Volunteering in Sri Lanka at 17 years old
In April I spent two weeks volunteering in the turtle conservation program in Sri Lanka. At only 17 I was terrified to travel so far on my own, but it ended up being some of the best few weeks of my life!
"This experience was a trip of a lifetime for me and hopefully I will go back one day! "
Sri Lanka as a country is incredible- the people are so friendly, the lifestyle is very relaxed and the food is amazing! The mighty roar team in Sri Lanka could not have been more welcoming, anything we needed help organising would be sorted straight away.
The accommodation is about 20 seconds from the sea, and a 10 minute tuk-tuk from Hikkaduwa which was perfect for any spare time we had. At the time I visited everyone was celebrating the new year. It was amazing to see all the traditions and take part in parties with the locals.
The turtle conservation was inspiring. It is super ethical, limiting contact time with baby turtles before being released, and storing the eggs in a protected way. We completed beach cleans everyday in order to keep the beaches clean for nesting turtles. Night and morning beach patrols gave me the chance to witness adult turtles digging their nests on the beach, hatchery patrol meant we were able to release any baby turtles that hatched into the sea. This was an incredible feeling as some nights we were releasing around 30 hatchlings at once! One of the days I was volunteering I took part in the dog feeding program. This involved a tuk-tuk ride around the local area, giving food to all the street dogs- and meeting some very cute puppies!
The weekend in the middle of my trip I spent doing the hill county trip. This allowed me to witness other areas of Sri Lanka, including doing a safari and visiting tea plantations. This was an amazing chance to see other areas of Sri Lanka while spending time with new friends.
This experience was a trip of a lifetime for me and hopefully I will go back one day!
