Thailand Adventure
Join our 4-week Thailand Adventure for a blast of adventure travel, cultural immersion and environmental volunteering! Your action-packed adventure takes you from the rural heartlands of Chiang Mai to the white-sand beaches of Koh Tao.
Discover Thailand’s vibrant culture, volunteer with elephants, and help protect both the land and marine environments of this incredible country. Quite simply, the ultimate Thailand experience!
Suitable for: Adventure Travel, Summer Programs and Wildlife Conservation.
Highlights
- Explore one of the world's best backpacker destinations
- Volunteer at an elephant rescue sanctuary, one of our most rewarding experiences!
- Immerse yourself in the cultural, bustling capital of Bangkok
- Soak up the sun on the idyllic Thai islands of Koh Tao & Koh Samui
- Meet new friends and spend your gap year in style!
Week 1: Chiang Mai & Pai
Your journey starts in Thailand’s northern capital, Chiang Mai. Hidden backstreets, mind-blowing temples and waterfall hikes make this the perfect location to begin your adventure! After exploring the stunning Doi Suthep Temple, you'll head over to Pai, a laidback town in a picturesque valley close to the border of Myanmar. You'll discover centuries old stalagmites and stalactites in Tham Lod Cave, one of Thailand’s most impressive and accessible caves, as well as enjoy the beautiful local scenery as you float down the Pai river in an inflated rubber ring!
Week 2: Elephant Sanctuary Volunteering
The second week of your adventure will be spent volunteering at an amazing elephant rescue sanctuary! You'll assist local staff in caring for rescued elephants in an ethical and responsible way. With the help of the project owners and local staff, you will get the chance to observe and experience elephants in their natural, safe environment, free from exploitation and abuse. This truly is one of our proudest and most rewarding volunteer experiences - you don't want to miss it!
Week 3:
Before heading down to the stunning Thai Islands, your trip will stop for a few days in the bustling capital of Bangkok, a right of passage for all gap year backpackers! Here you'll get the chance to really immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of this amazing city, spending a few days exploring the markets and canal systems. Don't tell anyone, but the Golden Mount Temple is a must!
Week 4: Koh Tao & Koh Samui
No visit to Thailand is complete without experiencing the idyllic beaches of the famous Thai islands. At the southern end of Thailand, the final stop on your adventure sees you staying on two of Thailand’s most stunning islands. Koh Tao and Koh Samui are meccas for gap year backpackers and it is no surprise - take an island boat trip, go snorkelling, soak up the atmosphere in town or just kick back and soak up the sun, sea and sand on one of the many paradise beaches! Your adventure will end with a trip back up to Bangkok for your flights home!
For current prices, check out the dates and availability section below - you may need to scroll right to view the prices! Remember you only need to pay a £300 deposit when you book to secure a place on your chosen adventure!
What's included:
- Pre-departure support
- Airport pick-up & Return transfer
- Gapforce Leader
- Local support staff
- All accommodation for the duration of the trip
- Three meals a day
- All internal transport
- Project equipment
- Trips & activities listed in brochure
- Financial bonding
What is not included:
- Flights to/from destination
- Travel Insurance
- Visa & Vaccinations
- Spending Money
- Tipping & gratuities
An Incredible Adventure
The Thailand Adventure with Gapforce was my first time out of Europe, as well as my first trip ‘on my own’ - and it was fantastic.Although I wasn’t sure what to expect, I really appreciated the flexibility of the trip - the leaders would ask us if there were any particular activities that we were interested in or perhaps wanted them to look into, and we had plenty of free time to explore and see things that we wished to if we were unable to as a group.Both expedition leaders, Laszlo and Terence, were very knowledgable, and able to offer reassurance, as well as assistance, whenever queries arose, especially medical ones. They were friendly and fun, making the trip feel more like a holiday with friends, whilst were also professional enough that I felt as though I could still come to them with any concerns.Throughout the trip, I was surrounded by an amazing group of people, and I made friends I would love to visit and meet up with again for further adventures. This trip really has ‘broadened my horizons,’ and I’ve come away with a greater desire to try more things, and ideas for hobbies/sports to take up during the rest of my Gap Year.Thailand was wonderful, and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to experience it. I’ve come away from this trip with great memories, and feel much more independent, in general as well as as a traveller - I hope to do more in the future.Thank you very much for the amazing adventure!
LaurenIncredible Thailand
My Thailand trip was definitely the break I needed from a long and stressful final school year, I had a ton of fun and met loads of great people. I remember always feeling really safe in Thailand, our group leader did a great job. I had an amazing time and would absolutely recommend the program to anyone interested in Thailand, volunteering or just meeting new people and seeing an entirely different part of the world culturally.
DavidGreat Experience
I had just graduated from my journalism degree and was determined to travel the world but didn't know quite where to go and what to do when, of all people, my mother suggested volunteering overseas! I had friends that had volunteered abroad before, especially in Asia and with animals, and had talked about how great an experience was so I looked into a few different volunteering projects and came across Gapforce’s Thailand trip. My trip was a great way for me to experience another culture and meet an array of people. As cliché as it sounds, it’s a real eye opener to see another culture and what other people have to endure, and gives you a real appreciation for the luxuries we are able to experience in life whilst others get by on the bare minimum. I felt safe the entirety of the trip and met a great bunch of people whom I've stayed in touch with after we've split! I would reccomend!
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Or call us on 1-888-249-4533
- Thailand
- Duration: 4 weeks
- Departures: January, April, July, October

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