On arrival in Koh Samui you will be met by your World Expeditions Schools guide and welcomed to the island. It's a quick drive to our hotel where we check in, have a full safety and trip briefing as well as local language lesson and in-country orientation. We head to our welcome dinner where delicious Thai food awaits and discuss more about the project and plans for the week. Once our meal is finished, we can walk back to our hotel gaining an orientation of the village town before heading to our hotel for a good nights sleep.

Meals:  D

After breakfast, it’s off to the pier where we board a ferry and make our way to Koh Tao. We soak in the warm sun and enjoy the ocean breeze as we take in the stunning views. Once we arrive at Koh Tao, we get checked into our new hotel and enjoy a nice lunch complete with ocean views. After lunch, we meet our community partner for an afternoon session about marine conservation. We learn the basics about what is marine conservation, as well as local & global issues, efforts, and projects in place to help make an impact. The day concludes with a well deserved dinner before heading back to our hotel to rest up for another big day tomorrow.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we work on constructing the artificial reef. This structure will be placed into the ocean and serve as a reef where ecosystems and marine life can build and thrive. We work together as a team to not only build, but also to design the reef.The construction is guided by our local community partner as the reef starts to take shape. In the afternoon we head out to the beach for beach clean ups and micro-plastic surveys. We collect data that will be put into global databases that tracks the type and quantities of waste that is found around the island. The day ends with a delicious local Thai dinner to celebrate all our hard work. After dinner, we check out the local night markets for shopping and souvenirs before heading back to our hotel.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we jump into the ocean to focus on the coral around the island and the affects of coral bleaching. We observe the changes in the coral with Coral Watch, a global database that is monitoring the health of reefs across the world. In the afternoon we will be building coral nurseries and bottle nurseries that will also be submerged in the ocean. Broken or dying coral can be transplanted to these nurseries to be cared for and help give it a new place to regrow and flourish in the ocean. We celebrate with an amazing beach BBQ dinner right on the water.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today is an all day snorkeling tour. Joining us for this trip is our local community partner team of marine conservationists. Throughout the day, we get to see first hand the damage being done to the reef, in addition to examples of solutions that are working to restore it back to its natural beauty. It will be a fantastic day of enjoying the crystal blue waters and marine life, as well as gaining a deeper understanding of our surroundings. The snorkelling trip takes us to various parts of the island. In the afternoon, we say our goodbyes to our partners and take the ferry back to Koh Samui. Here we check into our hotel and head out to dinner at a local restaurant.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today is the last full day on Koh Samui and we make the most of it by visiting Ang Thong National Park. This protected area of 42 small islands is paradise, located just a short ferry ride from Koh Samui. We have the day to enjoy all it has to offer. We hike up to the viewpoint to take in Koh Samui and all the surrounding islands, and snorkel, swim and go sea kayaking. After returning to Koh Samui, our expert guides explain more in depth about Southern Thai culture, local Buddhist traditions and more about the livelihoods of the communities on the island. After that we head to a Thai cooking class where we learn how to make several Thai dishes including some of our favorite local dishes. As we chop, stir and dice our way through the afternoon our hard work pays off as we enjoy the spoils of our labor sampling the freshly cooked dishes we created for our dinner. In the evening we head back to the bustling night markets to test our bargaining skills as we search for the best deals. Once our shopping is complete it's back to our hotel for the evening.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we leave the islands in the south, fly north to Chiang Mai and learn about its unique history. Once we arrive, we’ll head to Wat Chedi Luang, one of the most ancient temples in Thailand’s north. There we’ll talk about the historical Lanna Kingdom and spend some time chatting with monks living at the temple to learn about their way of life. In the evening, we enjoy a delicious welcome dinner of authentic Thai food and have free time for shopping and exploring the endless market. Afterwards, we head to our hotel to discuss the following day's itinerary and get some rest for the exciting work ahead.

Meals:  B,L,D

After breakfast at the hotel, we hop into our transportation and head out to Chang Chill Elephant Sanctuary, our home for the next few days. We’ll spend the morning following the elephants as they graze in the forest and prepare some food and medicine for them after lunch. As we observe the elephants, we’ll learn about their stories and the care the mahouts take to look after them. When we finish for the afternoon, we’ll check into our homestay in the local Karen community and head for a well deserved shower and dinner. In the evening, we meet for a bonfire under the stars to discuss the culture of the village, the plans for the week, and everyone’s thoughts about the trip so far.

Meals:  B,L,D

Our project days start bright and early with a morning activity followed by breakfast. Afterwards, we’ll walk to a local farm in the community, learn a bit more about our goals for the project, and jump into our work. Over the next two days we will be working on community land to plant or harvest fresh food for the elephants. There is a lot of work to be done so we’ll rotate between stations as we learn more about what it takes to grow enough food for a herd. We have a fruit break around 10 am and clean up for a leisurely lunch break, resting in the hottest part of the day. The next day, we will spend time observing what plants the elephants graze on and collecting native seeds from the sanctuary to propagate in our nursery. Elephants eat around 150 kg per day, so it's a big task to make sure they are always well fed. In the evening after dinner we meet for a cultural activity, play team building games, and swap stories around a bonfire.

Meals:  B,L,D

Today we leave the sanctuary. After breakfast we say our goodbyes to the community and our gracious hosts. We hop in our transport and take a short drive to the start of our waterfall hike which leads to a swimming area ideal for cooling off and relaxing after a couple days of work. We enjoy some lunch here before heading to Elephant PooPooPaper Park, a centre where elephant poo is recycled into eco-friendly paper products. We’ll see the whole process from poo to paper and have a chance to help make some for ourselves. We then head back to the hotel before hitting the night market for some souvenir shopping.

Meals:  B,L,D

This morning we rise for our last breakfast before we pack out bags and head to the airport for our outbound flight.

Meals:  B