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About i-to-i What i-to-i trips and TEFL are, how and why we do what we do!
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What better place to be situated than near the city of Jaipur caring for these magnificent animals. Working in the village of Amber close to the royal Amber Fort you will be looking after the elephants in the morning before they start their hard work at the Fort. These elephants work hard carrying tourists around the Fort and so you will be making sure that they are ready to start the day!
Today you will be met at the airport and taken to your accommodation. It only takes around 30 minutes to travel from the airport to your arrival point but your first journey in India will be one to remember!
The orientation will take place at your In Country Coordinator’s residence and will take you through what it’s going to be like at your project, do’s and don’ts, how to stay safe and it’s your prime opportunity to ask any burning questions that you haven’t yet had answered. After the orientation you’ll have some time to relax and prepare before your first day at the project tomorrow.
If you aren’t able to arrange a flight to get you into Jaipur on the designated arrival day then we’d recommend you fly in a day early.
We can arrange an early airport pick-up for you including one night’s accommodation for an additional fee. Please call us for more information.
Today you will be shown the way to your new project in Amber, a small town about thirty minutes drive away from your accommodation. You’ll meet the staff and the stars of the show – the elephants. Prepare to get stuck in and get messy as you get to grips with the day to day care of the elephants.
The elephants have a day job here! They travel each day to the nearby Royal Amber Fort and provide tourists with elephant rides and are the stars of photographs and videos for the morning. The elephants work hard and look forward to their return to the nearby village of Amber where they are cared for by their owners and you! The elephants are viewed as a means of income and the additional care and attention you can give is very important to both them and their owners.
The weekends are yours to do as you please! So you can either try to cram in as much sight seeing and souvenir shopping as you can or you can relax and find a slower pace of India off the beaten track. India has something for everyone.
Jaipur is very well placed for some fascinating weekends out of town. Although it is possible to visit some places for just a day by taking night trains or buses in both directions, much of the enjoyment is in finding a place to stay and of course the chance to see and photograph the beautiful architecture in the lovely light of early mornings and late afternoon.
It is worth staying the night in Agra to view the Taj Mahal at either sunrise or sunset rather than during the flat light of the middle of the day. There are many budget guesthouses in Agra. The journey is approximately 5 hours from Jaipur by either train or bus.
Along with a visit to the famous Taj Mahal, don’t forget to visit Agra Fort and, if time and energy permits, Fatehpur Sikri, an abandoned city, a bus journey away.
The town of Jaisalmer is reached by overnight train from Jaipur. The fort appears in the desert as if in a fairytale. Jaisalmer enjoys a rooftop café scene. Camel safaris can be booked from a minimum of one day through various agents in the town and in the fort. Jeep journeys can also be made to the sand dunes. Prices will vary depending on the tour operators that you choose, be sure to shop around and barter for the best price!
Hotels and guesthouses are available in the town, affording fabulous views onto the fort or within the fort walls taking you back to medieval times.
Enjoy getting back to basics in India. You’ll be invigorated by the reality of life in India and spending your days looking after these great big beasts will ensure a good night’s sleep every night! After their return from their work you will be helping them to relax by massaging them and giving them the care and attention they need. Your hours of work will be from around 4.30am to 8.30am and 3:30pm to 7:30pm, Monday to Friday. The elephants return to the village around 1:00pm and before this you will need to ensure that their homes are clean and ready for them!
Please be aware that elephants aren’t the tame animals that some people perceive them to be, therefore it is necessary for them to be shackled in some way to ensure everyone’s safety. This is done in the most humane way possible so please bear this in mind.
If you’ve always thought about getting up close to elephants and being in a team of people who are dedicated to looking after them, then you’ll fit right in here.
Today is your final day in Jaipur but you won’t be expected to attend your project unless you have time to. Your last day is all about packing up, buying any last minute souvenirs and making your way back to the airport or to wherever you’re going for your next adventure.
If you’re heading to the airport, our in country team can help you to arrange transport depending on how many people are travelling together. The airport is approximately 30 minutes away by auto tuk-tuk and costs around US$15.
The aim of this project is to help the mahouts (those who look after and drive the elephants) care and look after their majestic animals. The project is based in the village of Amber also known as the 'Elephant Village' where the elephants work daily at the nearby royal Amber Fort. The Fort attracts tourists with its ornate and intricate carvings on the walls and ceilings along with its grand appearance and warm ambience. The main attraction of the Fort however is the royal elephant ride. The elephants work hard and look forward to their return to the nearby village of Amber where they are cared for by their owners and you! The elephants are viewed as a means of income and the additional care and attention you can give is very important to both them and their owners.
