A Chain Free Sanctuary

Volunteering at the Elephant Care Centre in Chitwan was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. To connect so closely with these gentle giants in a chain-free sanctuary was truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Discovering Nepal

Nepal, landlocked in the heart of South Asia, is famous for Mount Everest, the Himalayas, and its rich cultural heritage as the birthplace of Buddha. It’s a country of breathtaking scenery, vibrant festivals, and warm, welcoming people. Infrastructure is limited and English is spoken by only a small portion of the population so it can be tricky getting around and finding food but I have never felt more welcome by the locals. The Nepalese people are genuine, beautiful, and endlessly helpful.

The Elephant Sanctuary

The Elephant Care Centre, located just outside Chitwan National Park, is unique. It’s a chain-free environment where elephants roam freely in large enclosures and live a happy life after years of exploitation in tourism and labour. Permits allow them to graze in the jungle, supporting both their physical and mental health.

The mahouts (elephant keepers) share a deep bond with their elephants. Each day, they accompany them into the National Park. The elephants eat wild grass, and the mahouts harvest grass for other elephants at the sanctuary. At the end of the day, the mahouts load up the giant bundles of grass atop their elephants and head back to the sanctuary where they will prepare and feed all the elephants rice balls (brown rice wrapped in fresh grass).

Volunteering

As a volunteer the day was broken into 2 parts – morning and afternoon with a rest in the middle of the day when the oppressive heat and humidity make it difficult to work.

During the morning our focus was cleaning elephant shelters.  Yes, this mostly means shovelling elephant poo!  It’s hot and tiring work – elephant poo is heavy! Surprisingly not too stinky, probably because their diet is mainly grass.  The killer is the humidity which wears you out as much as lifting heavy shovels of poo. After the shelters are cleaned we help preparing rice for the afternoon feeding sessions.  This involves cleaning the giant pot from the day before.  There are no facilities or town water but there is a manual pump at the end of the field.  It’s easier with 2 people – one to operate the manual pump, and one to scrub the pot with each squirt of water as it gets pumped out.  The rice is cooked in the pot on a small fire of sticks in a cleared patch closer to the shelters.

Afternoons are all about feeding time and one of the best parts of volunteering with elephants.  We would sit in a circle with the cooked rice and make baseball size rice ball snacks and then feed them to the elephants. You can offer the rice ball in your palm and let the elephant gently take it with their trunk or you can place it directly into their open mouth. They eat with impressive speed, so if you’re still sitting on the ground making rice balls when they arrive, don’t be surprised if you get a playful nudge. That gentle trunk tap? It’s elephant-speak for “Hurry up—I’m hungry!”

Handfeeding them isn’t just an activity; it’s about making sure the elephants get enough food. Each rice ball offers essential energy and nutrients which is important for elephant health.

Favourite memories

The first was meeting a baby elephant, born at the sanctuary 2 months prior to me volunteering. He was pure joy in motion, running around like a toddler, bursting with excitement whenever his family returned from the jungle, and practicing playful little charges at other elephants (and sometimes at us!). Gorgeous thing didn’t realise that his 400 kgs could easily knock over a mere human. Luckily, the staff at Elephant Care were always alert, stepping in with calm confidence to guide him away whenever his enthusiasm got the better of him. Watching him grow, learn, and explore was a reminder of just how much care and patience these animals need.

My other favourite memory was walking alongside one of the elephants down to the river. Ambling along a winding path side by side with a massive elephant, stopping occasionally to feed it fresh vegetables by hand from a cloth sack. Then at the river I climbed down the reedy bank and into the water to help give it a bath.  Well let’s face it I wasn’t much help, it was more for me than the elephant, but it was amazing.  There’s nothing quite like being sprayed head‑to‑toe by a giant elephant who is clearly having the time of their life. Standing there, soaked and laughing, I felt the privilege of being part of their world, even for a short while.

These moments weren’t just about elephants; they were about connection, trust, and joy. They reminded me that volunteering is as much about what the animals give back to us as it is about the care we provide them.

Volunteering with elephants is something I’ll never forget!

Final Thoughts

Volunteering at the Elephant Care Centre was a profound experience that combined hard work, cultural immersion, and unforgettable encounters with elephants. If you’re seeking a meaningful way to travel, I wholeheartedly recommend exploring this opportunity.

This sanctuary doesn’t just care for elephants; it is actively working towards ethical tourism. They have programs like “Walk with Elephants” which let visitors connect without exploitation if you cannot participate in the full volunteer program.

Visit elephantcarenepal.com for more information about this great organisation or to help plan your next trip aboard to volunteer or walk with these magnificent creatures.