conservation, and community development programs of this project to sustain themselves over the long term. These funds make it possible to conduct research, maintain field equipment, pay salaries of field staff, hire local youths to work on projects, help maintain electric fences, and provide villagers with innovative land use measures which help to alleviate the human/wildlife conflict.
The project also offers an excellent location for special elephant conservation programmes and studies (particularly for university dissertations and other research projects).
In 2017/18, the project expanded its elephant identifying and research to a range of other National Parks in Sri Lanka that volunteers could visit, including Minneriya National Park, Knuckles Mountain Range and Maduruoya National Park. You will also assist with conducting carnivore and herbivore research involving camera and sand traps, as well as monitoring the breeding and nesting habits and the abundance of bird species in these areas.
2019 means prosperity for The Great Elephant Project, with an ingenious idea of deterring elephants through the use of orange tree plantations which in turn provides a sustainable livelihood for locals! Check out the blogs below for more information.
Ellie's 19 Top Tips For The Great Elephant Project!
- posted on 21/08/2018
- by Ellie Hutchin
If you're looking to volunteer on The Great Elephant Project, take some expert advice from one of our own. Check out The Great Projects’ very own Ellie’s 19 top tips for volunteering on the project which she recommends based on her own trip to Sri Lanka in May!
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Visiting The Great Elephant Project As A Last Minute, Diabetic, Solo, Female Traveller!
- posted on 16/08/2018
- by Ellie Hutchin
Back in May, The Great Project's very own marketing team member, Ellie, took a trip to The Great Elephant Project. Check out her experience of travelling there with just a few days notice, as a type 1 diabetic and solo female traveller who had never adventured alone before!
Read MoreIs this trip for you?
Accommodation
Whilst on the project, you will stay in a rustic field house which can accommodate up to 30 people. The accommodation is basic yet authentic, offering views of the surrounding area through partitioned walls and a high roof. The design of the house is ideal for Sri Lanka’s climate, allowing air to pass through and to keep the building cool, whilst still keeping you sheltered in the event of rain. There are several rooms which are shared amongst volunteers on a same-sex basis, with enough bunk-beds in each room to accommodate between 8-16 volunteers at a time. Rooms are complete with electric fans, mosquito nets, pillows and clean bed sheets, while the bathrooms, which are also split by gender, have western-style toilets and cold showers. The water pipes are exposed to the sun during the day, so showers may at times run warm, but please do not arrive with this expectation.
Accommodation Upgrade
Should you wish to upgrade your accommodation, you may be able to book a private, air-conditioned room in a cottage located less than 5 minutes’ walk from the volunteer field house. The cost for an upgrade is an additional $232 per week, based on a twin-share room. You will also have access to a private bathroom, complete with a western toilet and showers. Please contact a member of the travel team if you wish to upgrade, and we will be happy to check the room's availability for you.
Meals and Beverages
Three fresh meals are provided on each day of the project, and are prepared by members of staff who live in the nearby villages. Food is prepared in the local style, using a range of spices, but if you would prefer a little less heat there is always a plain option available. Most meals will be vegetarian, consisting of rice, bread and dhal, while fish and chicken dinners are available once or twice per week. Fruit is available and you will also find British-style tea and ground coffee here, as well as a kettle, toaster and fridge-freezer for you to store extra snacks and drinks. Please note, while alcohol is not permitted during the working week, you are welcome to purchase alcoholic beverages from the local shop or liquor store to enjoy on a Friday or Saturday evening.
Fitness & Skills
This project does not involve much in the way of physical labour, but you will usually be working in fairly humid conditions. Therefore, all volunteers should have a basic level of fitness when taking part. No specific skills or experience are required, just commitment to the project and its aims. You must be prepared to work alongside other members of the team, and to bring an upbeat, positive attitude to the endeavour as a whole.
Vaccinations
The vaccinations required will depend on your medical history. We recommend that you consult with your GP regarding your own immunisation needs. In conjunction with this, we would also recommend that you check Fit for Travel’s website.
Project Details
When Is The Best Time To Volunteer?
While elephant and other wildlife sightings, and all volunteer activities occur year-round, there are few factors which may guide your choice of which month to travel.
November to March sees the bird migration period, so those who wish to spot some of Sri Lanka’s incredible bird species may wish to volunteer then.
If it’s culture you’re after, then April to September is an excellent time to visit due to the Sinhala New Year taking place (April) and two of the largest Buddhist festivals, the Wesak and Poson festivals, happening in May. The Esala Perahera (the Temple of the Tooth celebration festival) falls in August, and can be observed in nearby Kandy.
