Sri Lanka Turtle Conservation

Protecting sea turtles, living by the beach and helping preserve Sri Lanka’s beautiful waters.

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Tour Summary

Turtles need protecting, Sri Lanka needs exploring... luckily, you can do both! Based in Unawatuna on the south coast, you’ll live alongside other volunteers just minutes from the beach, while helping to protect Sri Lanka’s marine life and the environments they call home. Sea turtles are the stars of this one, with your time dedicated to their care and conservation. You could help with feeding, hatchery work and nest protection, alongside beach and waterway clean-ups, mangrove restoration and seasonal coral reef conservation. Safe to say, this isn’t your average trip to Sri Lanka! And it’s definitely not all work! Weekends are completely yours for surfing, snorkelling, exploring or beach days with your new friends. Not ready to head home? Add on the 7-day Sri Lanka Adventure and swap volunteering for a week travelling around the country. Make a difference, make new friends and have a whole lot of fun along the way!

What's Included

All Accommodation

In-Country Transport

Stated Meals

Flights

Pre-Departure Support

Optional Activities

Travel Insurance

Background Check

Visas

Like-Minded Travel Group

Turtle Conservation

14 Nights Accommodation

128.43

Per Day

From

899

Deposit from £

Dates & Prices

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Flexible Date Changes

Pay at Your Own Pace

How This Tour Scores

Nightlife

1 /5

Low-key evenings with mostly relaxed nights or early finishes.

Adventure

3 /5

Balanced mix of adventure and chill with moderate thrills throughout.

Culture

5 /5

Deep cultural immersion with extensive local experiences and authentic traditions.

Wildlife

5 /5

Immersive wildlife experiences with close-up encounters with diverse species everywhere.

Volunteering

5 /5

Full volunteering immersion; make a real difference daily on tour.

The Best Bits

From hidden gems to unforgettable nights, every moment’s a vibe.

Turtle Care, Up Close

Spend time caring for sea turtles, helping with feeding, cleaning and their day-to-day care while learning all about the threats they face in the wild.

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Tiny Turtles, Big Moments

Support hatchery and nest protection, with the chance to help with safe hatchling releases when the timing is right. A pretty special way to experience conservation first-hand!

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Cleaner Coasts

Help tackle plastic pollution through beach, river and lagoon clean-ups, including canoe-based activities that help protect Sri Lanka’s coastal ecosystems.

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Life by Unawatuna Beach

Your volunteer house is just a five-minute walk from Unawatuna Beach, so when the day’s work is done, one of Sri Lanka’s most-loved coastal spots is practically on your doorstep!

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Your Weekends, Your Adventure

Your weekends are completely free to explore! Go surfing, dive beneath the waves, hike through Sinharaja Forest Reserve or simply see where Sri Lanka takes you.

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Keep the Adventure Going

Why head home? Once your conservation project ends, join the 7-day Sri Lanka Adventure for a week dedicated entirely to travelling and exploring.

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Itinerary

From day to night, your itinerary’s packed with unforgettable moments. Here’s the lowdown.

Day

Unawatuna

Welcome to Sri Lanka!

You've made it to Sri Lanka, let the adventure begin! After landing at Colombo Airport, you'll meet your shared transfer and make your way down to Unawatuna, where your volunteer house and a whole new group of travel friends are waiting for you. Drop your bags, settle into your room and start getting to know the people you’ll be sharing this experience with. You’re staying right on Sri Lanka’s south coast, with Unawatuna Beach just a five-minute walk away, so there’s plenty to explore once you’ve settled in. Grab some food, wander down to the beach or simply hang out at the house and get excited for everything that’s ahead! Today is all about arriving, settling in and finding your feet. Tomorrow you’ll get your introduction to the project and find out exactly what the next few weeks of conservation life have in store!

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Unawatuna

Your Sri Lankan Adventure Starts Here!

Before the conservation work begins, it’s time to settle into Sri Lankan life and find out what the next couple of weeks are going to look like! You’ll kick things off with your orientation, covering everything from health & safety to Sri Lankan culture, before heading out for a tour around Galle. Get to know the area, see what’s nearby and start feeling a little more like a local. You’ll also meet your project coordinator, who’ll introduce you to the conservation programme and the different activities you could be helping with during your stay. They’ll be there to guide and support you throughout, so this is your chance to ask questions, get clued up and find out what volunteer life is all about. Orientation complete, new friends made, Galle explored... now bring on the turtles!

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Day

Unawatuna

Turtle Time!