The mahouts and locals that you’ll be working alongside have a deep bond and connection with the elephants at the project. They are extremely dedicated to what they do and although it provides a small income for them, they cherish what they earn. Take the time to get to know the background of this project to get settled in. it’s a lot of physical work and you get messy but we’ll bet the smile on your face at the end of the day has never been bigger.
The elephants are a good source of income for the mahouts and therefore, they need a great deal of care and attention to keep them motivated and healthy. You are needed to lend a hand in whatever needs doing to clean up after the elephants.
The mahout and elephants leave their homes at around 07.00am for their work at the Fort and return at 1.00pm where the elephant looks forward to his rest after a long morning.
Your main task will be to help the owner of the elephant by cleaning up after the animals, preparing their food and feeding them. After their return from their work you will be helping them to relax by massaging them and giving them the care and attention they need. You’ll be working alongside the local mahouts and helping them with their English skills which will help them at the royal Amber Fort. Try and learn a few words in Hindi before you travel to really impress the mahouts!
There are two shift patterns per week, which include four morning shifts and one evening shift per week:
As you will no doubt be getting quite dirty remember to bring clothes with you that you will not mind getting dirty or leaving behind; freeing up extra space in your backpack for those souvenirs! You should dress modestly in t-shirts and the minimum of three-quarter-length trousers. You may want to bring boots and gloves for cleaning, a face mask for the smell, a mosquito net for your room and don’t forget any playing cards and books!
As you’ll no doubt be standing in or near elephant mess, you may want to bring boots and gloves for cleaning, a face mask for the smell, a mosquito net for your room and don’t forget any playing cards and books!
It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you fora the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.
Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….
We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More
Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.
Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.
It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time - especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.
Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!
Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More
Your in-country team will arrange a pick-up for you at the airport and will conduct your orientation upon arrival. All coordination teams are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More
Aside from the local support from your in-country team you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by our response team in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More
The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. We also fly in our in-country coordinators to the UK regularly for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More
We don't fund our projects directly from the project fee that you pay us. Instead we choose to support a number of projects every year through a grant scheme for tangible long-term initiatives. In the last 3 years we have distributed over US$250,000 to our most needy projects to help them in the great work they do.
We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.
Volunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here
It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.
The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.
EU Customers – find out more here >>
Australian customers - find out more here >>
All other customers - find out more here >>
As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.
If you are arriving before your designated arrival date, we can arrange for an extra meet and greet service for you. For an extra supplement we will be there to meet you at the airport and take you to your orientation accommodation. One additional night a
The cost of this Early Pick-up service is US$ 57.00
You will be living in a local homestay run by a local Indian family and may share your room with other volunteers, giving you the perfect chance to absorb the local culture and make friends with other volunteers.
During your stay in Jaipur, you will have some form of interaction with local families by living in a homestay alongside one or possibly more generations of a family! All of our home stays are on a shared basis with at least two people to a room with a lockable cupboard. All meals are included and they’ll be typical Indian cuisine to give you a real insight into another culture and life as a local in Jaipur. Vegetarians are welcome and easily catered for.
The homestays are basic but clean and functional and will give you a real insight in to life in India as a local. Not everyone who visits India can say that! We’ll always do our best to place you with someone else so that you’re not alone but we can’t always guarantee this will be the case.
The accommodation has electricity, a Western style toilet and running water but hot water is in short supply. We recommend that you boil water for a hot wash and a bucket bath – you’ll be surprised at how good it feels to be getting back to basics. You’ll also have access to a small kitchenette, living area and garden to socialise with the other volunteers and family members.
During your stay in Jaipur with us, bedding is provided for you but we recommend that you bring a basic mosquito net just in case
We would recommend that you bring plenty of books or activities to keep yourself entertained in the evenings for those evenings where the elephants have tired you out too much to go out!
The accommodation is in Kisan Marg on the outskirts of Jaipur. There are several shops and an internet café nearby. There are several banks and hospitals within a 10 minute taxi ride away. The area is easy to navigate and you have the bonus of having local experts living with you who can point you in the right direction if you need them.
Your project is on average around forty five minutes away (11 kilometres each way) from your accommodation and the project coordinator will assist with these arrangements. Please budget around US$70 per week.
