Location
  • Sri Lanka
Length
1 to 24 weeks

Program Details

Language
English
Age Min.
17
Timeframe
Short Term Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Guesthouse Hostel
Groups
Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30) Large Group (31+)
Travel Type
Budget Solo Women

Pricing

Starting Price
270
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Meals Transportation
What's Not Included
Airfare Travel Insurance Visa
Sep 06, 2023
Jan 29, 2024
90 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Volunteer in Sri Lanka with Plan My Gap Year – an award-winning, international volunteer abroad organisation with programs based in Sri Lanka. PMGY provides safe, trusted and affordable programs overseas with a wide range of volunteer projects in Sri Lanka including Childcare • Dog Rescue • English Teaching • Medical • Mental Health & Turtle Conservation opportunities.

PMGY Sri Lanka is located in Ambalangoda. The Sri Lanka programs start on the 1st & 3rd Saturday of every month. Our projects here run across the year and participants can join us from 1-24 weeks. Volunteers in Sri Lanka are provided with an extensive pre-departure support service, airport pick-up, orientation, meals, accommodation and local support.

Video and Photos

Impact

Ethical Impact

Plan My Gap Year is committed to providing ethical volunteer opportunities that truly benefit the local communities. We have personally vetted all of our Volunteer Programs in every destination. We support a small network of Volunteer Programs abroad that we have specifically chosen due to their efforts being sustainable for our volunteers and the local communities alike. We work closely with each of our local teams to ensure we are assessing and adapting to ensure quality experiences for all involved.

For this reason, PMGY does not provide volunteer opportunities in orphanages in any of our locations. Research and studies have shown that visiting and volunteering in orphanages has the potential to generate an industry that separates children from their families. In turn, putting children at increased risk of neglect and abuse. Therefore, we do not support these institutions with our volunteer network.

Instead, we focus on offering alternative childcare volunteer opportunities whereby children come to and from the placement setting each day. In other words, our local teams collaborate with childcare projects which do not offer any form of residential care. These are safe, responsible, and vetted projects, where participants continue to provide valued assistance supporting local staff.

Program Highlights

  • Most Affordable – PMGY’s programs are accessible to everyone who wants to make a difference, through low fees and high-impact projects.
  • Best Support – Our international and local teams provide extensive around the clock services to assist you every step of your PMGY adventure.
  • Safety Prioritised – With safety a PMGY number-1 priority, we have taken all necessary precautions to ensure our programs are as safe and structured as possible.
  • Extraordinary Experiences – With PMGY, you have the opportunity to truly immerse yourself in amazing cultural and travel experiences, ensuring you leave with unforgettable memories.
  • Friendships for Life – Your PMGY experience not only opens up a doorway for new experiences and exciting memories, but also life-long friendships when meeting new people from around the world.

Popular Programs

Portfolio-Sri-Lanka-Childcare_0.jpg

On this uncrowded, exotic and developing island there are many vulnerable children in much need of volunteer's care and support.

Portfolio-Sri-Lanka-Dogs.jpg

Get involved in making a real difference to the lives of street dogs in Sri Lanka. Help do your bit to ensure they have a bright future!

Portfolio-Sri-Lanka-Teaching_0.jpg

Teach novice Buddhist monks or children displaced by the Tsunami. English is a valuable skill that will greatly enhance their future career prospects.

Portfolio-Sri-Lanka-Medical_0.jpg

Gain invaluable medical experience, an opportunity not to be missed in this gorgeous part of the world by those pursuing a career in medicine.

Portfolio-Sri-Lanka-Mental-Health.jpg

Using a combination of lectures, meditations, consultations and community projects, further your awareness of mental health in a new culture.

Portfolio-Sri-Lanka-Turtle.jpg

Help protect and rehabilitate at-risk sea turtles whilst also taking part in community development projects. Experience a different side of Sri Lanka.

Portfolio-Taster-Encounter.jpg

Our top destinations mixed into one trip! Don’t miss your chance to sample and a make difference in sleepy Sri Lanka, inspiring India & beautiful Bali!

