VOLUNTEERING IN Sri Lanka

ASIA

Lying off the southern tip of India, it’s clear why the tropical island of Sri Lanka is quickly becoming a bucket list destination. With its stunning coastline, abundant national parks and mouth-watering cuisine, Sri Lanka (the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’) offers visitors sensational options. Watching wild elephants, wandering amongst rolling tea plantations, visiting colourful temples and trekking up to the rock fortress of Sigirya - this is just the start of what the country has to offer anyone volunteering in Sri Lanka!

Read More

Sri Lanka is a wildlife haven under increasing human impact and has a great need for volunteers to work on conservation initiatives, protecting wildlife and educating local communities. Pod Volunteer is an award-winning non-profit organisation helping people to volunteer in Sri Lanka for as little as 1 week or as long as 3 months.

We find the best volunteer projects in Sri Lanka for you, help you with all the arrangements and provide lots of support before and during your volunteering time in Sri Lanka!

You can get involved in an award-winning conservation volunteering project in Sri Lanka to help elephants and communities to live together in harmony and assist in wildlife research of animals such as sloth bears, leopards, and jungle cats.

Volunteers are needed all year round at the Elephant and Wildlife Conservation project – conservation work is never finished! Climate wise, Sri Lanka is consistently warm throughout the year, with coastal areas averaging temperatures of 25-30°C and the highlands being a little cooler at around 15-18°C. Central Sri Lanka has a tropical climate. Rainfall varies by region and intermittent rainfalls can occur year-round. The Southwest monsoon occurs between May and September, whereas the Northeast coast typically has its highest rainfall between October and December.

At Pod Volunteer we love to travel and have visited the project in Sri Lanka. Here is our insider’s view of our experiences travelling and volunteering in Sri Lanka…

Things we loved: The trains - there are stunning views from the train routes throughout Sri Lanka, from waterfalls to beaches, rolling hills of tea plantations to glistening paddy fields. The food – pineapple curries, noodle hoppers, kottu, roti, dhal…there are so many delicious dishes to try. Watching majestic wild elephants wander through national parks and the rural countryside is an unforgettable experience.

Things we weren’t so sure about! It’s sad to see captive elephants at some temples. Due to the many hills and limited roads it can take a while to travel between areas.

Below you’ll find a summary of our volunteering projects in Sri Lanka which you can click through to and find out about the volunteer role, location, accommodation and costs, see lots of pictures and read volunteer reviews!

Read Less

Elephant and Wildlife Conservation

Elephant and Wildlife Conservation

Sri Lanka

  • Join the team to support vital work helping to protect wild elephants
  • Research sloth bears, leopards and other wildlife to support their conservation
Discover more >

Duration: 1 - 12 weeks

Cost from: £895 / €1040 / $1075

Top 5 reasons to visit and volunteer in Sri Lanka

  • Elephants – Watching majestic wild elephants wander in tropical forest or lowland woodlands within one of the countries many national parks should not be missed!

  • The Southern coast – Explore the lanes in the old town of Galle Fort, surf in Miri or relax on the golden beaches of Unawatuna

  • Food – pineapple curry, egg hopper, kottu, roti, dhal, coconut sambal, deviled vegetables – it is a true vegetarian’s paradise!

  • Tea – Sri Lanka was formally known as “Ceylon” and the countries infamous tea has well-deserved reputation of being one of the best in the world. The train journey to the tea-tasting opportunities in the rolling estates surrounding Nuwara Eliya is often peoples highlight of their trip

  • The Cultural Triangle – A perfect trio of sites in central Sri Lanka include the ruins of Anuradhapura city, the ancient city of Polonnaruwa and the 5th century citadel of Sigiriya, where the stunning views are worth the steep climb up Lion Rock!

Countryside

Countryside

Sunset

Sunset

Kandy city

Kandy city

Train journey

Train journey

Peacock

Peacock

Festival

Festival

Bee-eater bird

Bee-eater bird

Train

Train

Elephant

Elephant

Temple

Temple

Monkey

Monkey

Temple

Temple

We have long term relationships with hand-picked projects that have lasting and positive impact. We are a highly experienced and passionate team, here to support you!

Find out more

AWARDS AND ACCREDITATIONS