For over 5000 years the subcontinent of India, has seen the rise and fall of a succession of great empires, regional states and colonial powers. The first great Indian empire-builders were the Harrapans (The Indus Valley Civilisation) who flourished across parts of modern-day India and Pakistan from around 3500BC. The Harrapans opened up trade routes with Mesopotamia, built carefully planned cities and developed a pantheon of deities that over the years morphed into the Hindu deities Shiva and Kali. After the Harrapans came the Aryans who developed the caste system and wrote the sacred Vedas (including the Upanishads and the Brahamanas). These philosophical teachings were instrumental in the development of Buddhism and Hinduism – the religious foundation stones of the Indian cultural psyche.
After a brief incursion by Alexander the Great in 326BC, the Mauryan Empire gained control of much of central, eastern and western India. The first Indian empire to embrace Buddhism, the Mauryan civilisation reached it’s peak under the guidance of Emperor Ashoka and a long period of political stability enabled the caste system to flourish and allowed many cultural and technological advancements to be made. During this time envoys were sent to Sri Lanka and Nepal to spread the word of Buddhism.
Over the next 1000 years many empires gained control of regions of India – the Gupta’s in central India, the Chola’s and The Vijayanagar Empire in the south – but it wasn’t until the emergence of the Islamic empire of the Mughals that the whole of India came under the control of one power.
The Mughals ushered in a golden age of art and architecture, and have left us with many of the most recognisable symbols of Indian grandeur and architectural excellence – Shah Jahan’s Taj Mahal, Agra’s Red Fort and Hamuyan’s Tomb in Delhi. They ruled from the early 16th century until the rise of the British East India Company and the advent of European control of the Indian subcontinent.
After much jostling for position, the British emerged as the dominant colonial force in India. While Portugal held sway over parts of Goa and Kerala and the French had small colonies such as Pondicherry, British influence spread from the verdant valleys of Kashmir to southern shores of Tamil Nadu. India was now under British rule and would stay that way for over 150 years – the British Raj had been born.
The European colonisers exploited the many natural resources found in India and the excesses of the Raj were many and spectacular. Every summer, as the heat in the central plains grew unbearable and the streets of Delhi shimmered in the heat haze, the entire apparatus of government was moved more than 300km north to Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. To this day Shimla - a strange little town perched high in the foothills of the Himalaya - resembles nothing quite so much as a Victorian English village - complete with parish church and fun fair!
The excesses of British rule created widespread resentment across India and a succession of uprisings and civil disputes lead to independence from British rule in 1947 and the partition of India and Pakistan. Following independence much blood was spilled as Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims tried to ensure their place in the uncertain future of the subcontinent. Many wars have since been fought between Pakistan and India and to this day the Kashmiri borders are still disputed and fought over. The pristine valleys and glacial lakes still reverberate to the sound of gunfire and army convoys ply their trade across the mountain passes of the Jammu and Kashmir.
India’s recent history has seen relative peace and since the recent earthquake that hit Pakistan and Indian Kashmir, relations between the two countries have greatly improved. Although poverty and deprivation are still endemic in India, economic strides are being made and India now has a reputation as one of the world’s leading e-business nations.
Due to the sheer size and the complex geography of the subcontinent, Indian weather is as complex as Indian history. While the people of the central plains are searching for shade and respite from the heat, the inhabitants of the Jammu and Kashmir are waiting for the last snows of winter to recede.
From as early as February the whole continent gradually begins to heat up and by May temperatures of 45C are commonplace. As the hot season drags on the country takes a collective deep breath and waits in anticipation of the south-west monsoon. When the monsoon finally hits, the hot, dry and dusty conditions are gradually replaced by intermittent heavy downfalls. It doesn’t rain all the time during monsoon, but it rains every day – heavy tropical showers are punctuated by warm sunshine that turns the parched subcontinent into something of a mudbath.
When the rains have finally cleared the country experiences a brief but beautiful spell of warm sunny weather. The period from October until around early February sees much of the country experiencing comfortable conditions that are ideal travelling weather for foreign visitors. That being said, in the far north (Kashmir, Ladakh and parts of Himachal Pradesh) winter has taken hold, snow covers the mountains and passes up into the Himalayan Plateau shut down as early as September 16th.
