Sri Lanka Highlands Voluntour 14D/13N

Airport pick-up and transfer to accommodation in Negombo Welcome to Sri Lanka! Upon arrival at the Colombo Airport, you will be picked up and transferred to Negombo for check-in. Enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure to relax, explore, and get settled in. Overnight in Negombo.

Train to Ohiya and transfer to Udawadiya This morning we will depart Negombo with a transfer to the Colombo Railway station to catch the train to Ohiya, passing through Kandy. Taking the train from Kandy to Ohiya is the most famous stretch of train travel in Sri Lanka, and is a tourist attraction in itself. Travel in comfort with the ability to walk around the train cars whenever you want, grab a snack in the dining car, meet other travelers and locals, and watch the landscape go by. At each train station along the way, the train cabins will fill up with locals selling treats like freshly cut pineapple and mango, and other traditional snacks. Upon your arrival in Ohiya, you will be transferred from the station to your new home -- a misty mountain lodge in the tea plantation of a very remote village.

Volunteering Project (4B/4L/4D) This week you will experience your volunteer program in the school & child care center in Udawadiya. This tea plantation village is very isolated and remote, located next to the world famous Horton’s Plains National Park and World’s End. The village has a beautiful panoramic view and cold climate, but suffers from extreme poverty and there is almost no public transportation available. Only one bus goes to the town of Haputale in the morning and back to the tea plantation in the evening, and from the bus people have to walk long distances to their homes. People from Udawadiya work mainly in the tea plantation, but also maintain vegetable gardens with veggies such as leeks, carrots and potatoes. There are three local primary schools for children under 10 years old. After year 5, there are no local options for schooling, and many children stop their studies at this point if they don’t have the means to travel out of town daily for school or move to another area. Each morning you’ll arrive at school at 7:30am to assist with the daily activities and to support the local schoolchildren. You’ll be teaching English and helping the teachers out with any other classes. Throughout your volunteering you’ll be working with two different schools, one with 40 children and another with 75. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet some of the children’s families. On one of these days you will be able to join the local women in the tea plantation to pick tea with them and get a taste of their everyday life.

Volunteering Project (4B/4L/4D) This week you will experience your volunteer program in the school & child care center in Udawadiya. This tea plantation village is very isolated and remote, located next to the world famous Horton’s Plains National Park and World’s End. The village has a beautiful panoramic view and cold climate, but suffers from extreme poverty and there is almost no public transportation available. Only one bus goes to the town of Haputale in the morning and back to the tea plantation in the evening, and from the bus people have to walk long distances to their homes. People from Udawadiya work mainly in the tea plantation, but also maintain vegetable gardens with veggies such as leeks, carrots and potatoes. There are three local primary schools for children under 10 years old. After year 5, there are no local options for schooling, and many children stop their studies at this point if they don’t have the means to travel out of town daily for school or move to another area. Each morning you’ll arrive at school at 7:30am to assist with the daily activities and to support the local schoolchildren. You’ll be teaching English and helping the teachers out with any other classes. Throughout your volunteering you’ll be working with two different schools, one with 40 children and another with 75. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet some of the children’s families. On one of these days you will be able to join the local women in the tea plantation to pick tea with them and get a taste of their everyday life.

Volunteering Project (4B/4L/4D) This week you will experience your volunteer program in the school & child care center in Udawadiya. This tea plantation village is very isolated and remote, located next to the world famous Horton’s Plains National Park and World’s End. The village has a beautiful panoramic view and cold climate, but suffers from extreme poverty and there is almost no public transportation available. Only one bus goes to the town of Haputale in the morning and back to the tea plantation in the evening, and from the bus people have to walk long distances to their homes. People from Udawadiya work mainly in the tea plantation, but also maintain vegetable gardens with veggies such as leeks, carrots and potatoes. There are three local primary schools for children under 10 years old. After year 5, there are no local options for schooling, and many children stop their studies at this point if they don’t have the means to travel out of town daily for school or move to another area. Each morning you’ll arrive at school at 7:30am to assist with the daily activities and to support the local schoolchildren. You’ll be teaching English and helping the teachers out with any other classes. Throughout your volunteering you’ll be working with two different schools, one with 40 children and another with 75. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet some of the children’s families. On one of these days you will be able to join the local women in the tea plantation to pick tea with them and get a taste of their everyday life.

