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Sea Turtle & Marine Conservation Project
Join a meaningful turtle and marine conservation program in Sri Lanka focused on protecting endangered sea turtles and preserving coastal ecosystems. Gain hands-on experience through conservation activities, environmental initiatives, and community engagement while exploring the country’s stunning coastline.
Save 15% on your Sri Lanka program fee For trips starting on or before 31 December 2026. Booking fee not included.
Use code SRILANKA15This program is based in Unawatuna, near Galle on Sri Lanka's south-west coast, and centers on a sea turtle hatchery along with wider marine and coastal conservation work. Day to day you help with turtle hatchery care, monitor nesting sites, join beach, river and lagoon clean-ups, work on mangrove restoration and eco-brick making, and take part in community education sessions. It suits volunteers aged 16 and up with no prior conservation experience but a genuine interest in the work, including families.
Placements run for 1–20 weeks, starting every week (saturdays), with the next start on 26 Sep 2026. You stay in shared volunteer housing in Unawatuna with all meals included, and prices start at $998 (deposit included). A specific reason to pick this program: during the December-to-April nesting season you can join night patrols on the beach to observe and safeguard turtle eggs.
- Volunteer to make a difference & support the sea turtle ecosystem in a positive manner
- Play an active role in beach cleaning and promote responsible tourism
- Gain first-hand work experience and bond with people from different parts of the world
- Learn about the culture, traditions, and festivities of Sri Lanka
- Experience the thrill of wildlife adventure at any of the several national reserves, including, Sinharaja forest reserve, Bundala National park, Minneriya National park, and more
- Explore world-class beaches like Ahangama, Mirissa, and Tangalle and soak in the sun over the weekends
- Get the taste of real Sinhalese cuisine
Your role on this program
- Assist in the care and protection of sea turtles, including feeding, cleaning and maintenance of hatchery facilities
- Support hatchery operations and monitor nesting sites
- Participate in the safe release of hatchlings into the ocean
- Conduct beach and ocean clean-ups and segregate waste for recycling
- Take part in river and lagoon clean-ups, including canoe-based activities
- Support mangrove restoration, tree planting and reforestation work
- Make eco-bricks as part of plastic pollution reduction efforts
- Join night patrols during nesting season (December to April) to observe and safeguard turtle eggs
Exact duties vary with the placement's needs, the season and your experience.
Role boundaries
You handle turtles and eggs only under staff instruction, as part of hatchery care, monitoring, and hatchling release; there is no riding, bathing, cuddling or posing for selfies with wildlife. Tasks are practical (feeding, cleaning, monitoring, clean-ups, planting) and vary with the season and the hatchery's current needs, under the supervision of the local bilingual operations team.
A typical day and week
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Saturday: Arrival +House Tour + Initial Training session (as long as the participants come by afternoon or else its done on Sunday)
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Sunday: Neighborhood familiarization tour
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Mon to Fri: Volunteer work
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Breakfast – 06:30 am – 8:30am
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Lunch – between 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
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Dinner – 06:30 pm -7:45 pm
Note: The schedule may vary depending on the particular project and local circumstances.
This is a typical 2 week-plan for the Sea Turtle & Marine Conservation Project.
Week 1
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Sunday: Training & Orientation
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Monday: Actively participate in the Turtle hatchery activities
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Tuesday: Turtle hatchery activities
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Wednesday: River cleanup and kayaking
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Thursday: Making ecobricks
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Friday: Beach cleanup
Week 2
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Monday: Turtle hatchery activities
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Tuesday: Turtle hatchery activities
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Wednesday: Mangrove nursery and restoration works
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Thursday: Turtle hatchery activities
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Friday: Beach cleanup
Timings are the placement's usual pattern; the local team confirms your hours at orientation, and they can change with school terms, clinic rotas, weather and the project's needs.
Who can join and what you need
- Minimum age 16 (parental consent required for participants under 18)
- No previous conservation experience necessary, but a genuine interest in conservation work is expected
- Fit and healthy, and prepared to work outdoors and get your hands dirty
- Open-minded and flexible about working in a new and different environment
- Clean criminal background check report
- Valid travel and medical insurance (your own policy or the one Volunteering Solutions arranges)
The placement, its limits and your part in it
The project is run through a turtle hatchery in the Galle/Unawatuna area alongside wider marine and community conservation activities, coordinated by a permanent bilingual operations team based on site. Work is organized around the hatchery's daily needs, beach and river clean-up schedules, and, in season, night patrols on nesting beaches.
All turtle handling happens under direct staff instruction; volunteers do not make decisions about egg relocation, hatchery management, or animal welfare on their own. Your contribution is practical labor within an existing program of hatchery care, clean-ups, restoration work, and community education, done alongside staff and other volunteers rather than as an independent project.