Travel in India is unlike anywhere else on the planet, the distances are huge, booking tickets can be tricky and comfort is often at a premium. If you are short on time or just don’t want the many hassles of travelling through India, flying can be a good option. Local airlines such as Deccan, Kingfisher, Jet Airways and Indian Airlines offer services to destinations across the country.
India is home to the world’s largest railway system and offers the resilient traveller some of the greatest rail journeys known to man. Journeys can be long - Delhi to Chennai comes in at around 30 hours – but when you travel by train in India you get to see the vast complexity and natural beauty of the subcontinent roll past in all its glory.
If you decide to travel by train, the complex issue of booking a ticket must be addressed. First you’ll need to decide what class you wish to travel in: this can be tricky. There are 6 classes: 1st Class air-con (1A), 2-tier air-con (2A), 3-tier air-con (3A), chair car (CC), Sleeper (SL) and Second (II). For short journeys second is adequate, unless it’s really hot then it’s well worth paying for chair car. For longer journeys sleeper offers a cheap option with the added bonus of being able to mingle with the Indian masses. When the majority of Indians travel long distances by train, sleeper is their class of choice. Much has been said and written about the pitfalls of travelling by sleeper, but in my experience, it is the best way to truly experience Indian rail travel. 1A, 2A and 3A are more comfortable, but significantly more expensive and you’re less likely to strike up conversation with ordinary Indians. Whatever class you decide to travel in, you will need to pop down to the train station and book yourself a ticket. I won’t go into to much detail, but suffice to say, it’s probably best to put half a day aside for this little errand. Ah, the many joys of India!
Travelling India by bus and coach can require an almost saintly forbearance and an extremely hard backside. Short journeys by bus are great (if a little hair-raising) but for longer distances I’d suggest you jump on a train or a plane. The journey from Leh to Manali will see you sat in a rickety old bus for 2 whole days negotiating some of the highest motorable passes in the world on roads that seem more suitable for mountain goats that mass transport. That being said it is a spectacular journey and is will leave you feeling that you have really travelled.
When travelling within a state, bus travel is fine. Buses serve all major cities and often stop off at small towns and villages (and at shops owned by friends of the driver) along the way. On long journeys you may well be charged around ten rupees for having your baggage stored inside the bus. Although this is a little cheeky and can be a little annoying (the charge seems to apply only to foreign travellers), it is important to remain polite and to remember that the baggage handlers on the buses have much less money than you do.
Many buses have a small shrine to their deity of choice perched precariously on the dashboard and often make stops at roadside temples to make offerings. If asked for a few rupees to help with the offering, my advice would be to dig deep and hand over a few coins; bus travel in India can be a dangerous business and it can’t hurt to have a little divine protection!
Travelling by tuk-tuks, cabs and rickshaws is a great way to travel around cities, although care must be taken. It is imperative that you agree on a price before you set off and don’t be afraid to haggle: if your driver says the price is 100 rupees, knock them down to about 70 and you’ll be getting a half decent foreigner-price. Travel by taxi is the most expensive, tuk-tuks are a little cheaper (but just as fast) and bicycle rickshaws are cheap and slow. Drivers will often try to take you to shops, hotels and restaurants where they receive a commission. Unless you really like the driver and don’t mind being over-charged, it’s best to refuse firmly but politely. When travelling in Mumbai, travel by taxi can be tricky. Taxi journeys are metered, but the meters are very out of date. Ensure that the meter is at zero when you start and make sure that the driver has an official tariff card in the car. When you arrive at your final destination, you’ll need to work out the price by comparing the price on the meter with the tariff card. It’s a pretty simple operation, but unscrupulous drivers often try to overcharge unsuspecting tourists and will insist that they don’t know what the tariff card is. As with all things in India, be polite and remain calm.
Lonely Planet are leaders in the travel guide sector and their website is a great source of travel information.
www.fco.gov.uk
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s website provides up-to-date political news, travel advice and information on visas.
State owned domestic airline which offers competitively priced flights to destinations across India.
300 daily flights to 44 destinations across the country. Also good for flights to Sri Lanka.
Good quality budget airline. Nice food on the flights too.
www.indianrail.gov.inTrain information, ticket reservation and general info for train travel in India. The reservation service saves a lot of time and hassle… when it works!
We work in partnership with hundreds of established projects that are run by local communities. The information on our website comes directly from the projects and we work with them to ensure this information is as accurate as possible. However, due to the very nature of the projects themselves the exact details of what happens on a daily basis can change with little or no notice. If you have travelled with us and have any updates to this information, please let us know.
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