Volunteering Project (4B/4L/4D) This week you will experience your volunteer program in the school & child care center in Udawadiya. This tea plantation village is very isolated and remote, located next to the world famous Horton’s Plains National Park and World’s End. The village has a beautiful panoramic view and cold climate, but suffers from extreme poverty and there is almost no public transportation available. Only one bus goes to the town of Haputale in the morning and back to the tea plantation in the evening, and from the bus people have to walk long distances to their homes. People from Udawadiya work mainly in the tea plantation, but also maintain vegetable gardens with veggies such as leeks, carrots and potatoes. There are three local primary schools for children under 10 years old. After year 5, there are no local options for schooling, and many children stop their studies at this point if they don’t have the means to travel out of town daily for school or move to another area. Each morning you’ll arrive at school at 7:30am to assist with the daily activities and to support the local schoolchildren. You’ll be teaching English and helping the teachers out with any other classes. Throughout your volunteering you’ll be working with two different schools, one with 40 children and another with 75. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet some of the children’s families. On one of these days you will be able to join the local women in the tea plantation to pick tea with them and get a taste of their everyday life.

Final Volunteer Session & Horton Plains National Park Day Trip This morning you’ll continue with your volunteer project. After lunch, we will head out from the lodge to make our way to Horton Plains National Park. Horton Plains is Sri Lanka's highest plateau at 3,250 meters above sea level, making it an amazingly scenic region with an astounding variety of landscapes from mountains to grasslands. We will take a 3-hour walk to the most famous part of the park, World's End, and its beautiful Bakers Falls. We will take a tuk tuk back to the accommodation.

Bandarawela Falls Hike and lunch with local family After breakfast in the lodge, we will head out for a hike to Bambarakanda Falls, the highest waterfall in Sri Lanka. We’ll take a mountain path with panoramic views of the tea plantation the local villages. On the way we’ll go to a small and beautiful waterfall in the forest where we can take a refreshing swim and have a picnic. After lunch and a rest we’ll continue to the towering Bambarakanda Falls. The walk is about 4 to 5 hours. After seeing the stunning falls we’ll be transferred to Bandarawela village to stay the night stay with a local family. Share the experience of preparing a traditional Sri Lankan meal with rice and vegetable curries.

Transfer to Kandy for Sightseeing This morning we will drive to Kandy to discover the famous Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens. The stunning gardens are idyllically situated on a peninsula in the Mahaweli River. It is said to be one of the most beautiful gardens in Asia and attracts about 1.2 million visitors each year. After spending some time in this beautiful place, we will visit the holy Tooth Temple, which is said to have guarded Buddha's teeth since the early start of Buddhism.

Transfer to Kandy for Sightseeing This morning we will drive to Kandy to discover the famous Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens. The stunning gardens are idyllically situated on a peninsula in the Mahaweli River. It is said to be one of the most beautiful gardens in Asia and attracts about 1.2 million visitors each year. After spending some time in this beautiful place, we will visit the holy Tooth Temple, which is said to have guarded Buddha's teeth since the early start of Buddhism.

Dambulla Cave Temple & fortress of Sigiriya visits. Drive to Habarana This morning we will drive to Dambulla to visit the famous cave temple. Dambulla is a part of the UNESCO-designated Cultural Triangle. There are over 80 caves in the surrounding area, and some of them have been used by the monks as meditation locations. Major attractions are spread over 5 caves containing amazing statues and the paintings. Since its founding in the first century BC by King Valagamba, many improvements and additions have been carried out to the sculptures and paintings over the years here. The temple is a perfect location to view evolution of the ancient Sri Lankan arts. This afternoon we will visit the 5th century rock fortress of Sigiriya, rising two hundred meters from the jungle floor. Another World Heritage Site, the fortress is now one of Sri Lanka's major attractions. During our visit to this unique complex, we will see water gardens, ancient frescoes, and more. Dinner and overnight in Habarana or close by.

Polonnaruwa Sightseeing - Transfer to Negombo This morning we will visit the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, which served as Sri Lanka's capital city from the 11th to the 13th century. Here we can admire the remains of sprawling temple estates, three enormous Buddha statues, and other historic temples. After, we will drive to Negombo.

Negombo Free Day After a long and action-packed journey, enjoy a full free day to relax on the beach! Soak up the Sri Lankan sun and explore the city at your leisure. Overnight in Negombo.

Colombo Airport Drop-Off All good things must end. Today you will be dropped off at the airport in time for your outbound flight. Happy trails!