Our standards
- Responsible volunteer travel policyHow we choose, run and review every project
- Animal welfare policyOur rules for wildlife, marine and animal-care projects
- Certified B CorporationSocial and environmental performance verified by B Lab
- How we volunteer responsibly in Sri LankaCountry-level partner context and standards
Start dates
Weekly start dates, year-round — pick any week across the next two years.
Program fees by duration
Prices include your $249 booking deposit — which is deducted from your total program fee. Your deposit stays valid for one year, during which you may enroll in multiple programs. A 5% international banking fee applies to credit-card payments in USD or AUD.
| Duration | Total price | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week | $998 | |
| 2 weeks | $1,188 | |
| 3 weeks | $1,368 | |
| 4 weeks | $1,538 | |
| 5 weeks | $1,718 | |
| 6 weeks | $1,888 | |
| 7 weeks | $2,068 | |
| 8 weeks | $2,238 | |
| Each additional week | +$250 / week |
Indicative conversion — your booking is charged in the currency you choose at checkout.
✓ What you're paying for
- 24 hrs Assistance and support from Staff
- Comprehensive Pre- Departure Information
- Dedicated volunteer housing with WiFi (shared rooms)
- Shared airport transfer on arrival at designated time windows in the morning or afternoon
- Orientation and training on arrival
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner all days
- Guaranteed project placement
- Local transportation to projects in private AC van or tuk tuk
- Experienced bilingual operations team on the ground
- Dedicated staff support from 6 am to 8 pm every day
- 24/7 local emergency support
- Weekly yoga class on rooftop terrace
- Weekly movie nights on large screen projector
- Monthly bike tour around paddy fields and local villages
- Monthly special BBQ dinner
- Travel & Medical Insurance(Available at an extra cost)
- Certificate of Participation(On Request)
Not included
- Visa Fee
- International Airfare
- Return Airport Transfers from Galle to Colombo Airport (available at extra charges)
- Vaccinations
- Any personal expenses
- Additional Local Excursions and Trips
- Private Room Upgrade charges
- Charges for additional nights at accommodation
Accommodation & meals
Airport Transfers
Volunteers are picked up from the Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport Airport by a representative of the local coordinating team on the program start date during scheduled airport pickup hours. Participants are also dropped off to the airport upon completion of the program during the scheduled airport drop hours (At extra charges).Charges for the return airport drop can be paid by the participants when they are in Sri Lanka.
Note : Arrival transfer (shared) within pre-defined time windows on Saturdays included in the program price (non-transferable).There will be 2 shared airport transfers every Saturday (Morning and afternoon/evening) from airport to Galle. A private transfer is also available for USD 100 and can be arranged on Saturday or for participants arriving on any date other than the start date.
Orientation
A detailed program Orientation will be provided before you start your volunteering program.All volunteers on arrival get a welcome presentation including health and safety training, culture presentation, project specific presentation and area orientation tour. Our staff will also assist you with the lessons and planning the curriculum, as and when required. You will also have access to our in-house teaching library consisting of manuals, books, and various teaching materials to help with lesson planning and providing general guidance.
Accommodation
Volunteers joining the programs in Galle, Sri Lanka, will get to stay in the quaint Unawatuna neighborhood, overlooking the famous Unawatuna Beach and the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Our participants stay in two volunteer houses which are located near to each other.
The Beachside house is located right across the road from Unawatuna Beach and about 100 meters from the other volunteer house. It has 12 spacious bedrooms of varying sizes with attached en suite bathrooms each with air-conditioning facilities (most rooms also have attached outdoor balconies). There is also a separate dining area, small garden, lounge, terrace and a large office with permanent staff onsite. The property is safeguarded by multiple CCTV cameras and an onsite night security team.
The other larger volunteer house has 13 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms.Most of these rooms have ocean views! There’s a private 40-foot outdoor swimming pool surrounded by tropical greenery. The house also has 3 kitchens as well as 3 living/common rooms (one each per floor), a prominent dining area, and a private outdoor garden with seating/lounging areas.
The office is located on the ground floor of the house near the main entrance – this is where the local team operate from every day. The house is located in a peaceful, nature-filled neighborhood adjacent to a small Buddhist temple (nestled away from the main tourist areas). To ensure the safety and security of the participants, there are CCTV cameras installed, and an in-house security guard for night-time surveillance. Hot water and high-speed Wi-Fi are there and you can opt for air-conditioning and laundry facilities at an additional charge.
Private (single and double) room upgrades are available at additional charges. During busy months participants are also provided accommodation in nearby guesthouses in case of low capacity in the volunteer houses or non availability of private rooms. Private rooms are provided in guesthouses within walking distance to the volunteer house. Volunteers stay in the private guesthouses and walk over to the volunteer house and have meals with the other volunteers.
All participants aged 40 years and older will be provided with a private room only and will not be provided accommodation in shared dorm rooms . Additional charges for private room upgrade shall be applicable.
