Depart UK and fly to Colombo

On arrival in Colombo your tour leader will meet you at the airport and assist the group to our private coach. From here you will travel south along the coast where the Tsunami hit hardest to Hikkaduwa where the group will spend the next few days. Overnight in Hikkaduwa (Hotel) Meals: no meals included today

In the morning there will be some free time. In the afternoon there will be an orientation tour of the 3 sites in Hikkaduwa where the students will be working; the school, rehabilitation centre and the orphanage. There will be a full briefing where our local representative will explain the various projects and the work that needs to be done.

The next few days will be spent in Hikkaduwa. Small groups can spend a day at each site; larger groups can be split and rotate through the three sites. Overnight in Hikkaduwa (Hotel) Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Pupils are taught English from nursery school age in Sri Lanka. The young children at Hikkaduwa nursery school will be so excited to have English students coming to teach them. A full day at the school will be rewarding for both the budding teachers and their enthusiastic students. Some games, songs and performances will be arranged too for a thoroughly entertaining day.  Overnight in Hikkaduwa (Hotel) Meals: breakfast

The rehabilitation centre houses and cares for children with a range of mental disabilities such as cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome and post birth brain injuries. Little or no funding is available for such children to receive the special attention they need and often such children are abandoned. The centre is very run down, a day here will help to repair and improve the centre and also allow time to play with the children, read stories and sing songs. Such visits give the staff and children alike a well deserved boost which they will appreciate whole heartedly. Overnight in Hikkaduwa (Hotel) Meals: breakfast

The final day in Hikkaduwa will be spent at the orphanage. There are plenty of orphanages in Sri Lanka taking in abandoned children and generally they are well supported by charities. Unfortunately they are often badly run with money not being spent where it is most needed. Whilst staff often try hard, with good intentions, the lack of training and knowledge about child welfare means that basic essentials such as health and hygiene are over looked. The help the students can provide here is immeasurable. Jobs may include cleaning the communal areas, teaching the staff the importance or keeping the orphanage clean, running a mini-surgery to tend to cuts and grazes and other minor ailments and entertaining the children with new games to play. Overnight in Hikkaduwa (Hotel) Meals: breakfast

Today the group will leave Hikkaduwa and travel to Udawalawe National Park. This vast game park is world famous for its enormous herds of elephants (up to 100 can be seen at one time!) other species recorded in the park include langur, jackal, macaque, sambar and water buffalo.
Our camp is situated about 16 km inside the park next to the Walawe Ganga River. On arrival the crew at camp will be waiting to meet everyone. The local guide at Tasks will give the camp briefing and dinner will be served. Overnight at Udawalawe (Tasks Camp) Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Today there will be an early morning and afternoon game drive in the park. In between game drive the students are free to relax at the camp and cool off in the natural swimming pools. Overnight in Udawalawe (Camp) meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

This morning the group will say goodbye to the camp crew and head back to the coast. The last destination is Unawatuna, one of the best beach resorts in Sri Lanka and close to the historical town of Galle. Overnight in Galle (Hotel) Meals: breakfast

Today the group will travel to the busy fishing port of Galle by rickshaw. Here they will take a tour of the town and visit the historic Galle Fort. Galle is one of the best examples of a fortified city built by Europeans in the whole of Asia. In the afternoon we have included a boat ride from the hotel in Unawatuna along the coast to include snorkelling for competent swimmers. Overnight in Unawatuna (Hotel) Meals: breakfast

You can call again to see our friends in Hikkaduwa on your way along the coast to Negombo. There will also be a stop to see the turtle hatcheries at Bentota and learn about the life cycle of the sea turtles and the efforts being made to protect them. In the evening the group will arrive in Negombo, a picturesque coastal ton just north of the capital and close to the airport. Your tour leader will take the group to one of Negombo’s traditional Sri Lankan restaurants for the final group meal. Overnight in Negombo (Hotel) Meals: breakfast

Today your tour leader will accompany the group to the airport for the homebound flight. Meals: breakfast