Become a lao mahout for a week... or more...

Ever wanted to ride the Mount of Kings? Learn the elephant language with expert mahouts from Hongsa! Learn how to approach, mount and dismount your elephant. Assist its mahout during key phases of the days: in the morning, go and get your elephant in the forest, groom it and feed it. Then it is time for you to accompany your elephant to the lake for its morning bath. You will then gain important skills with our vet assistant. You will be taught how to behave in the presence of elephants and will receive a training in basic elephant care and elephant diet. Your aptitude will be tested at the end of the stay with a test questionnaire and a practical test. If you are successful, you will receive a Basic Mahout Certificate.

If you want to gain more skills, you can go for the Advanced Mahout Certificate. This programme aims at teaching you a larger array of elephant control commands. It also provides you with access to our knowledge base and one-on-one training with a vet assistant at the hospital. You will be briefed about all on-going ElefantAsia projects. You will also work at the botanical garden where we grow traditional medicinal plants used to produce tonics and dietary supplements for the elephants at care.