I really enjoyed the night in the Sahara and going sand-boarding in the dunes.

The staff are extremely friendly and super helpful with organising trips out! They treat you like family while you are there! The chef cooks excellent meals each day and there is breakfast provided on the weekend! Its such a nice house and area to spend your time in Sri Lanka

How do I summarise my time in Sri Lanka with Travelteer? It’s been amazing and an experience that I’ll remember forever. I was a bit apprehensive at first, with my transfer arriving late to the airport and only one of the cleaning staff who didn’t speak any English at the house to meet me. But I didn’t have anything to worry about. The staff were so kind and helpful and it was nice to know that there were always people that I could go to for any issues. Huge shout out to Ruchi, Anoma, and Nirukshan! It was also really nice to see that the staff all got on with each other as well as the volunteers. It made the whole experience feel like joining a huge family. The programmes themselves are a lot more relaxed and flexible than I had anticipated. I took a bit of getting used to but it really opened my eyes to a less stressful way of living. There’s plenty of time to unwind and go exploring as well as making an impact on your chosen course. Most of all there’s never any pressure to do anything you don’t want to do. I personally needed a little more time at the start to relax into things and manage my mental health and that was never an issue. Everyone was so understanding and allowed me to take as much time as I needed to get used to things. I was signed up to do the marine programme but got to do a variety of things. The main thing that we did was working at the turtle site cleaning tanks, feeding the turtle and applying medication to the injured turtles. It’s clear that Janaa and the other staff at the turtle site work really hard to keep everything going. The best part is that you can really see the impact you have there. One of the turtles has a cracked shell and her fins were badly damaged by fishing nets. Watching her slowly get better highlighted the role that the volunteers have. We also did beach cleans and planted mangrove seeds as part of the programme. Outside of the programme I signed on to, I also had the opportunity to help out at English classes, play football and cricket with the other volunteers, and learn meditation and yoga exercises from the mental health programme. It definitely added to my experience. The food the chef cooked was always lovely. If you ever went hungry it was your own fault. It’s a shame that I didn’t get to go on the tour because they didn’t have enough people to run it, but it gives me all the more reason to go back. I will say that some of the information in the volunteer handbook wasn’t entirely correct. We didn’t have evening activities organised by the staff, as suggested, but instead organised our own quizzes and movie nights. We also organised our own day trips on the weekend because there weren’t any planned by the staff, but this may be because there weren’t very many volunteers in the house. Overall it’s been wonderful and I was really sad to leave.

I have had the most incredible experience with Travelteer in Sri Lanka, all the staff are the most lovely and welcoming people, Anoma and Ruchi are amazing! I would absolutely recommend coming here if you want to volunteer aboard. Also the food is amazing and Sri Lanka itself is the most beautiful country!

Love volunteering at Travel Teer. The staff are all lovely and chefs food is fantastic, his curry is top teer. Been volunteering for 3 months and still look forward to each week. It’s a lovely environment and you meet lots of lovely people.

This was my first time working for a conservation project like this, and Travelteer really have set the bar. The projects you are involved in on marine conservation feel like they’re making a genuine difference, and are really fun too. The house is a great way to meet new friends, accommodation is great as far as hostels in Sri Lanka go. The food is brilliant too. The staff are the highlight of the experience for me. In particular Jana, Anoma and Ruchi, but in truth, all of them are brilliant.

Volunteering with Travelteer's Marine and Wildlife program in Sri Lanka was an absolutely incredible experience! The program was well-organized, and the work we did felt genuinely meaningful and rewarding. The costs were very reasonable, especially considering everything that was included. The Travelteer staff were fantastic – always approachable, supportive, and full of knowledge about the local area and conservation efforts. The tour was the cherry on top, offering stunning views and memorable cultural experiences that really gave me a deeper appreciation of Sri Lanka’s beauty and heritage. I can’t recommend this program enough to anyone who wants to make a difference while exploring a breathtaking country!

