About Sri Lanka

A tropical island paradise, Sri Lanka has been labelled ‘The Pearl of the Indian Ocean’. It’s famous for 1,600 km of unspoilt golden beaches, friendly local people and delicious food. It’s a stunning island filled with ancient cities, mountains and more than it’s fair share of wildlife sanctuaries where you can see wild elephants and leopards.

It makes a fantastic location to volunteer in a school for D/deaf children where your time and effort is warmly received. We partner with several Deaf schools near some of Sri Lanka’s most vibrant towns. Deaf volunteering in Sri Lanka is rewarding and fun for you and the local students.

You’ll never be bored during your time off as we help you discover ancient Buddhist culture, temples and travel slowly by train through the hill country, see elephants in the wild, work with sea turtles and sample delicious spicy dishes on an unforgettable trip to stunning Sri Lanka!

Next trips:

Sunday 2nd April to Saturday 15th April 2028

Read a review of our last Sri Lanka trip here.

Colombo, Sri Lanka

2 week Group Trip

Trip Highlights

Volunteer on a tropical island paradise!
Travel by slow train through the hill country from Ella to Nuwara Eliya, including the famous 9 arch bridge
Work with sea turtles
Learn Sri Lankan sign language
Support a Sri Lankan Deaf school
Watch wild elephants in a national park during a jeep safari
Relax on unspoilt sandy beaches
Explore Temple of the Tooth in Kandy
Try your hand at cooking local food
Watch traditional Kandyian dancing
Visit ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples
Finish your trip with 2 nights on the coast

Sri Lanka _ VoluntEars - Deaf volunteering overseas

Daily work & activities

For 2028 we have reworked our classic Sri Lanka trip!

Weeks one and two are quite different to each other.

Week one

Most mornings in week one you will help at one of our partner Deaf schools not far from the capital city of Colombo. You will do activities with the students and do some practical hands-on renovation work, for example painting a mural or a classroom or dormitory.

Most afternoons in week one you will do a cooking class to learn how to make tasty curries, do a Sri Lankan Sign Language class, visit local markets, ancient Buddhist & Hindu temples and a local park and outdoor art gallery.

Week 2

We will take you travelling around Sri Lanka!

You’ll start with a day volunteering at a sea turtle conservation project on the south west coast and stay over night by the beach.

Then over the new few days you’ll do a jeep safari in a national park to watch wild elephants, a boat trip along a river, visit a gem mine and a cinnamon plantation, travel by train through the hill country from Ella to Nuwara Eliya and up to Kandy where you’ll see traditional Kandyan dancing and visit the Temple of the Tooth, before heading back to the coast by private air-conditioned minibus for 2 nights by the beach.

What’s Included

Accommodation

Every night for 2 weeks. Hotel accommodation where all the volunteers and our staff live together in various locations around Sri Lanka.

Hotels are in safe neighbourhoods with lots of space for everyone to relax. You can walk to shops and the market and take a tuk tuk to the beach.

Food

3 meals a day.

Food is provided at our accommodation and in local restaurants.

We make sure you get to try a variety of tasty local dishes. We know all the places you will eat so we know the food is safe and good quality.

Tell us if you have any dietary requirements.

BSL Communicator on every trip

Trip leader from our UK office

Airport transfers on arrival and departure

Our friendly VoluntEars staff will be waiting to collect you on arrival at Colombo international airport. Just look out for their bright blue t-shirts and big smiles!

We’ll drive you to the accommodation in a private taxi or minibus and we’ll return you to the airport for your flight home at the end of the trip.

All local transport

We rent a private air-conditioned mini-bus for the whole trip.

It collects us every morning and stays with us all day so we can visit everywhere comfortably and safely.

Note: flights are not included in our price.

Sri Lankan sign language class

Learn some Sri Lankan sign language from a local Sri Lankan teacher.

It’s fun and it helps communication with the local deaf students during your trip.

Cooking class

Enjoy cooking? Learn how it’s done in Sri Lanka!

Popular dishes include pineapple curry, dhal curry, roti, coconut sambol, beetroot curry.

You will learn from a Sri Lankan expert in our cooking class. Just don’t touch your eyes after chopping chillies!

Beaches, temples and markets

We want you to discover the real Sri Lanka.

You will get to walk along beautiful sandy beaches, explore bustling markets where local people sell all kinds of tropical fruit like mangoes, coconuts and papaya.

We’ll take you to some of the oldest Buddhist and Hindu temples on the island so you can soak up Sri Lanka’s diverse culture. Learn all about it or find a quiet corner to sit down and soak up the atmosphere.

Sea turtle conservation

You will spend a day working with sea turtles on the beach. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that most people only dream of.

You’ll get hands-on with these amazing and endangered creatures and contribute to their survival. You will be able to help release baby hatchlings into the sea if they hatch when you’re there. Fingers crossed!

Stay overnight near the beach and hopefully see the sun set over the Indian ocean.

Elephant safari

Join a jeep safari in Uduwalawa national park where you’ll be able to watch wild elephants roaming around in their natural habitat.

Boat trip, gem mine & mask museum

Discover the network of inland lagoons behind Sri Lanka’s south west coast on a boat trip which also includes visiting a gem mine and a mask museum – one of Sri Lanka’s oldest traditions.

Temple of the Tooth, Kandy

The ancient city of Kandy is located in the “hill country” in the centre of Sri Lanka.

It’s surrounded by small mountains covered in tea plantations and forest. It’s slightly cooler than the coast and you’ll see some beautiful views of the hills.

You’ll visit the Temple of the Tooth next to the famous lake in the centre of Kandy.

Tea factory

Sri Lanka is famous for tea!