Program Reviews

4.89 Rating
based on 124 reviews
  • 5 rating 89.52%
  • 4 rating 9.68%
  • 3 rating 0.81%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4.65
  • Support 4.95
  • Fun 4.85
  • Value 4.8
  • Safety 4.95
  • Program Selection 5
  • Pre-departure Help 5
  • In-program Support 5
  • Impact on Student 5
  • Value 5
Showing 65 - 72 of 124 reviews
Default avatar
Elisha
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Girls orphanage

I applied to go to Sri Lanka as a spur of the moment decision and it was by far the best experience i have ever had even though i set off alone the amazing people i met on the way will be friendships i will never be able to replace living with people so close for just 2 weeks builds bonds different to ones created at home this is with volunteers, coordinators and children in the orphange.
Even though it isnt the weathiest country everyone is so happy and it honestly rubs off on you, the living arrangments .. yes arent what you are used to believe me .. however you get past that because even with the mosquito net and air con all night you walk outside in the morning and look out onto the lake like wow this is real!
I have never been so happy as i was in sri lanka, the one little girl i was teaching in the orphanage had emotional difficulties and didnt bond with anyone because of her up bringing so i bought her some clothes and things for school and she was so grateful honestly the best feeling in the world and it was heart breaking to leave her.
The whole experience is a trip of a lifetime!

54 people found this review helpful.
Thomas
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A brilliant experience

My trip to Sri Lanka with PMGY has been an unforgettable experience. From the moment I got to Colombo airport the In-country team already were waiting for us with transport to the accommodations. I stayed in only one of the the two accommodations, called London house. It is a very nice place to live and interact with the other volunteers when not at a project, with air conditioning, a swimming pool, hot meals cooked daily and many security measures made London house both safe to live in and enjoyable when not on project. I worked at the Turtle Hatchery for two weeks and it is very easy to get to know what you are doing. You will either feed or clean the Turtles, improve the quality of the hatchery's land, or paint on the compounds walls. Everyone there is friendly and more than willing to help out if you have any questions. When off project, there are plenty of other activities and places to visit in Amba or other nearby towns, which offer opportunities to go out to eat, buy souvenirs and engage in the local culture. Overall, I had a great experience when I was there, as all PMGY personnel were friendly and helpful to any queries and there was always something to do.

53 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Sarah
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Sri Lanka

Before my journey began with Plan My Gap Year, I was fully informed with details about every aspect of my trip via the volunteers handbook. The team also provided details specifically about my project through a webinar, explaining vital information which would help us gain the most out of our experience when travelling with PMGY.

When in Sri Lanka, the support from the staff was excellent. There was always somebody on hand to answer our questions or provide general support when needed. Alongside the English speaking co-ordinators, the in-country staff were extremely helpful and allowed the volunteers to successfully immerse themselves into the culture of Sri Lanka.

The accommodation I stayed in was fabulous! We were situated right by a river which allowed us to wake up to incredible views and really feel like we were in the heart of Sri Lanka. It was very close to the town of Ambalangoda and only a short drive from the lively Hikkaduawa, meaning everything was accessible.

I was involved in the teaching project, working with a community that was devastated by the 2004 Tsunami. My group was the first to work with this particular project which meant the work we did with the children was invaluable for their community. The children were aged from 3-16 which meant we could situate ourselves in whichever age group we felt most comfortable, allowing both ourselves and the children to gain the most out of this experience. I also worked in the monk temple, where they taught us about their culture and in return we taught them English.

My only piece of advice for potential future volunteers is: just do it. You will not regret it.

What would you improve about this program?
N/A
55 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Carlotta
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Sri Lanka 2017 July

I went to Sri Lanka open minded about the experience. When I arrived I was met by a local coordinator that brought us to a bus that would be taking us to the volunteer house. This all went very smoothly. Once at the volunteer house we were greeted by one of the English coordinators that showed us to our rooms. Throughout my month in Sri Lanka I was given support when needed but also freedom to travel alone during the weekends. The In-country support was great and they arranged everything they could from transport to ideas for weekend trips. I felt very welcomed and safe while I was there. River House where I stayed was very clean and the rooms can be compared with hostel rooms, comfortable and fit their purpose. Every room had its own AC unit which was nice. I signed up for two separate programs, the orphanage program and the elephant experience. With the orphanage program you gave an English lesson for an hour before playing with the kids for an hour and a half. I felt that at the orphanage program you bonded with the children and it helped me grow as a person. During the two weeks that I was doing the orphanage project I also signed up for monk teaching an optional program that was very interesting and fun to do. The elephant experience was truly amazing and had a good balance between different tasks with the elephants. Some advice to future volunteers keep your mind open about the programs and you will be amazed.

