Teaching in Sri Lanka

ACCOMMODATION AND LIVING IN SRI LANKA

LOCATION:
We cannot BEGIN to tell you how beautiful this paradise island is! Nor how cheap to live and get around. It is almost too good to be true! But it is true.

There is an abundance of fascinating places to visit. From towering Pagodas, Hindu temples and ancient fortresses to holy rivers and sacred mountains, Sri Lanka is blessed with a sense of deep spirituality and history. The local people are extremely welcoming and friendly, especially in the rural areas. The tea plantations are a must, the lace making, monuments and architectural splendours, etc., but the most appealing is the Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawela. Not to be missed! It's an emotive sight that will send you away with memories you'll never forget!

MAP OF SRI LANKA

ACCOMMODATION:
Travellers has a traditional Sri Lankan house in Ja-Ela. It has marble floors and 13 bathrooms! It is spacious and comfortable, with a garden, several balconies, two lounge rooms and many bedrooms. You will most likely share a room with other Travellers volunteers. There is a TV and DVD player for evening entertainment, in the upstairs lounge area and with the latest DVD copies just a pound to buy locally, there is usually something to watch!

A chef will cook all your meals and we have other staff at the house 24 hours a day for cleaning, assistance, security and comfort.

Teaching, Work Experience and the Colombo Zoo placements are all based in Ja-Ela and so the house is often full and offers a lively, sociable atmosphere – there is usually no shortage of friends to spend weekends at the beach with! Ja-Ela volunteers also have the advantage of easy access to Colombo’s facilities, major bus stations and also the Airport Gardens Hotel - a luxury hotel which offers facilities that include a fantastic swimming pool. The hotel is only a short trip away from the volunteer house: perfect for those lazy afternoons!

There is a local live-in cook at the Travellers house who will prepare your breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, throughout the week. The food is usually local cuisine which means lots of curry, rice and salads. Whether a curry fan or not, you will be by the time you return as Sri Lankan food is delicious! You can buy snacks and treats, including a growing variety of Western tastes (chocolate!) from the local store. There is also a KFC in Ja-Ela for those who need a fix of home.

The area of Ja-Ela is an industrialised town and although it is not one of the paradise beauty spots, it's a good point at which to start your exploration of the island's many beaches and beautiful inland resorts.

"I just wanted to let you know, that I had the time of my life in Sri Lanka. It was FANTASTIC, I wish the entire experience had never had to end. I would just like to say thank you to your team of organisers for organising the spectacular trip. And also a big thank you to Roshan, Shivani ... and all the boys at the house for making my stay very welcoming and memorable. I miss them all very much. And I will definitely want to return and pay them a visit." Rajni Kanda

Travellers Volunteers in local dress, Sri Lanka

SRI LANKA ON THE INTERNET:

An excellent (but rather slow!) web site which contains anything and everything you could possibly want to know about Sri Lanka is: http://www.srilankatourism.org/

Climate: In the lowlands the climate is typically tropical with an average temperature of 27^OC in Colombo. In the higher elevations it can be quite cool with temperatures going down to 16^OC at an altitude of nearly 2,000 metres. Bright, sunny warm days are the rule and are common even during the height of the monsoon - climatically Sri Lanka has no off-season.

"I'd just like to say that the Travellers teaching placement in Sri Lanka was brilliant, couldn't fault it at all. Doing the placement was the best decision I ever made, it was absolutely fantastic and I was pretty sad when I finished. Met some really nice people too." Gemma Leonard

Read a hilarious story about Sri Lankan Cows and classrooms by Travellers volunteer Richard Anderson.

TRAVEL:

We meet you at the airport regardless of whether you make your own travel arrangements or not. You will fly into Sri Lanka where you'll be met at Colombo Airport by our Sri Lanka Manager, Roshan Perera, or a member of his staff, and taken to your placement. Roshan will make you feel welcome from the first moment you meet; he is a delightful person, laid back yet extremely efficient, and has become a friend-for-life to many of our volunteers!

You have the option to arrange your own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Limited, ATOL No. 6856.

Where possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the same flight and we will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up before leaving for your placement.

VISAS:. We'll send you all the necessary forms and information and make the process very easy for you.

Where possible, all flights we arrange for you have changeable return tickets because many of our volunteers choose to extend their stay once they are in their destination country. Changeable return tickets enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa and the level of your air ticket, of course. If you choose to book your own flights, you should endeavour to get a changeable ticket.

To read about the excellent Support & Backup we provide before you leave and during your programme, please click here.

We can also arrange your flight dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and wondrous country!

Volunteer Carina Rogers with two of her students at St Josephs School, Sri Lanka