Internship with elephants in Thailand by Mélanie

Posted on 20 February 2025

Mélanie spent 4 weeks with the elephant protection teams in Chiang Mai. She looks back on her environmental internship, which enabled her to study these animals in their natural habitat.

In a few lines, what has your international experience brought you?

My environmental internship in Thailand was very enriching, with the elephants on the one hand, the great work of the association, the immersion in the Huay Pakoot community, with the locals but also all the volunteers who came from the four corners of the world.

What were your best memories?

Hiking with Lah-Lah, the baby elephant born a few months before my arrival, who never failed to surprise us every time.

Rate the services offered on a scale of 1 to 5:

Pre-departure information: 5
Registration process: 5
Supervision / project coordinators: 5
Volunteer timetable: 5
Food and accommodation: 5

Would you recommend this project to others?

Of course. It's a very serious association, and the staff on site took a lot of time to ensure that the trainees fully understood the project and their actions, with presentations on Thailand, the elephants of Thailand and the camps, but also the organization in general and how the funding was used.

Would you recommend Realstep for international projects?

Of course. Before leaving, it was very reassuring for me to be able to ask all my questions and to have a reliable and responsive team to help me with the departure formalities. I also really appreciated the team's support throughout the project.