Much of the hill country is covered in tea plants which are tended by brightly dressed “tea pluckers”; ladies who pick tea leaves and carry them back to tea factories for processing.

You will visit a tea factory and see how fresh tea leaves are dried, rolled, fermented, separated and eventually bagged up for us to drink all around the world.

Train through the hill country

A highlight is taking a slow train through the hill country around Ella and Nuwara Eliya, where you can watch the beautiful mountains covered in forests and tea plants slowly passing by. You’ll thrundle through long tunnels and over high bidges including the famous 9 Arch Bridge as you snake through the hills.

Kandyan dancing

Colourful and flamboyant – Kandyan dancing tells stories about life in Sri Lanka. See if you can keep up with the back-flips and spinning plates!

Negombo

Our last 2 nights will be at a hotel by the coast in Negombo.

As well as being a popular place to relax by the beach, it’s one of Sri Lanka’s most important fishing harbours – you’ll see all the brightly painted fishing boats, a bustling fish market and old Dutch canals linking it to Colombo.

Browse the many tourist shops for leather bags, silver jewelry & local gem stones, or just choose a beach cafe and relax with a drink and a sunset view.

What a place to finish the trip!

Pre-trip meeting

Meet other volunteers and our staff before your trip.

These are run on zoom so if you can’t attend the meeting we will email you a recording and can arrange a video call to explain everything and answer your questions.

Comprehensive orientation in Sri Lanka

Certificate of completion

References

VoluntEars - Deaf volunteering overseas - Sri Lanka

Itinerary

Day 1 - Sunday

Arrive in Sri Lanka!

We will meet you at the airport and drive you to our accommodation. You can unpack, meet the other volunteers and relax. Your Sri Lanka adventure starts here!

Day 2 - Monday

Our first day at school!

After breakfast we’ll do an orientation to give you all the information you need for about the next 2 weeks.

Then we’ll we’ll visit a local market and discover all the tropical fruits and vegetables, before having lunch.

After lunch we’ll drive to school and meet the Principal who will show us around so you see the differences between Deaf education at home and in Sri Lanka. Feel free to ask all your questions.

Day 3 - Tuesday

Renovation work at the school in the morning. We normally help by painting a classroom or dormitory. No previous experience required and VoluntEars provides all the equipment and paint needed.

This afternoon we’ll learn some local sign language in a Sri Lankan Sign Language class run by a local teacher. It’s a lot of fun!

This evening we’ll visit a famous Buddhist temple in Kalutara – it’s nice and cool and calm in the evening. A lovely place to finish the day.

Day 4 - Wednesday

Renovation work at the school in the morning.

This afternoon we’ll do activities with the local students – get creative with arts & crafts or play some sports outside, it’s up to you. We’ll chat about it beforehand to ensure everyone is prepared and ready for the bedlam!

Day 5 - Thursday

This morning you will visit one of Colombo’s biggest Hindu temples, explore a park in the city centre and admire Colombo’s largest street art gallery.

This afternoon you’ll get to visit a local landmark – Galle Face – where locals meet to walk along the promenade, fly kites, play cricket and watch the sun set over the ocean.

Day 6 - Friday

Renovation work at the school in the morning.

Educational games and fun activities with the local Sri Lankan D/deaf students in the afternoon.

Day 7 - Saturday

Sea turtles! After breakfast we’ll drive down the coast and spend the day working with sea turtles at a local conservation project.

This evening you’ll be able to relax on the beach and watch the sunset over the Indian ocean. We’ll stay overnight in accommodation near the beach.

Day 8 - Sunday

Now we start our travels!

After breakfast we’ll do a boat trip through the lagoons just inland from the coast. We’ll also visit a gem mine where you can see Sri Lankan men sifting for moonstones, and learn about an ancient tradition of making masks to keep away evil spirts.

We’ll finish the day by driving to Udawaluwa ready for tomorrow.

Day 9 - Monday

An early morning jeep safari in Udawaluwa national park where you should be able to watch wild elephants roaming around in their natual habtat.

After lunch we’ll drive to Ella, in the hills.

Day 10 - Tuesday

Now you’re in the ‘hill country’ where the climate is cooler, the countryside is more mountainous and the scenery is completely different to the coast.

Visit 9 Arch Bridge and hike to Little Adam’s Peak (1 hour, optional) to see some famous landmarks for yourself.

Day 11 - Wednesday

Travel from Ella to Nuwara Eliya by train to experience the sensations of travelling slowly through the hills, as the train clatters and snakes it’s way through steep-sided valleys and dark tunnels, over high bridges. Enjoy the slow pace of life for a few hours.

Our minibusses will collect you from the station in Nuwara Eliya and drive you to Kandy where you’ll watch traditional Kandiyan dancing and have dinner. What a day!

Day 12 - Thursday

This morning you’ll visit one of Sri Lanka’s most sacred Buddhist sites – Temple of the Tooth.

If you’re lucky you will get to see a tiny gold casket which is supposed to contain one of the Buddha’s actual teeth.

We’ll visit a tea factory – see where our tea comes from and how it’s made.

Then we’ll travel back to the coast for our final 2 nights in Negombo.

Day 13 - Friday

A chill day by the coast in Negombo. If you want to see the fishing harbour and fish market we’ll be happy to take you.

If you prefer to have a late breakfast and lazy day, enjoy it! Our staff will be around if you need us.

Tonight we’ll have a final dinner all together before you fly back home tomorrow.

Day 14 - Saturday

Our last day together!

Time for one last breakfast all together before packing up and heading to the airport.

We’ll drive you back to the airport and make sure you start your journey home safely.

It’s been a busy 2 weeks and you won’t want to leave but you’ve got a long flight back to think about all the amazing things you did on a VoluntEars trip to Sri Lanka!