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What you offer
5h
- Hours per day
- Help out and collaborate with your host only a few hours per week.
- Animal Care
- Help look after and take care of animals.
- Additional Fee
- This host charges a fee in addition to the cost of the Worldpackers annual plan.
Additional fee required
This host charges an additional fee to the cost of the Worldpackers annual plan for the sustainability of the project and the quality of the experience for volunteers. Learn more.
Amount
- US$ 375
Per week
Fee pays for
- Benefits for travelers
- Materials for volunteer activities
- Donation to project
Description
We cannot run this project without charging a fee, but it covers all your basic expenses like accommodation, food, water, transportation around the project location, and airport pickup, and also acts as a donation to the project. The longer you stay and the more people you bring, the more discounts we can offer. Please also feel free to discuss with us if you require no airport pickup, as we can make things cheaper for you if so.
What you get
2
- Days off per week
- Have some time off for yourself, go explore the city or rest for a while.
- Shared Dorm
- You will have a bed in a shared room, which means you will share the same room with other travelers.
- Breakfast
- You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.
- Lunch
- You are entitled to a free lunch, every day of your stay.
- Dinner
- You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.
- Free Laundry
- You can use our laundry room freely.
- Free Hiking Tours
- We’ll take you on excursions and hikes around town. For free!
- Support
- Get help from the Worldpackers support team in case you need it, at any point of your trip.
- Verified Host
- This host has been verified by our team before joining the community.
- WP Safeguard
- Did something not go as planned? Contact our team.
- Learn more
Availability
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
- Stay at least
- 1 week
- Stay up to
- 6 weeks
The Experience
Learn about the harsh realities faced by Sri Lanka's domesticated elephant population in Sri Lanka, understanding the importance for your volunteering and awareness on this issue. Help us collect food, clean beading, diagnose health issues, and make vitamin balls for the elephants. All of these skills will come along with adept knowledge we pass on about Elephants. Our main requirement of you is assisting us in our ongoings in the project.
Learn moreRequirements
- Beginner English or Intermediate English
- Between 18 and 65 years old
- Welcomes solo volunteers, couples, and partners of volunteers
- Be from outside Sri Lanka
What's not included
Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa
Talk to those who have lived the experience
In our community, you can talk to worldpackers who have already collaborated with this host and get your questions answered directly.
You can ask things like:
- a) How was your experience with this host?
- b) How was your day-to-day routine?
- c) How much did you spend on this trip?
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UN Sustainable Development Goals
Join the host in pursuit of these goals and contribute to building a better and more sustainable future for all.
15 Reviews
Host & Team
Hours & Tasks
Animal Shelter
Learning & Fun
How this experience will transform you
- 14 Meeting locals
- 14 Get in touch with nature
- 12 Immersing in the local culture
- 10 Developing environmental awareness
- 8 Learning about sustainability
- 6 Meeting international travelers
This host contributes to Sustainable Development Goals
- 13 15. Life on land
- 4 1. No poverty
Andrea
Italy
This is a great experience to get in touch with locals in a non touristic area and learn about elephants conditions in sri lanka. Amarasiri and Nera just want the best for you! All the ECRF staff is really nice and you won't have any problem and if you will, they will help you anyway. So just be open, respectful and book for this experience!
14 days ago
Amarasiri replied
Thank you Andrea ;)
Lara
Netherlands
Nera and his family were extremely welcoming in every way! Their first priority is to make sure the volunteers are comfortable. I slept at an hotel across the street of the family's house. The room was primitive, but had all I needed. Lots of the shelter projects call themselves 'ethical', but this one really was! They rent elephants away from where they are exploited and let them roam around freely in the woods and live their best life. Tourists can come and watch the elephants from a distance, but the shelter decides when and where to go, we only follow. Thx for the best experience!
23 days ago
Amarasiri replied
Thank you so much Lara:)
Johanna
Germany
I really enjoyed my stay. The familiy put all their time and love into their project and the shelter Mali (Number of elephants depends on donation from visitors and volunteers) If you want to learn about elephants, their Story in Sri Lanka and the surrounding then is this the right place to stay. If you are expecting to touch and hug the giant animals, you should go to an unethical tourist spot. But the shelter is in her natural way most beautiful anyways. I loved the mornings walking in the forest and observing Mali in the River. The education day was very interesting too. The familiy lovely.
about 2 months ago
Amarasiri replied
Thanks you Johanna, have a nice time!💕
Paul
France
It was a great experience with great values, the whole team was very welcoming and took great the shelter to ensure we were happy. I really felt like I was on holiday and that I was only financing the project, even though we helped out from time to time. It was a wonderful time with the team and the elephants. I would recommend
about 2 months ago
Lara
United Kingdom
The shelter got instructed to lay in the river & didn't move for hours whilst the tourists fed, touch, bathe the shelter - I was told by almost everybody in Sri Lanka that this is extremely unethical and cruel for the shelter however the nice host family insisted the shelter is rescued from harsh conditions. the shelter does get fed well. As I am not well educated on this topic I was conflicted and decided to leave early, losing a lot of money. Just do your research and ask questions before joining, also Worldpackers has a minimum of 1 week but you can sign up for 1 day online
2 months ago
About the host
Hosted by Amarasiri
-
Top Host
- This host receives a lot of worldpackers and has a high average rating.
- Response Rate
- This host usually answers to 50% of the messages
- Response Time
- This host usually writes back in 1 day
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