Airport Transfers
Interns are picked up from the Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport Airport by a representative of the local coordinating team on the program start date during scheduled airport pickup hours. Participants are also dropped off to the airport upon completion of the program during the scheduled airport drop hours (At extra charges).Charges for the return airport drop can be paid by the participants when they are in Sri Lanka.
Note : Arrival transfer (shared) within pre-defined time windows on Saturdays included in the program price (non-transferable).There will be 2 shared airport transfers every Saturday (Morning and afternoon/evening) from airport to Galle. A private transfer is also available for USD 100 and can be arranged on Saturday or for participants arriving on any date other than the start date.
Orientation
A detailed program Orientation will be provided before you start your internship.All interns on arrival get a welcome presentation including health and safety training, culture presentation, project specific presentation and area orientation tour.
Accommodation
Interns joining the placements in Galle, Sri Lanka, will get to stay in the quaint Unawatuna neighbourhood, overlooking the famous Unawatuna Beach and the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Our participants stay in two houses which are located near to each other.
The Beachside house is located right across the road from Unawatuna Beach and about 100 metres from the other house. It has 12 spacious bedrooms of varying sizes with attached en suite bathrooms each with air-conditioning facilities (most rooms also have attached outdoor balconies). There is also a separate dining area, small garden, lounge, terrace and a large office with permanent staff onsite. The property is safeguarded by multiple CCTV cameras and an onsite night security team.
The other larger house has 13 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms.Most of these rooms have ocean views! There's a private 40-foot outdoor swimming pool surrounded by tropical greenery. The house also has 3 kitchens as well as 3 living/common rooms (one each per floor), a prominent dining area, and a private outdoor garden with seating/lounging areas.
The office is located on the ground floor of the house near the main entrance – this is where the local team operate from every day. The house is located in a peaceful, nature-filled neighbourhood adjacent to a small Buddhist temple (nestled away from the main tourist areas). To ensure the safety and security of the participants, there are CCTV cameras installed, and an in-house security guard for night-time surveillance. Hot water and high-speed Wi-Fi are there and you can opt for air-conditioning and laundry facilities at an additional charge.
Private (single and double) room upgrades are available at additional charges. During busy months participants are also provided accommodation in nearby guesthouses in case of low capacity in the houses or non availability of private rooms. Private rooms are provided in guesthouses within walking distance to the house. Participants stay in the private guesthouses and walk over to the house and have meals with the other participants.
All participants aged 40 years and older will be provided with a private room only and will not be provided accommodation in shared dorm rooms . Additional charges for private room upgrade shall be applicable.
Meals
We provide 3 freshly cooked meals per day all week long (Monday to Sunday): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Fresh ingredients are purchased from local markets to prepare these meals. The homes have cooks from the local community who come daily to cook fresh, homely and tasty local meals for the participants. We can cater to a range of special diets including vegan, gluten free, nut free and lactose-intolerant diets. If there are any other allergy or food requirements mentioned to us beforehand, we always do our best to accommodate those needs. Those interns staying in private guesthouse rooms near the intern house, usually have breakfast at the guest house and walk down to the intern house for their lunch and dinner.
Local Transportation
Local transportation to and from the project is included every day.
During Free Time
There is plenty to do during the free time and weekends for the interns.The following activities are provided free of charge and included in your program fee:
Evening Rooftop Yoga Session (weekly)
Movie nights on large screen projector at the house (weekly)
Bike tour across paddy fields and local villages (monthly)
BBQ for participants and staff in the garden (monthly)
Night Fishing for anyone into fishing (on demand)
The following are popular weekend (or even daily) activities which our interns love to do around the area (at an additional charge):