What would you improve about this program?
I feel that it could be improved by maybe giving volunteers a little bit more freedom at night as it is hard to always be back at 10:30 but that is only a minor issue.
51 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Leanne
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great 3 weeks!

Visited Sri Lanka to take part in the Elephant project. If you're thinking about this project do it! It's pretty incredible, but you have to be willing to put in some hard work. You'll start the day with cleaning out where the elephants sleep. Yes this does mean moving their poo, but its actually pretty fun. You walk the elephants through the local town, the get in the river to scrub them with coconut shells. You finish the morning by feeding the elephants fruit and then spend some time getting amazing photos.

The volunteer house. Great place to meet new friends. Very weird but great how close you get so quickly. You genuinly feel like you've known these people for months. Different rooms had different amounts of people. I was in a room of 13. The room was fine, had air con which I don't think we could have lived without. Buckets are provided for washing which is great. The only bad thing about River house was that I was sharing a bathroom with 30 other girls. Not going to lie, this was a bit of a nightmare at times, especially when people get ill and need the bathroom at the same time, or you get back from the elephant/turtle project and you smell of elephant poo/fish.

The food was very limited. Each meal time there's one meal cooked and you either like it or not. If you don't it's kinda tough. I would recommend eating out every now and again and getting plenty of snacks.

The transport system is amazing. You get transport to project and back everyday, but when you wanted to go into the town, there was a pmgy bus, which costs the equivalent of 25p. Also, pmgy have their own tuk tuks, with drivers you know are safe and trustworthy. Which means you can get anywhere without worrying. Also great prices that you don't need to haggle.

The staff. Literally couldn't speak anymore highly of them. Any problem, anytime of the day and they will sort it. My friend was really ill during the night, and the pmgy staff took us straight to a hospital and we got seen within 10 minutes of arriving. The staff stayed with us all the time so we felt 100% safe and we didn't have any problem with translation.

When we left the project, I went to the Maldives and the staff even helped me once I had left the project with advice about the place, roughly how much money I would need etc.

On the whole I had an amazing 3 weeks in Sri Lanka. I would highly recommend anyone and everyone to come her, meet new people, and enjoy this beautiful country.

What would you improve about this program?
Add more toilet's to villa house.

Have more than one option at meal times.
53 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Rebecca
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Elephant experience

I am 19 years old and visited Sri Lanka for the elephant experience for 3 weeks alongside my friend and sister. The project was amazing. I enjoyed working with the elephants every day. Although the journey every day was around an hour long it was well worth it. The pmgy staff were more than helpful and went out of their way to help with any problems we had. They were especially helpful when I became ill with food poisoning, they took me straight to the hospital and stayed to translate. The transport system at river house is very good and the staff ensured that any transport that was needed was provided as quickly as possible, it was also very cheap.The only downside to my experience would have to be the accomodation. I was put in river house in the villa. The rooms themselves were nice enough, sharing with 13 people didn't cause many problems. However, the ratio of people to bathrooms was quite ridiculous. Having 30+ people sharing one bathroom caused a lot of problems, especially when lots of people fell ill with food poisoning at the same time. Another downside would have to be the food that was provided, we had to go out for food on many nights as we couldn't eat what was being provided. Overall my experience with pmgy Sri Lanka was very positive and I would recommend it to anybody considering to go.

What would you improve about this program?
Having more bathrooms for villa house
52 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Rebecca
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing experience

Visited Sri Lanka on the elephant experience for 3 weeks and it was amazing. From pick up from the airport by PMGY to the organised weekend trips, everything was taken care for. The PMGY staff were so helpful when I fell ill and needed to see a doctor they took me right away and helped translate. The weekend trips were good but could be improved by adding more fun into them instead of constantly travelling but the standard of accommodation was a bonus! The only downside of the volunteer accommodation was that sharing a bathroom between 30 girls proved quite difficult when illness hit the villa. Overall the elephant experience was amazing and would defiantly recommend!

47 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Virginia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A life changing experience

I thought that 2-3 weeks may be a little short for volunteering, I decided to do a 4 weeks teaching programme , but its still not enough. My experience here is absolutely amazing, the supervisors were really nice, and I got to know a lot of new people from different country. And most importantly, I got to learn the culture in this place and actually bond with the local people.
Participating in this program is probably one of the best decision I've ever made.

49 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers