Culture Week in Sri Lanka, Kandy

We highly recommend you start your trip with a comprehensive cultural immersion week followed by one of our community projects. It will help you settle in by meeting new people and understanding great aspects about the country you are visiting. Search other activities for week two onward in the ‘Related trips‘ section.

Culture Week in Sri Lanka, Kandy

The best way to embrace Sri Lanka in its rich history, culture and traditions, is to go through the “Culture Week” held in Kandy. During this week we will describe the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” regarding safety, transportation, females travelling alone. Get acquainted with Buddhism, mysterious mythology behind the culture and visit a few temples including the most sacred ‘temple of the tooth’. Enrich your experience with language sessions and be able to talk to the locals, get to know how a traditional Ayurvedic massage feels like, witness an ancient Kandyan dance performance and last but not least, get to look, smell, and taste the Sri Lankan cuisine during the cooking sessions.

CRB/DBS (Criminal Records Bureau) Check
It is required that participants complete a CRB/DBS (Criminal Records Bureau) check in order to take part in this project. We can provide this service for you at an additional cost because some people may already have one that is valid (please get in touch for more details).

Start dates are every week of the year with your activities starting on a Monday. We therefore request you arrive anytime on the Saturday or the Sunday before to receive a free airport pick-up and transfer. Early or late arrivals will incur an additional charge for the transfer and extra night including food, so arriving on the weekend will be your better option.

Your trip will finish on the Saturday morning when you will need to vacate the accommodation.

Program Duration & Availability
Min duration (weeks): 1
Max duration (weeks): 1

Aims & Objectives
Introduce you to Sri Lanka’s diverse geographical and cultural environment by fostering a deeper understanding of cultural similarities and differences through experiential learning in Sri Lanka and to help you develop awareness and deeper understanding of cultural differences.

Additional Requirements

• Participants below the age of 18 should have parental consent
• Participants above the age of 65 should have medical clearance

Additional Equipment

• Hiking Shoes
• Tidy clean clothes for temple visits

Location

Kandy, the last royal capital of Sri Lanka is a major tourist destination. About 115 km from Colombo at 465 meters above sea level. Famous for the Temple of the Tooth and many other temples the city could be called the cultural capital of the island. This bustling market town is rich in cultural diversity and has plenty to offer to the tourists from songs dances and handicrafts to ancient temples and adventure activities. Kandy was a royal capital and the last stronghold of the Kandyan kings against foreign powers, holding out against them for about 300 years. The two main Buddhist Chapters are based here and formed the last centre of independent Buddhist thought during colonial times.

Accommodation & Food

You will be accommodated in one of our centres which are located 2-4 kilometres away from Kandy centre. Furthermore, there is a refrigerator which you are welcome to use to store food and beverages.

Available Room Types

* Three meals per day during weekdays and two per day on weekends
** Water, tea, coffee and milk
*** At an additional fee

Food Arrangements
You will be provided with three meals a day on weekdays and two meals per day on weekends. The meals are a mix of Western and Sri Lankan food, consisting mainly of vegetarian dishes including rice and vegetables. You can also eat out at any of the local restaurants.

Facilities
Our house is located 2 kilometres away from the city centre, where you can find anything you might need. The nearest ATM and supermarket are a 15-minute walk away from our accommodation.

Mandatory Orientation Day
On the Monday of your first week at this location, you will join our orientation day, to familiarise you with the surroundings as well as local culture. Your program will continue as usual from Tuesday onward throughout the rest of the week.

Schedule

• Welcome introduction to Sri Lanka and projects, House rules, Code of Conduct and handling of documents
• Sinhalese Language Lesson
• Cultural Lesson
• Kandy City Tour

Activities & Events
No scheduled activities outside the program.

Sights & Surroundings
The places to visit during your weekends or on your project holidays are the Royal Botanical Gardens, Knuckles mountain range, Udawatta Kele sanctuary, Hortons plains national park and the railway museum.

Transportation
From this location we do not provide free transport to other locations.

Accommodation
Volunteer camp with shared rooms (4-10 people per room); Basic but comfortable with a refrigerator to store beverages.

Food
You will be provided with three meals a day on weekdays and two meals per day on weekends. The meals are a mix of Western and Sri Lankan food.

Airport Transfer
Included on arrival date. Ask us for details if you are arriving early/late. You be supported at the end of your trip in your onward travel.

Training
A full orientation and project induction takes place. You will also receive full training relevant to your volunteer role.

Support
Pre-departure help and advice; Local in-country team; 24 hour emergency support.

Donation
Part of your fee is used to buy decent equipment for the project and community you work with. If you wish to bring further donation, please make sure that this is in the form of equipment and not monetary donations.

• Flights
• Travel Insurance
• Visas
• Vaccinations
• Spending money
• In country travel
• Laundry service
• Extra activities not on itinerary
• Departure transfer

Preferred Duration
The culture week is one week long.

Pre-requisites
No prior experience or qualifications are required and it is important that you can speak English. All participants require a CRB/DBS check to take part in the project activities.

Ideal for

• Volunteer Holidays and Placements in Asia
• Community Work and Activity Breaks in Sri Lanka
• Volunteer Gap Years and Career Breaks in Indonesia
• Student Summer Holidays in Sri Lanka, cultural experience Sri Lanka

Suitable for ages 18 to 70

Most participants are between 18 and 25, so please be aware of this. We do welcome older people because of the value and experience they bring to the community. Participants above 65 should have medical clearance to take part in this program. Participants below 18 are required to provide parental consent letters and participants above 65 should have the medical clearance.