Location
  • Sri Lanka
    • Kandy
Length
1 to 12 weeks

Program Details

Language
English
Timeframe
Short Term Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Guesthouse Host Family
Travel Type
Budget Family Older Travelers Solo Women

Pricing

Starting Price
355
Price Details
Fully hosted experience from only $355 for 1 week - this includes accommodation, meals, airport pick-up, orientation and 24/7 in-country support.
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Airport Transfers Meals
What's Not Included
Airfare Travel Insurance Visa
Jan 05, 2023
Jan 31, 2023
11 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Trusted by over 124,000 travelers, IVHQ is the best volunteer organization in Sri Lanka!

Highly affordable volunteer projects are available for anywhere from 1 week to 12 weeks. The Sri Lanka volunteer program is based in the sacred city of Kandy, with placements located in and around the city and further afield. The Rural Community Development project is based in Hanguranketha and Dambulla, the Cultural Immersion project is based in Dambana.

Volunteers can choose from a range of 8 community-driven projects and will be accommodated in volunteer houses and homestays.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • 8 meaningful project options including Teaching, Cultural Immersion, Turtle Conservation
  • Programs are available year-round in Sri Lanka at an affordable price of US$355 for 1 week
  • The IVHQ Sri Lanka program begins every Monday. You can choose to volunteer for durations ranging from 1 week to 12 weeks.
  • Sri Lanka program fees include 24/7 in-country support, airport pick-up, program orientation, volunteer placement, accommodation and meals.
  • A special Cultural Immersion Introduction Week is available

Popular Programs

Childcare Volunteer Project in Sri Lanka

Volunteers on this project assist at a childcare center in Kandy. You can gain experience in childcare while giving overworked local staff an extra hand and helping them provide high quality care and attention to their charges.

Medical Volunteer Program in Sri Lanka

If you're a medical student keen to learn and observe at a training hospital in Kandy - this is the opportunity for you! Volunteers shadow local staff in a wide range of departments and gain insight into many different clinical practices while the people of Sri Lanka get better access to affordable healthcare.

Construction and Renovation Volunteer Project in Sri Lanka

If you are physically able and love to get stuck into it then this project will allow you to assist with repairs and upgrades to Buddhist temples, schools and pre-schools in Kandy. Volunteers gain building maintenance experience while local infrastructure gets kept in good condition. Improvements to these community buildings can help make them safer, more functional and more attractive to the people who use them.

Sea Turtle Conservation Volunteer Program in Sri Lanka

Turtles are always a popular project - in this program you can help rehabilitate injured turtles and boost conservation around the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Gain conservation and reptile care experience while assisting with a wide range of tasks that contribute to the goal of increasing the turtle population in the area so these incredible creatures can thrive well into the future.

Program Reviews

4.84 Rating
based on 50 reviews
  • 5 rating 84%
  • 4 rating 16%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4.55
  • Support 4.85
  • Fun 4.8
  • Value 4.75
  • Safety 4.85
Showing 1 - 8 of 50 reviews
Default avatar
Ghaidaa
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing Experience!

I loved every minute of the experience, the accommodations were good, food was delicious and the staff was amazing!
Helping in the construction site felt unreal, and I would do it again!
We were living in Kandy in the volunteering camp, the Green Lion, Sri Lanka.
The weekend is free for all volunteers to travel and explore, so thats what we did. We took a 2 hour drive to Sigiya for to see wonderful temples. We also hiked up the lion rock for sunrise and went on an elephant safari. Meeting so many locals and tourists so was really enlightening.

Pros
  • Culture
  • Food
  • Safe
Cons
  • Bugs and insects
3 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Ellen
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Turtle Conservation - Sri Lanka

I had an amazing time taking part in the turtle conservation project in Sri Lanka. Although in my first week there were times when we had completed the tasks quickly so had some idle time with not a lot to do, during my second week I was the only volunteer, which meant I had much more involvement with the turtles and got to spend more time with them. I also got to release hatchlings into the sea, which was the most incredible experience and one I will never forget. It is a very relaxed project but also meaningful and rewarding - definitely something I would recommend!
My hosts were lovely and took amazing care of me, and although being the only volunteer for my second week meant the social scene was not quite what I had expected, I did feel this allowed me to have more interaction with the locals and by the end of my time there felt very welcome and very much part of the local community, which was particularly comforting as I was there during a lot of political and economic uncertainty.

Pros
  • Meaningful and rewarding
  • Peaceful and relaxed environment
  • Very lovely hosts and project coordinator
Cons
  • Was not told I would be the only volunteer prior to arriving
20 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Maisie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Sri Lanka Childcare 2022

I loved volunteering on the childcare programme in Sri Lanka in April/May 2022. Volunteering in a preschool felt very rewarding as I was able to watch the children learn and develop their English skills while interacting with both teachers and volunteers. When I wasn’t volunteering, there was always lots of things to get involved in and the local team were always happy to help organise trips to do in your free time. One of my favourite activities was feeding and washing elephants at a sanctuary.

