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Best volunteer travel destinations in Asia

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Sri Lanka
Ancient cities, tea hills and surf beaches
7.3
Wild elephants now number about 7,500, down from around 19,500 in the early 1800s. Habitat loss and conflict with farmers are the main threats. Udawalawe National Park runs a transit center that keeps orphaned calves until they can be released. Conservation volunteers help with research and community work around the parks.
Highlights:
  • 🚂 Take a scenic train ride through the tea plantations to Ella
  • 🐘 Spot elephants on safari in Minneriya National Park
  • 🪨 Climb Sigiriya Rock Fortress and admire its ancient frescoes
Cambodia
Angkor temples, riverside cities and quiet coast
7.1
Tonlé Sap lake swells from about 1,000 square miles in the dry season to about 9,500 in the rainy season. Its fish feed much of the country. Volunteers help with education and community projects. Child protection groups advise against orphanage volunteering. They favor screened long-term programs where children return home each day.
Highlights:
  • 🚤 Cruise along Tonlé Sap Lake and visit floating villages
  • 🌿 Explore the jungle-covered ruins of Ta Prohm Temple
  • 🌅 Watch sunrise over the ancient temples of Angkor Wat
India
Palaces, temples, backwaters and Himalayan peaks
7.5
Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata in 1950. Its Nirmal Hriday home for the dying opened in 1952 in a former Hindu temple. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and was canonized in 2016. Volunteer rules vary, so contact the order or the host organization before you travel.
Highlights:
  • 🛶 Sail on the serene backwaters of Kerala
  • 🛺 Take a colorful rickshaw ride through Old Delhi’s lanes
  • 🌅 Watch sunrise over the majestic Taj Mahal
Indonesia
Volcanoes, temples, rice terraces and coral reefs
8.5
Rainforest calls and rustling canopy surround orangutan rescue work on Borneo and Sumatra. All three orangutan species are critically endangered because of palm oil plantations, logging and the pet trade. Groups such as the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation run rehabilitation programs. Tanjung Puting National Park has hosted orangutan research since 1971.
Highlights:
  • 🐠 Snorkel with manta rays around Nusa Penida
  • 🏄‍♀️ Relax on Bali’s white-sand beaches and surf perfect waves
  • 🌋 Watch the sunrise over Mount Bromo’s smoking crater
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