Accommodation is included during your stay in Thailand. You will spend your first two nights staying in a hostel in Bangkok. While in Surin, you will spend three nights a week staying at the elephant village (Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday nights), living with the village elder and his family, and the rest of the week you will stay in a shared volunteer house in Surin. If you are travelling with friends, we can make sure you are placed at the same accommodation.
On the days you are staying in the elephant village you will live as a local villager, staying in the house of the village elder and his family. You will be staying in the house with the rest of your group, and the project co-ordinator will also be staying in the homestay with you. You will be expected to help out with duties such as cleaning and cooking, living as a member of the family. Accommodation in the homestay is very basic but is comfortable, clean and welcoming, and your host family will take wonderful care of you during your stay with them. It's a truly cultural immersion!
During your homestay you will be staying in shared rooms, sleeping up to five per room, on mattresses on the floor. The rooms are clean and there are fans, and mosquito nets at the windows. There is a shared living space with floor cushions and a large shared kitchen where you can help the family prepare traditional Thai meals. The shared bathrooms have warm water and western toilets.
When you are not at the elephant village your group will live together in shared volunteer houses which are rented from the local community in Surin. Each house has several shared bedrooms (sleeping 3-5 people), bathrooms with warm showers and western toilets, functional kitchen, in and outdoor seating areas and WiFi. Rooms include beds, bedding, basic storage, fan, mosquito nets and electric sockets. The guesthouses in Surin are located on the outskirts of the town centre, only 50 metres from the staff office and only 5 minutes from amenities including supermarkets, markets, internet cafes and ATM’s. A laundry service is not included, but you can either hand wash your own laundry or pay for your washing to be done by a local laundry service, for a very cheap price.
Please note: During the busy summer months (June-August) you may stay together in a different, comfortable guesthouse in Surin when you are not at the elephant village.
Three meals a day are included on the days in the week that you are at the elephant village. On your first Monday, breakfast in Surin is not included, but you will arrive in the elephant village in time for an inclusive lunch. On Thursdays, breakfast and lunch are included before you leave and transfer back to Surin.
When you are staying in the guesthouse in Surin meals are not included, but eating out is cheap, easy and tasty in Thailand. Alternatively, you can buy ingredients and prepare your own meals in the basic house kitchen.
