Help
conserve the Elephants and other wildlife of Sri Lanka in Wasgamuwa
National Park.
Go back to basics in
stunning rural Sri Lanka and play a part in the conservation and
protection of the county's majestic giants while getting involved in the
local community. A real
gem of a project!
You don't need any qualifications to
participate in this project.
The
activities on this project are immense and you could be
involved in a number of things while working and living in Wasgamuwa. One
moment you could be laying cameras to identify new leopard trails, and then
next you could be staying overnight in a tree-house to watch for elephants.
ABOUT WASGAMUWA NATIONAL PARK: The National Park of Wasgamuwa is a
dedicated area of conservation, a stunning expanse of grasslands and hills
described by locals as the most beautiful place in the whole of Sri Lanka.
You will live in a remote village called
Pusseleya on the
outskirts of the National Park, located around 7 hours east of
Colombo. The community that you will become a part of is mostly dependant on
paddy farming for its livelihood and as such the way of life here is very simple
- you will need to be prepared to 'get back to basics' and live like the
villagers.
Elephants
are synonymous with Sri Lanka, and have lived alongside the people of
this incredible country as long as the civilisation has existed. Be a
part of the conservation effort and get to know the real Sri Lanka!
The
location is amazing, with breathtaking scenery and wildlife set in the
remote hinterland of the island, given the accolade – by natives – as the
most beautiful part of Sri Lanka.
This
placement is ideal if you
enjoy wildlife and the outdoors - there is plenty to keep you occupied in this
beautiful region. The surrounding jungles and villages can be explored easily by
foot or bike and trips to other parks in the region can be arranged.
This
beautiful and untamed region is full of photo opportunities - outstanding
rivers, lakes and wildlife that make for a photographer's paradise. There is no
other entertainment, thus you'll enjoy serenity and spending time alone.
The Maduru Oya National Park, which is
about an hour away by jeep, is renowned for its Elephant population and Elephant
sightings during an organised safari are very common - the amount of wildlife in
this area of Sri Lanka is just incredible!
This is a remote area with very basic
facilities but will give you a true Sri Lankan experience.
Can you do this Project?
You don't need any qualifications to
participate in this project.
Please bear in mind that this project
is only suitable for those people who enjoy reading and solitude as there is
nothing to do in the evenings except socialise with the other volunteers!
BUT, if you want to gain an excellent
cultural experience that is worthwhile and gives you much, much more than
you'd get as a mere tourist, then this is an excellent placement
This is a fantastic opportunity to get
involved in conservation efforts in Sri Lanka. The project, run by one of
Sri Lanka's top Conservation Societies, is well structured and enormously
beneficial to the local people and environment.
You are needed to
provide essential people power, and in return you'll gain a whole host of
experience and knowledge that will last a lifetime.
The main aim of the project is to "save
elephants, other biodiversity and their habitats by helping people". The
activities undertaken on this project are vast, and you could find yourself
involved in any number of things while working and living in Wasgamuwa. One
moment you could be laying cameras to identify new leopard trails, and then
next you could be staying overnight in a treehouse to watch for elephants.
See below for a list of activities, or
contact us
for more detail on each of these tasks:
Elephant Research
Tank
monitoring
Trail transects on trails that range from 5-10 kilometers on undulating
to steep terrain.
Road
transects out side and inside the park.
Park
ID - identification of elephants within the park
Fence monitoring
Observations of elephants from tree hut and at tanks
Socio-Economic and Agro/Social
Forestry research.
Elephant Damage Surveys
Village Headman (GND) Surveys
HEC
and HLC assessment surveys
Project Orange Elephant – Citrus Plantation
Farming
Data
on farming operations (such as number of eggs produced, milk production,
health issues, paddy/fruit production)
GIS Research and overall
coordination
Identification of trails which leopards/bears/prey species use
Biodiversity mapping
HEC/HLC
Mapping
Analysis of GIS data from all other research projects
Download and print additional
information on this project (coming soon)
►in
.pdf format
►in
Word format
A leopard caught by a camera trap in the dead of night
ACCOMMODATION:
The Sri Lanka Wildlife
Conservation Society has a Field Project House near Wasgamuwa in a beautiful
scenic location overlooking the village reservoir. The house is very basic
but is made up of entirely eco-friendly material due to the fact that it
was built by a team of conscientious conservationists – the SLWCS.
The walls are made of wooden
slats and hardened mud and the roof is formed of wooden slats and tin sheets.
You really do feel like you are in the wilderness! It can be quite a culture
shock at first, but rest assured the friendly nature of the villagers and
beautiful scenery soon make up for the very basic and open nature of the accommodation.
The make up of the house is perfectly sufficient,
despite the odd houseguest in the form of spiders, frogs and snakes, and this
open design helps to keep the house cool during the
hot spells of the day and dry during the storms.
Because of the location of this project
there is no electricity in the house and thus no refrigerator or fans on site.
There is a bathroom with cold running water and a western style toilet and
in
the evenings lights are generated by solar power.
It's also
possible that you may stay in a tented campsite near to the Wasgamuwa National
Park, depending on the number of volunteers on the project.
Food and Transport: All of your food will be provided
(gorgeous, mostly vegetarian Sri Lankan curries)
and local transport is either by bicycle or walking.
Please bear in mind that
Wasgamuwa is remote and the
house is open to nature. This
project should only be undertaken by people who
like solitude, wildlife and living in jungle-like
surroundings, and are able to live
with minimal creature comforts.
Volunteer Andy Richards on the porch with the
dogs
View of the Project House
SIGHTSEEING IN THE REGION
About the Local Area: There are small shops
located 2-3 kilometres away that stock most things you will need on your placement and
there is a hotel about 30 minutes walk away where you can have a swim in the
pool !
Getting around is not easy in this remote
area and bicycles are essential as the main form of transport. Buses to Kandy and
Colombo run from
here and take approximately 5 to 9 hours, respectively. Buses run more
frequently to Hettipola, which is the nearest town, located about 1 hour
(15 km) away.
There are two small hotels about 10-15 minutes bike ride away, one
serving excellent Chinese food and very welcomed chilled drinks after a hot
days work!
Local sights such as
Sigirya, Pollannaruwa, Nuwera Eliya & Dambulla are all about a 3 - 4 hours away by private vehicle. To cool off, you can hire a van and go the Knuckles Range (3,000
ft), which is about 1 hour away - there are beautiful areas to hike and
plenty of cool streams to bathe in. The temperature drops off to a
comfortable 20-28 degrees at this altitude.
The rest of Sri Lanka is a tropical
paradise offering something to suit every type of visitor. Sri Lanka is often
referred to as a 'Teardrop in the Ocean' - a beautiful island with a mystical
past and history awaiting exploration. The countries beaches are outstanding and
often rated amongst the finest in the world.
Locals washing clothes in the
river
TRAVEL and SUPPORT & BACKUP:
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 Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.)
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.
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. 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
representative. You'll then be taken by car to Wasgamuwa, which is about 5 or 6
hours away.
On arrival, you'll
be taken to your accommodation and introduced to everyone. You'll also receive
in induction which will include useful information about the region where you'll
be living.
VISAS:. You don't need a visa for your first month in Sri Lanka
and our local manager will arrange for a visa for the rest of your stay - we
make the process very easy for you.
To read about the extensiveSupport & Backup we provide in our countries,
please click here.
PRICES
To see the Prices of this project and all
our other projects in Sri Lanka, please
click here
Prices
include
Food & accommodation while on your project,
2 T-shirts, if required
for your project
All support and backup
during your programme
Meeting you at the
nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.
.
+44 01903 502595
