Currently the conflict between elephants and human are rising because they have less area to live.
Elephants are being squeezed into smaller area, since the local farmer plant the crops and elephants like to destroy
and eat them. As a result, the elephants frequently raid and destroy the crops which will cause a conflict between
human and elephant. Due to this reason, local government and organization which concerns about the wild life are
working together to save or conserve the elephants and reduce the conflict. This project aiming to assist local
governmental office named Way Kambas National Park which located in Elephant Conservation Centre to conserve
the sanctuary.
Our project IS NOT a safari place, but it is mostly as a place for elephant conservation which facing problem of critical
decreasing population and threats due to illegal lodging which endanger their life. The PKG is located inside and
managed by the Balai Taman Nasional Way Kambas / BTNWK (Way Kambas National Park) covering round 1.300 square
kilometers in Lampung Province, Southern Sumatera Island. The park consists of swamp forest and lowland rain forest.
There are around 60 elephants with 60 mahouts for each (1 mahout responsible for 1 elephant). All of the elephants
in the PKG are chained when they were in the stall during the night. The purpose of putting chain in one of their legs is
for monitoring, handle the elephants when they are stress, to distinguish between the PKG’s elephants and the wild
one. The mahout using special tool called “gancu” (little iron hammer with curve point) to handle the elephant. The
way how to use the gancu is by touching gently behind the elephant’s ear and sometimes on its head.
Way Kambas National Park, Lampung Timur, Lampung, Indonésie
As the participants will stay and live in the area of PKG and BTNWK, then everybody should be
open minded, understand and accept the way of local mahout in taking care of the elephants and MUST follow all the
project regulations without any exceptions. The volunteer accept all the rules and condition of the project which listed
on the preliminary information of the workcamp (attached). Volunteer is recommended NOT to buy flight ticket at least
2 months before the project start, to avoid the cancellation of the project due to lack of participant, please contact and
confirm again to the organization for last update information. The project will be run ONLY if the minimum participants
are 5 people.
Health issues: The Government of the Republic of Indonesia implemented new health procedures aimed at screening
international arrivals for entry into their territory. These protocols include requiring every entrant to submit to
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests to identify those who are infected with the coronavirus even without externally
apparent symptoms. The protocols also require everybody to agree to be quarantined in government facilities. The
participant should cover all the cost associated with the quarantine. If the entrant is in possession of a certificate proving
that he/she is free from COVID-19 and he/she has never been infected, they will be able to enter the country and just
impose self-quarantine at the place where he is staying. Travelers will be interviewed and may be subject to additional
checkups at the point of entry. Please contact Dejavato staff for the update information regarding the entry regulation
Participant fee: 400 € or 6.800.000 IDR/participant (flat rate 1€: 17.000 IDR). It covers food, accommodation,
materials and local transport during the project. The fee must be paid in CASH upon arrival. Failure of full payment
upon arrival, the participant is not allowed to join the project for any reason. The fees excludes all cost associated
with the pandemic Covid-19 (Swab Test, quarantines, hospital etc)
Volunteer will help local mahout (a person who takes care and train an elephant) daily to take care the
elephant starting from bathing/showering, feeding, health checking and grassing the elephant. One local mahout
will be accompanied by one volunteer in doing his daily job.
The volunteers will be accommodated in Elephant Conservation Centre / kind of dormitory (basic
conditions, sleeping bag and mat needed). Food will be provided with catering service. Also the volunteers will stay
at the homestay in the village nearby the conservation center. Prefer no vegan (strict vegetarian
During free time, the volunteers will have opportunity to enjoy exciting attraction in Lampung such as
beach, home industry, traditional market and fruit plantation.
