Volunteer in Sri Lanka

Programs start from $874 for one week, deposit included — one price covering your shared air-conditioned room in the Unawatuna volunteer houses, three meals a day, the shared Saturday airport transfer, training, placement, transport to your project and 24/7 support. Longer stays cost less per week (up to 20 weeks) and each program page shows the full week-by-week total. Flights, the e-Visa, insurance, the return airport transfer and personal spending are extra.

Yes — most nationalities apply online for the Sri Lanka e-Visa (Electronic Travel Authorisation) before departure. Your passport needs six months' validity beyond your return date and two blank pages. Rules change, so confirm the current requirements on the official Sri Lankan immigration portal; our pre-departure guide walks you through the application.

Yes. The south coast is friendly and low-crime, and our Galle volunteer houses have permanent staff on site, CCTV and overnight security. Take care in the sea — swim in the sheltered bays and heed local advice on currents — agree tuk-tuk fares in advance, and dress modestly away from the beach. Solo women make up a large share of our Sri Lanka volunteers and the arrival training covers local norms.

16 on the kindergarten, sea turtle, dog-care and 2-week special programs (with parental consent under 18), and 18 on the teaching and women's empowerment programs. Some projects have upper limits (kindergarten 45, teaching 50, women's empowerment 60). Families with children aged six and over can join the one-week Family Volunteer Adventure, which needs at least three family members.

From one week (kindergarten, turtle, dog care, sports) or two weeks (teaching, women's empowerment) up to 20 weeks; the 2-week special and the family adventure are fixed-length packages. All programs start on Saturdays throughout the year and the next available start is 26 Sep 2026.

In one of two volunteer houses in Unawatuna, Galle: the Beachside house across the road from Unawatuna Beach with 12 air-conditioned en-suite rooms, most with balconies; or the larger house 100 meters away with 13 en-suite rooms, most with ocean views, a 40-foot pool and three kitchens. Rooms are shared, Wi-Fi is included, and a private room can be booked as an upgrade.

Yes — breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the week at the volunteer house, including weekends. Expect Sri Lankan rice and curry, dhal, hoppers, fresh fruit and some Western dishes, with vegetarian options always available. Tell us about allergies when you book.

Yes. A shared transfer from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) to Galle is included on your Saturday start date, with morning and afternoon/evening windows. If you land outside those windows or on another day, a private transfer costs USD 100. The return transfer to the airport is arranged locally at extra cost; families on the Family Volunteer Adventure have private transfers both ways included.

None are compulsory for entry from most countries, but routine vaccinations should be current and hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly recommended; dengue is present, so bring repellent. Check NHS Fit for Travel or the CDC for current advice and visit a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you leave.

December to March is the driest, sunniest period on the south coast around Galle; the south-west monsoon (roughly May to September) brings afternoon rain but projects run as normal. Whale-watching season at Mirissa runs November to April. Programs run all year round.

Easily. The Galle houses host dozens of volunteers at a time, most of whom arrived solo, with shared meals, a weekly yoga class and movie night, and weekend trips to Ella, Mirissa or Yala organized together. The women's empowerment program and the kindergarten are especially popular with solo female travelers.

A quick-dry microfiber towel (towels are not provided), light modest clothes for schools and temples plus beachwear, reef-safe sunscreen, mosquito repellent, sandals and closed shoes, a rain jacket for monsoon months, a small zipped bag for valuables, a first-aid kit and any regular medication. Turtle and dog-care volunteers should bring clothes they don't mind getting wet and dirty; teaching volunteers can bring stationery or picture books.