Never Forget Elephant Foundation – Bringing Elephants Home
Join the team at Never Forget and spend a week immersed into the life of a Karen Hill Tribe Village in the mountains where elephants are part of the family! Take an active role in supporting that community, whilst enjoying the proximity to their herd of elephants.
This is an experience like no other. During your stay in the village, you will enjoy traditional bamboo accommodation in the heart of nature. All huts are equipped with a mattress and mosquito net. Lounge in a hammock whilst watching the sunset across the valley after a day’s work providing for the elephants!
There is a glorious yoga/meditation shala where you can work on either one of these rewarding practices.
Never Forget provide three plant-based meals every day, many of the ingredients of which are grown on-site!
In the evenings, sit around the fire, swapping stories, music and getting to know each other.
What will you do during your stay?
- Daily time with the elephants, trekking along side them through the jungle and learning about them and their habitat as you go.
- Work on garden and building projects to help build the Visitor Village.
- Aid the local Karen community through projects of various types.
- Connect with local people in their home and learn about their ways, their culture and their community.
- Visit local temples in the area.
- Receive lessons on rice farming from local farmers.
Download a sample schedule here. (Schedule may be subject to change.)
Nicole Bennett –
A few weeks ago I returned home from a yoga retreat outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand organized by Sweethome Teacup’s Yoga and Animal Rights Alliance from Portland, OR and hosted by Never Forget Elephant Foundation. The short and simple review is it was amazing! Our accommodations, the organization of Never Forget, The Karen Hill Tribe that provided us nourishment and welcoming us into their world were beyond anything I could have anticipated. This was my first time traveling outside of North America and every moment I felt safe and open to receiving.
Each day was a blend of yoga and hiking with the elephants in their environment. Some days we stood at a distance and watched them eat snapping trees, shaking off roots, gathering leaves with with their elegant trunks. Somedays these very large sentient beings walked right up us to investigate. I am so grateful for being invited to listen to the stories and lessons of the Karen Hill tribe and the world of the elephants, I learned so much.
The yoga practice focused on gentle movements and our views included lush mountains, goats, cows, sunrises and sunsets, and the most beautiful silhouette of a tree. My time with fellow yogis and big, beautiful, graceful elephants took my breath away over and over again. This kind of trip sticks with you; not all of my thoughts and feelings line up, I feel at peace while at the same time wanting to challenge myself and disrupt old belief systems.
If I had to list a downside it was the actual travel time, planes and rough mountain roads were really hard on my body, but sometimes that’s just part of the adventure.This journey might not be for everyone, but everyone who loves elephants can give and be part of bringing the elephants home. The Never Forget Elephant Foundation and the Karen Hill Tribe need people to devote time and money towards their mission, please learn about the organization and give so they can continue their work.