Weather-wise, the most pleasant months fall between December and May, with February being the coolest month of the year and April the warmest. There are two annual monsoons in Sri Lanka, with the Yala monsoon bringing rains between May and August. The Maha monsoon falls between October and November, with October being the wettest month of all. That said, volunteer activities will take place come rain or shine, and some fantastic sightings still take place during the monsoon season.
Getting There
You will need to arrive into Colombo the day before your project start date. This is because your transfer to the project site departs at 6am the following day. You will therefore need to book an additional nights accommodation at a hotel in Colombo (we recommend the Shalimar Hotel).
A project facilitator will then collect you in the morning from your hotel at 6am and take you to the train station. You will then travel by train to the cultural capital of Sri Lanka, Kandy, where you will have an hour to have a look around and have some lunch before taking a bus or car directly to the project site.
Visa Requirements
All visitors to Sri Lanka require a visa. Short-stay visas of up to thirty days can be obtained online via the Electronic Travel Authority, and can be extended for up to three months at the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Sri Lanka. Please note, your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date you arrive into Sri Lanka.
What's included in the price of the project?
- Transfer from Colombo to the project site
- Full orientation and support from the project managers
- Accommodation
- All meals
- A contribution to the project
What's not included?
- Flights
- Travel Insurance
- Transfers from Kandy back to the airport
Speak To A Travel Expert
Project Reviews
Always something new to see!
Traveller rating:
The three weeks at the Elephant Project have gone by quickly. What I valued most about the project was the work we did that was geared towards reducing human/elephant conflict. Project Orange Elephant—both planting and monitoring the orange tree saplings—was a rewarding experience. While at times the work was hard, never was I asked to do any more than I could handle and plenty of breaks were allowed during the hot part of the day. Of course, monitoring the elephants in the afternoon and early evening was always a joy. As for the staff they were helpful, friendly and fun all at the same time. Questions about things were handled very well by those in charge. Also, they were very good about looking after our welfare when it came to health issues. The food was adequate as to expectations. The accommodations, while a bit simple, were also adequate to meet my immediate needs for sleep and hygiene. Overall, I met some very nice people, learned a lot about the fauna and culture of Sri Lanka and enjoyed my stay very much.
Todd Soyck, 2019
This Is A Very Interesting Project!
Traveller rating:
I learned so much about elephants and noticed how different the Sri Lankan elephants are from African elephants. I really enjoyed all the activities, and the staff on the project were knowledgable and helpful.
Julie Grosso, 2018
Excellent!
Traveller rating:
I will never forget waking up from sleeping in the truck and there was an elephant in the road! I was impressed by the level of knowledge those in charge of the project were able to share and the friendliness of all the staff.
Alice Yogasundram, 2018
Tranquil, Peaceful, Perfect!
Traveller rating:
I have never felt more tranquil or at peace in my life as I sat looking out into the dense jungle and misty mountains each morning which was the view from the accommodation. Seeing wild elephants was completely indescribable and I have learnt a great deal about them. The locals are some of the most welcoming people you will ever meet. I will be back!
Ellie, 2018
I Immediately Felt At Home Here
Traveller rating:
One of my favourite experiences here, that may seem somewhat trivial, is just spending time at the field-house with the other volunteers and the staff. The locals have such vibrant and warm personalities that make staying here so much more enjoyable. My time spent working for elephants has been the most memorable, exciting and worthwhile two months of my life. The staff and fellow volunteers have been so welcoming and I immediately felt at home here.
Mary O'Gorman, 2018
I Saw a Family of Elephants!
Traveller rating:
My favourite moment was the first time I saw a family of elephants; the parents, children, uncle, aunt and cousins. They adore their families.
Imogen Cauthery, 2016
I learnt Immeasurable Amounts...
Traveller rating:
I volunteered here for three weeks in September, and I had the most amazing time. I learnt immeasurable amounts about the elephants and the relationship between the elephants and the local villagers. We also monitored the use of the elephant corridor, and interacted with the villagers regularly to educate them and try to improve their relationship with the elephants. I wish I could have worked on the project for longer!
Grace, 2013
This Was an Experience I’ll Never Forget!
Traveller rating:
It was great to be so immersed in rustic jungle life. We managed to see elephants every day and I really enjoyed volunteering with elephants and tracking them. There is obviously great conflict between people and elephants here, so to be involved with trying to counteract this was an experience I’ll never forget!
Michelle, 2013
Absolutely Incredible!
Traveller rating:
Being able to witness and understand the complex and harsh reality of human/elephant conflict whilst seeing herds of elephants nearly every day was absolutely incredible.
Emily, 2013
Where you can go
Contact Info
UK OfficeThe Great Traveller Ltd,
3 Dairy Yard
Star Street
Ware, Hertfordshire
SG12 7DX
United Kingdom
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 8:30am–5:30pm
Sat 10am-4pm Foreign Office Travel Advice
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