PMGY - Volunteer in Sri Lanka from $270

I had the best time on my trip, and was very quickly immersed in a completely new culture and trying things I never thought I would. There was 24/7 access to support within the volunteer house which provided much comfort of safety.

There are so many volunteers and so it is very easy to meet your sort of people very quickly. My friends and I had the best time and would do it all over again.

The weekend trips are very well planned. They provide you with a packed weekend filled with must-see activities. It was also another chance to meet more of the pmgy volunteers and socialise.
I recommend doing the weekend trips that have plan my gap year staff attending, and aren’t with a private company. Due to the fact that this means you don’t have the support for that weekend. For example, the Maldives weekend is run by a private company and so no plan my gap year staff attend and you need to be extra careful.

Meeting lots of friends from across the world and seeing a whole new culture and side to life was a highlight.

One thing that I think could be improved, is that the volunteer programmes only run for a couple of hours each day and so I believe more of a difference could be made if this was lengthened.

There was a good private tuktuk service provided by plan my gap year which meant it was very easy to get around safely.

Amazing experience!
The staff at PMGY were so helpful and organised so much for us. Everyday there was something going on, whether that be a culture night with traditional dancing, henna and sari night or an opportunity to try Tuktuk driving lessons, there was something for everyone!
The volunteering was very well structured, a great opportunity to help the local community and make an impact. I spent the first two weeks of my trip taking part in the childcare project, where I played with the children as well as taught them some basic English, such as colours and the alphabet. The final two weeks I spent on the dog project – I really enjoyed looking after the puppies, daily tasks included walking and bathing the dogs as well as giving them medicine. One day we even had the chance to take the dogs to the beach and help them swim, this was so much fun! Overall, I really enjoyed the mornings volunteering and found the experience very rewarding!
As well as the volunteering during the week, the weekends were also very enjoyable. I took part in two of the PMGY weekend trips – the Maldives chill out weekend and the Cultural Triangle Trip. Maldives was so beautiful and a great chance to take part in activities such as paddle boarding and snorkelling as well as relax in between the busy weekdays. The Cultural Triangle Trip was also amazing, and I think the day where we went on the elephant safari was my favourite day of the 4 weeks!
Overall, I had the best month volunteering with Plan My Gap Year and highly recommend visiting Sri Lanka!

I Volunteered with PMGY Sri Lanka for a month. I chose to do the English teaching project. It was probably one of the craziest 4 weeks of my life, but I loved every single moment of it.

I taught on an afternoon at a temple. There were about 10 children, ranging from the ages of 4-17. (though the attendance did range depending on the weather)
The lessons were a combination of both teaching and many many games. Break time was one of my favourite times, the utter joy a simple game a duck duck goose brought the children was infectious.
I also chose to teach English to monks one of my weeks in the morning. Which was an unforgettable experience in itself. One of my favourite parts of teaching was the things the children taught me.
If you are even considering volunteering at all with Plan My Gap Year, DO IT. You will not regret it. This experience was one of my first times travelling and I was a little nervous but it's a lovely environment, you settle in very quickly and all the coordinators are so supportive, kind and funny.
It was probably one of the craziest 4 weeks of my life, but I loved every single moment of it.
If you are thinking about doing English teaching do not worry about experience and do not worry if English is not your first language. As long as you can speak it confidently enough to teach others. There is also masses of support available both from Plan My Gap Year coordinators and a Sri Lankan teacher (who teaches English) if you require it.
When I started teaching I was given a curriculum to follow, then I pretty much designed the lessons myself. Choosing how to teach each topic.
Everyday it was a joy to teach. All the games brought the children so much joy and their laughter and cheekiness was infectious.
On weekends you could go on organised trips, which were incredibly fun and a brilliant time to explore more of the beautiful country. The weekend trips were some of my favourite memories. There was also organised evening activities, games, henna, performances and more.
There was not a moment when something interesting and fun was not happening.

