Volunteers working in elephant orphanage mostly work as assistant to the "mahouts" (elephant handlers). Volunteers bathe the elephants in the river twice a day, clean out and maintain their enclosures in the morning, wash and feed the baby elephants, and help in construction or maintenance work (as needed). Most of the time, some work, such as the mental stimulation of the elephants, is usually left to the initiative of the volunteers with some guidance from the "mahouts."

Volunteers do not require any specific qualifications to volunteer in elephant orphanage project. But volunteers should have a deep love for animals.

Rustic Volunteer Travel manages room/food for volunteers. Volunteers live with the host family and we manage a separate, simple, clean and modest room as well as local meals three times a day. Volunteer will also have an access to our office in Sri Lanka and mobile number of our coordinators. Our staffs also visit volunteers in each 2-4 week interval as a part of the program. Details covering living accommodations provided prior to arrival.

Elephant Orphanage projects are available in Pinnawela (has the greatest herd of elephants in captivity in the world), with shops, banks & internet cafes nearby. Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia, and has been a center of Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times. Famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, rubber and coconuts, Sri Lanka boasts natural beauty, tropical forests, beaches and landscapes, as well as its rich cultural heritage, making it a world famous tourist destination.

Volunteers can organize different possible excursions during and after the project to visit places of interest. There is a tourist infrastructure already in place the volunteer can use during weekends. For example: Buddhist festivals, parks, wildlife sanctuaries, bazaars, markets, restaurants, temples, museums, palaces, hotels, and many more.