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ELEPHANT CONSERVATION

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.

On this page:

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

      .

About Sri Lanka and the teaching, work excperience and conservation voluntary projects you can do there with Travellers
Elephant Conservation in Wasgamuwa National Park

Return to the Sri Lanka Home Page and
the list of all our projects in Sri Lanka


Volunteer sitting in a hide to observe animals

ABOUT THE CONSERVATION PROJECT
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

Read Volunteer Reports on Wasgamuwa

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:
A
ll 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 extensive Support & 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.

Return to the Sri Lanka Home Page and
the list of all our projects in Sri Lanka

TO APPLY FOR THIS PROJECT, PLEASE CLICK HERE

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