Now for the part you’ve been waiting for! Sea turtle conservation is the main focus of the project, with at least half of your volunteering time spent working directly with these incredible animals. Depending on what’s needed while you’re there, you could be helping with feeding and cleaning, caring for turtles, supporting the hatchery and monitoring nesting sites. You’ll work alongside the local team, learning more about the threats sea turtles face and the conservation work being done to protect them. And then there are the really special moments. When the timing is right, you may even have the chance to help with the safe release of hatchlings into the ocean. Watching those tiny turtles make their way towards the waves is an experience you’ll never forget. If you're here during nesting season from December to April, you may also have the chance to join night patrols on the nesting beaches, keeping watch for mother turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs

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Day

Unawatuna

Protecting Sri Lanka’s Natural Beauty

The turtles might be the stars of the show, but protecting them also means looking after the incredible environment they call home! Alongside your turtle work, you’ll spend time helping with wider marine and environmental conservation projects. One day could see you helping to clear plastic and waste from Sri Lanka’s beaches, while another could take you to a river or lagoon for a clean-up, with some activities even taking place by canoe! You could also help with mangrove restoration, tree planting and creating eco-bricks from plastic waste. There may also be opportunities to support coral reef restoration, depending on the season. With such a mix of projects, no two conservation days have to look exactly the same, and you’ll get to experience just how much goes into protecting Sri Lanka’s marine ecosystems beyond the turtles.

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Unawatuna

Conservation Meets Community

Time to take your conservation work beyond the beach! You could spend time visiting local schools and communities, joining activities that get people talking about marine life, sustainability and how Sri Lanka’s incredible environment can be better protected. It’s also a chance to step away from the volunteer house, meet more of the people who actually call Sri Lanka home and experience a side of the country you probably wouldn’t see if you were simply travelling through. You’ve been learning about conservation first-hand, now you get to take those conversations into the community and be part of something that reaches further than the project itself!

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Unawatuna

Weekends Are Yours!

After a week of conservation work, the weekend is completely yours! With no project work on Saturdays or Sundays, you’ve got two full days to explore Sri Lanka, head off on a mini adventure or simply enjoy living by the beach. Fancy getting in the water? Try surfing at spots like Dewata or Kabalana, or stay closer to home for diving and snorkelling around Unawatuna. If you’d rather head inland, spend the day hiking through Sinharaja Forest Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or turn it into a full weekend trip. Visiting between December and May? You could even book a whale-watching trip during the dry season. Or keep things simple, grab your new friends, explore Galle, find a new beach and see where the weekend takes you. Volunteer Monday to Friday, explore Sri Lanka all weekend... not a bad routine!

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Accommodation

Think chill vibes, cool spots, and sharing it all with your new travel fam.

More Information

Welcome to your Sri Lankan home away from home! You’ll be staying in one of the volunteer houses in Unawatuna, tucked away in a quiet residential area but just a five-minute walk from the beach. Even better, Galle is only around 15 minutes away, so beach days, cafés, bars, shops and exploring are all within easy reach when you’re off project. You’ll usually share an ensuite room with around four other travellers, making this the perfect place to meet people from all over the world and quickly become one big volunteer family. Rooms are single-sex and can sleep up to six, with private upgrades available at an additional cost if you’d prefer your own space. And there’s plenty going on outside your room! Hang out in the shared spaces, chill in the garden or head over to the swimming pool when you fancy cooling off. The volunteer house also runs optional activities including weekly yoga and movie nights, plus monthly guided bike tours and BBQs, so there are loads of opportunities to spend time together outside of volunteering too. Three freshly cooked meals a day are sorted for you too, so you can focus on the important things: conservation, exploring Sri Lanka and deciding whether there’s time for one more trip to the beach before dinner!

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Key Information

Everything you need to know before you go.

What's Included

All Accommodation

In-Country Transport

Stated Meals

Flights

Pre-Departure Support

Optional Activities

Travel Insurance

Background Check

Visas

Like-Minded Travel Group

Turtle Conservation

14 Nights Accommodation

What's Not Included

All Accommodation

In-Country Transport

Stated Meals

Flights

Pre-Departure Support

Optional Activities

Travel Insurance

Background Check

Visas

Like-Minded Travel Group

Turtle Conservation

14 Nights Accommodation

Weather

Sunshine and tropical temperatures and the occasional downpour... welcome to Sri Lanka! With two monsoon seasons, the weather changes depending on which part of the island you’re exploring, but one thing stays pretty consistent: it’s warm all year round! If you’re joining us between December and April, you’ve picked a brilliant time for the south coast. Expect sunnier skies, less rainfall and plenty of warm weather for beach trips after volunteering and weekend adventures. Travelling between May and September? You might see a few more tropical showers along the south and west coasts, while the east coast gets its turn in the sunshine. And tropical rain doesn’t mean your whole day is a write-off, there can still be plenty of good weather in between the showers! Whatever month you choose, pack for warm weather, bring your sun cream and maybe leave a little room for a rain jacket... Sri Lanka likes to keep you guessing!

Getting There

Starts

Your Sri Lankan adventure starts at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport, with arrivals every Saturday. There are two shared transfers ready to take you down to your volunteer house, so all you need to do is land and get excited for what’s ahead! For the morning transfer, book a flight arriving between 6am and 10am, or if you fancy a slightly later start, the evening transfer covers arrivals between 2:30pm and 6:30pm. Arriving outside these times or on a different day? No stress, a private transfer can be arranged for an additional cost.

Ends

When it’s eventually time to say goodbye to Sri Lanka, your departure transfer isn’t included, but it’s easy to arrange once you’re there. Unless, of course, you’ve added the 7-day Sri Lanka Adventure... then you’re not going anywhere just yet!

FAQ's

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