I’d like to start this review by saying this is personal experience, and I can’t speak for everyone. It should be considered alongside other reviews, but I encourage you to read this one. I completed a university placement with Travelteer, so my stay was longer than the typical couple week summer volunteering stint. Before heading to Sri Lanka, I noticed some significant organisational issues, e.g. with visas. My advice is to speak to multiple members of the Travelteer admin team before committing, to ensure you’ve got everything right. Upon arrival, there are three main accommodation options: Ocean House (open year-round), Lake House, and Pool House. These houses all differ significantly. OH is spread over three floors with rooms ranging from 2-6. Not all rooms have A/C, though I believe they are working on installing more units. A/C costs an extra £10 pppw, which is affordable for shorter stays but adds up for longer placements. For example, if you’re in a room with 6 people, you’ll end up paying £60 between you for A/C pw, which seems quite expensive, especially considering the cost of living in Sri Lanka. They also offer fan rooms, which can get warm, but if you're staying for a short time, it’s manageable. The daily cost is £28, which covers three meals, accommodation, and transport to and from programs Monday to Friday. However, weekends aren’t included, and the accommodation is quite basic for the price. Wi-Fi is only available in certain areas, and there was no Wi-Fi at the Lake House or Pool House when I was there. I feel the cost doesn’t quite match the value, especially when you consider the standard of accommodation and the lack of food on weekends. It’s useful to note there is no hot water in the house and there is an additional fee for laundry. There is also a fundraising fee of £75pw, capped at £300 for longer stays. My biggest concern with this is that I haven’t seen clear evidence of how this money is used. When asked, the staff mentioned it goes toward things we don’t always see, but this felt like a poor excuse. As a volunteer, I would appreciate more transparency, such as a fundraising board showing exactly where the money is going. The only times I saw the fundraising going somewhere was on the odd occasion that iodine and anti bacterial spray were bought for turtles in desperate need and a vet visit for a turtle in extreme conditions. But what took me by surprise was one of the largest tanks was funded by a school that had visited and it did make me question where Travelteers fundraising is going if schools are funding the tanks. A major part of my placement involved volunteering at a turtle conservation site. However, the site is not directly managed by Travelteer. While we volunteered there, it’s a difficult situation. There is little visible funding being provided to improve the site. The turtles there are often in need of surgery for internal damage, but the site only has basic treatment available, such as iodine for wounds and occasional antibacterial spray. I believe there should be more funding for an onsite vet or at least more regular visits. When asking why we can’t provide a vet to treat broken bones we were told it is too expensive. This was a shock. While I understand that the management of the site is outside of Travelteer’s control, I think they have the platform to do more. Perhaps Travelteer can introduce a ‘wish list’ instead of each volunteer individually fundraising because it will ensure transparency and target specific needs. On a more positive note, I participated in a £600 week-long tour organized by Travelteer, and it was an incredible experience. The tour included excellent accommodation and all expenses were covered. I’d recommend this to anyone, and I give full credit to our coordinator, who made the experience unforgettable. The people I met—both fellow volunteers and staff—were fantastic, and the experience was overall very rewarding. Sri Lanka is not a luxury vacation destination, and it’s important to come with an open mind and understand the cultural differences. The food provided was mostly local Sri Lankan cuisine, which I loved, but I know some people struggled with the change in diet, so this is something to keep in mind if you have dietary restrictions. As a placement student, I felt there could’ve been more opportunities to apply myself. Sometimes, I had to proactively ask for additional responsibilities. A weekly briefing or lesson on relevant topics e.g. turtle anatomy would be a great addition. Overall, I don’t regret my time with Travelteer. I met incredible people and had a truly unique experience. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly regarding transparency in fundraising and what you get for your money.

Travelteer is an amazing company designed for young people, with travelteer I had the opportunity to experience some time in a Sri Lankan hospital. The staff are amazing especially Anoma and Nailan.

It is my last day at travelteer in Sri Lanka, I done the coast to coast tour as well as a week volunteering at the hospital. It was a great experience and I’m glad I had the chance to be able to do it!