ECO VOLUNTEERING

  Absolutely love this place. The work that they’re doing for a wild elephants is amazing!!!

I really loved are they brought me to the Elephants and I got to... read more see them in their natural environment .

It was so much better than Mandalao where they’re kept in electric fences, and they do the same two mile loop all the time.

Thanks Elephant conservation center for doing what you say and being good people

  We spend two nights at the Elephant Conservation Center. It is a great place, a great institution.
Accomodation: As a paying customer (it's different for volunteers) you stay in simple... read more wooden bungalows with a nice porch overlooking the lake. The meals are taken by all visitors together - and they are very good.
Activities: To be clear, you don't get to ride an elephant, you don't get to pet or feed elephants. You simply get to watch them. But you have a knowledgable guide and watching the elephants in different situations never became boring during our days at the ECC. We watched elefants bathe and feed. We watched mothers and calves socialize. We watched bulls interact. We witnessed an eye treatment at the elefant hospital.
All in all we learned a lot and left with a deep respect for the conservation work they do at the ECC.
It's not cheap, but we think it was well worth the money.* Also: Visiting the ECC instead of a touristy elephant riding camp is the right thing to do for Laos' elephants.

* Well, they keep advertising their ECC-Shirts. And I would even wear a shirt promoting the ECC, but not if I have to pay extra for it.

  I spend four unforgettable days at the center. Being so close to these magnificent animals had a profound effect on me. Don’t expect any interactions with the elephants what so... read more ever, cos there simply won’t be any. Instead there’s loads to learn and discover about them through the experienced, professional and knowledgeable staff at the center. They’ve been hit hard by the Covid pandemic and definitely deserve better times. The best way to achieve this is to pay them a visit. They do incredible work for the elephants, giving them a very natural, comfortable, spacious home to spend their days, after a hard life in logging or the tourist industry. The accommodation is sufficient, the food plenty and tasty and the surroundings phenomenal. An unique enriching experience that I absolutely recommend.

  I spend four unforgettable days at the center. Being so close to these magnificent animals had a profound effect on me. Don’t expect any interactions with the elephants what so... read more ever, cos there simply won’t be any. Instead there’s loads to learn and discover about them through the experienced, professional and knowledgeable staff at the center. They’ve been hit hard by the Covid pandemic and definitely deserve better times. The best way to achieve this is to pay them a visit. They do incredible work for the elephants, giving them a very natural, comfortable, spacious home to spend their days, after a hard life in logging or the tourist industry. The accommodation is sufficient, the food plenty and tasty and the surroundings phenomenal. An unique enriching experience that I absolutely recommend.