Meals
We provide 3 freshly cooked meals per day all week long (Monday to Sunday): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Fresh ingredients are purchased from local markets to prepare these meals. The volunteer homes have cooks from the local community who come daily to cook fresh, homely and tasty local meals for the volunteers. We can cater to a range of special diets including vegan, gluten free, nut free and lactose-intolerant diets. If there are any other allergy or food requirements mentioned to us beforehand, we always do our best to accommodate those needs. Those volunteers staying in private guesthouse rooms near the volunteer house, usually have breakfast at the guest house and walk down to the volunteer house for their lunch and dinner.
Local Transportation
Local transportation to and from the project is included every day.
During Free Time
There is plenty to do during the free time and weekends for the volunteers.The following activities are provided free of charge and included in your program fee:
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Evening Rooftop Yoga Session (weekly)
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Movie nights on large screen projector at the house (weekly)
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Bike tour across paddy fields and local villages (monthly)
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BBQ for volunteers and staff in the garden (monthly)
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Night Fishing for anyone into fishing (on demand)
The following are popular weekend (or even daily) activities which our volunteers love to do around the area (at an additional charge):
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Surfing lessons
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Elephant safari
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Whale watching(during season)
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Rainforest hiking
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Beach hopping
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Local cooking class
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Galle Walking Tour
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Local spice market visit
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Galle Fort visit
We also encourage you to join our specially curated 7D/6N Sri Lanka Culture & Adventure Tour which packs the best of the island’s beauty and diversity within a week.The tour can be added to your program itinerary before or after the volunteer program.
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Life on the program
Getting there and who looks after you in Sri Lanka
Airport pickup
You are collected from Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) by the local team on a Saturday, within a morning or afternoon/evening shared transfer window. A private transfer for USD 100 is available if you arrive outside those windows or on a different day.
First day at the house
On arrival you get a house tour and, if you reach the house in the afternoon, an initial training session; if you arrive later, this session happens the next day (Sunday) instead.
Orientation
You get a welcome presentation covering health and safety, culture, and project-specific information, plus a neighborhood familiarization tour of the Unawatuna area on Sunday.
First project day
Volunteer work runs Monday to Friday; a typical first week includes turtle hatchery activities, a river cleanup with kayaking, making eco-bricks, and a beach cleanup.
Daily support
The bilingual operations team is based in an office inside the volunteer house, arranges transport to projects by private air-conditioned van or tuk-tuk, and provides 24/7 local emergency support.
From volunteers in Sri Lanka
Frequently asked questions
What do volunteers actually do on this project?
You split your time between direct sea turtle work (hatchery care, monitoring nesting sites, hatchling release) and broader conservation activities such as beach, river and lagoon clean-ups, mangrove restoration, eco-brick making, and community awareness sessions.
Do I need previous experience with turtles or conservation?
No previous experience is required. You need a genuine interest in conservation work and a willingness to work outdoors and get your hands dirty.
What is a typical day like?
Weekdays are for volunteer work, with breakfast, lunch and dinner at set times at the volunteer house; a sample week includes hatchery activities, a river cleanup with kayaking, eco-brick making and a beach cleanup, though tasks vary with the hatchery's needs and the season.
How long can I volunteer for and when do programs start?
Placements run for 1–20 weeks, with a new start every week (saturdays); the next start date is 26 Sep 2026.
What does the program cost and what's included?
Prices start at $998, deposit included. This covers shared volunteer housing, all meals, local transport to projects, orientation and training, a shared airport transfer within scheduled windows, and 24/7 local support; the deposit ($249) counts toward the total and is refunded if no place can be offered.
Where do I stay and what do I eat?
You stay in one of two volunteer houses in Unawatuna, near Galle, in shared rooms with en suite bathrooms (private room upgrades available at extra cost); three meals a day of Sri Lankan and some Western dishes are provided, with vegetarian and other dietary needs accommodated.
How does airport pickup work?
A shared transfer from Colombo airport to Galle is included on Saturdays, in a morning or afternoon/evening window; a private transfer for USD 100 is available for other arrival times.
What safety and support is available?
A permanent bilingual operations team is based in an office inside the volunteer house, provides training on arrival, arranges transport to projects, and gives 24/7 local emergency support.
What about visas, insurance and vaccinations?
Travel and medical insurance is compulsory (your own policy or one arranged through Volunteering Solutions); visa requirements and vaccination guidance are sent in pre-departure information rather than listed here.
Do I get close contact with turtles, like holding or riding them?
No. Turtles and eggs are only handled under direct staff instruction as part of hatchery care and hatchling release; there is no riding, bathing or posing for selfies with the animals.
Is a background check required?
Yes, a clean criminal background check report is required, issued within 12 months of your start date.
Who is this program suitable for?
It suits volunteers aged 16 and older with a genuine interest in conservation, including families, since the project is listed as family-friendly.
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