I went to Sri Lanka on the real experience, it was amazing! Recommend for anyone thinking about it. The staff were all really nice and made the experience, shout out to Ishan!!! Everyday was something new, I got to travel around Sri Lanka and meet great people. The real experience was great we were so busy for the first two weeks visiting temples, going on safaris, boat trips and seeing Sri Lankas incredible landmarks. My favourite day was climbing up Sigiriya Rock, the views were incredible, and the tour was really interesting. The real experience was well organised, and I felt safe the entire time. The food we ate on the first two weeks of travelling was mostly a buffet. There were loads of options and Sri Lankan food is very tasty.

Then I volunteered on the turtle sanctuary for my final two weeks which was so much fun. We got to feed, release the turtles to the sea, clean their tanks and give them medicine. The volunteer house was fun to be at with plenty of activities each evening and also the option to travel to Hikkaduwa where there were lots of things to do and places to go. I recommend going to citrus for karoke!!! They also had options to do canoeing, boat trips and a waterfall day trip. The staff were also great with helping us plan weekend trips. PMGY was such a great experience, and I can’t wait to sign up for my next trip! Thanks for all the hard work the staff put in to make my experience so amazing!!!

This was my first experience with PMGY and I must say that I truly had a smooth journey from the start to end.

All the administrative works were done well with prompt reply and support, easy process with applications, in-depth details on the volunteer’s handbook, everything was structured professionally through webinars, emails and paperworks. Appreciate Josh’s and Rachel time and work(intl. team) who assisted me in the process and get my application done in a bit of tight timing.

Prior the trip, things were clearly explained on departure and arrival into the country in email , getting all volunteers in social media group to connect.

In-country team was excellent, members including everyone from the drivers, cooks and others. A special thanks to Mr Ashika and Ms Amelia who I got in touch with in terms of clarifications etc and worked closely with during my placements in Sri Lanka.

The accommodation was good, safe and was surrounded by lovely people and family at the home where I stayed in and all the essential resources were provided.

The programme I enrolled for is mental health and I enjoyed with new/varies of study placements each day into hospitals observation, mental health centre, also seeing another form of knowledge connection to mental health like Ayurvedic/Spirituality. It had an impactful learning and growth.

All the volunteers were approachable and friendly. It was also nice to know their experiences during the stay and on their projects.

Pleasant weeks of stay and placements there and with all of the members who contributed so much with care and support. I would come back again!

I recently spent four weeks in Sri Lanka on the real Sri Lanka experience, for two weeks we travelled around the country seeing and taking part in all the different places and experiences Sri Lanka has to offer. The next two weeks I volunteered on the turtle and English teaching projects. The projects were well organised and interesting and there was still plenty of time to go to the beach or do activities like kayaking or even tuktuk driving lessons, as well as activities the coordinators organised for volunteers to try like cooking classes, beach bonfires and so many more. The coordinators were always available if you had any issues or needed recommendations for the best places to go/see. This was the experience of a lifetime with the most amazing friendships and memories made, I’m already planning my next trip with PMGY.

I spent four weeks in Sri Lanka on the real Sri Lanka experience, for two weeks we travelled around the country seeing and taking part in all the different places and experiences Sri Lanka has to offer. The next two weeks I volunteered on the turtle and English teaching projects. The projects were well organised and interesting and there was still plenty of time to go to the beach or do activities like kayaking or even tuktuk driving lessons, as well as activities the coordinators organised for volunteers to try like cooking classes, beach bonfires and so many more. The coordinators were always available if you had any issues or needed recommendations for the best places to go/see. This was the experience of a lifetime with the most amazing friendships and memories made, I’m already planning my next trip with PMGY.

PMGY Sri Lanka is an amazing organisation all the staff go above and beyond to help you and are super accommodating to any requests you might have and always organise fun evenings activities for volunteers. I always felt safe while I was there and there are many things put in place to keep volunteers safe for example the PMGY tuk tuk taxi service. The food is freshly prepared and tasty. The weekend trips and real Sri Lankan experience are a great way to be able to explore the country and the culture.