Pros
  • Rewarding
  • Fun
  • Eye opening
27 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Richard
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Turtle Conservation- Ambalangoda

Really good being in contact with these wonderful animals .Very varied activities, cleaning beach , collecting seaweed , mending fences , cleaning tanks , scrubbing algae of Turtles and feeding them .
Due to constant power cuts in Sri Lanka it was difficult to get momentum and a structured day . We encountered quite a bit of idle time .
Accommodation was close by and was excellent. Very good facilities and well maintained. Food was excellent with lots of variety. Good location for visiting other parts of Sri Lanka eg Weligama, Galle and Colombo.
We had a week in Kandy prior to going to Ambalangoda, which gave us a terrific insight to Sri Lanka culture.
Overall a brilliant experience.

Pros
  • Location
  • Working with the Turtles
  • Sri Lanka and it’s culture
Cons
  • To much idle time
  • Insect bites
  • 8.30 curfew on going out
35 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Sophie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Kindergarten Project

I loved my time spent with the children of Bali, they are so full of life, so sweet and fun. It was a pleasure to have met and taught such amazing children. Back at the volunteer house, the staff there treat you like family, they are so kind and considerate. The meals they provide you with are delicious and they are also welcoming you to a conversation or help you out. The other volunteers are also all very kind, you get wide a range of ages and backgrounds but everyone is friends with each other.

What would you improve about this program?
Some people may prefer this, but it's only an hour a day and it can be morning or afternoon. Maybe just allow a choice to the volunteer as to whether they would prefer morning or not
63 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Claudia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Never Underestimate Your Ability To Make A Difference

Over the Christmas holidays, I was fortunate enough to travel to Kandy, Sri Lanka on my second volunteer aboard program with IVHQ. During my first two-weeks I completed a volunteer placement teaching English and in my last week I did the trekking week add-on which was completely organised and facilitated by the local team. Although the trekking week was full of outdoor activities, beautiful hikes and waterfalls I found the volunteering was the highlight of my experience. I thoroughly enjoyed Teaching English to the local children – it was both a challenging and rewarding experience which taught me a lot about myself and what I am capable of. The local team were very accommodating, and we were given many options and were not just limited to the program we had initially signed up for. Within the teaching program, there were two options available for which we could chose to participate in one or both – a morning session teaching English to Monks and an afternoon session teaching English to the village kids. There was a scheduled lunch break between each session.

I chose to participate in both programs and thoroughly enjoyed the variety of teaching two very different groups. This allowed me to spend more time with my fellow volunteers and helped enrich my experience. I was intimated at first as I had no previous teaching experience but the local team, my fellow volunteers and the children were all very supportive. Although I was the teacher, I learnt a lot from my students – they taught me to be creative with my teaching methods and how we could create a fun and educational environment with little resources. It was refreshing to be in the absence of computers and to rely on talking, drawing, and playing and creating games from sticks, stones and bottle caps found on the ground. My favourite memory was on my last day of teaching I gave one of my students some ribbon from my Christmas wrapping (she loved to tie her hair in ribbons for school). I will never forget the joy on her face and how she hugged me after receiving this gift. It was something so small yet it brought so much happiness. Volunteering here has taught me that I should never underestimate myself, especially my own ability to make a difference no matter how small or simple my actions may seem.

They say travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer and, in this case, it could not be more true. If you have any doubt in your mind about volunteering aboard, erase it and take the leap. You’ll make lifelong friends, create lasting memories and most importantly enrich your own knowledge and life experience.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
If you are only in the country for a short amount of time, use your weekends wisely to get the most out of sightseeing. You can talk to the local team about what you are interested in, how much time you have and what is feasible to do. They are very helpful and will help you arrange accommodation and transportation for weekends away or day trips.
64 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Isabella
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Volunteer in Sri Lanka!

Where to begin! I volunteered for 2 weeks at a Turtle Conservation Project in Sri Lanka. This was my first time traveling abroad and I couldn't have picked a more perfect place. This country has SO much to offer! Beautiful nature, city, food, animals, history, culture, and so much more. The whole experience was wonderful, but it was the people and culture that made the experience special. The Green Lion staff were some of the greatest people I've ever met! So kind, supportive, and full of humor! I cannot wait to go back one day!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Leave your expectations at home! Travel with an open heart and mind and you will create wonderful memories! I had certain expectations going in, but Sri Lanka surpassed them all! When I let go I was able to be present and enjoy every moment. Oh yeah, and don't forget to have fun!
58 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Nina
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing! Fun

I volunteered in Fiji for 3 weeks doing the kindergarten project. The local staff were amazing. So helpful, encouraging and friendly. I made so many friends during my time in fiji and created lots of amazing memories with them. The kindergarten was a huge eye opener and was a great opportunity to see more of Fiji’s culture. Tutoring was so much, the kids are so clever and kind! The locals in Fiji are so accommodating and friendly and helpful. I miss it so much and will definitely will be back in the future

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Definitely travel fiji on your the weekends! You’ll make so many friends through volunteering and it’s a great way to travel.
58 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

Hi, I stayed in a volunteer house during my 3 week stay in Sri Lanka. It was the best experience as you make new friends whereby you go out on the weekends, play board games and go on walks after work each day. It's truly amazing meeting and being together with so many people from different countries. The girls who did home stay tended to come to the volunteer house after volunteer work as they...