About Us
Balangoda Restoration Project: Volunteering for Rainforest Recovery in Sri Lanka
The Balangoda Restoration Project, initiated by Rainforest Protectors in the foothills of the wet zone near Balangoda, offers an immersive, hands-on ecological restoration experience. Set within a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot, the initiative works to reverse decades of deforestation, land fragmentation, and unsustainable agriculture. Through practical regeneration methods—including planting native rainforest trees, assisted natural regeneration, soil and watershed restoration, agroforestry systems, and riverine habitat protection—the project restores ecological connectivity while improving water regulation, soil stability, and climate resilience.
Volunteers actively contribute to every phase of the project based on season and need. Work includes seed collection, nursery maintenance, soil preparation and composting, native planting, plot maintenance, mapping, and monitoring restoration areas, offering deep practical insights into tropical forest ecology.
The living experience is intentionally low-impact and immersed in nature. Volunteers stay in simple eco-structures, such as mud or bamboo houses surrounded by wildlife, and experience traditional rural Sri Lankan culture. This includes authentic home-cooked meals, local farming techniques, traditional ecological knowledge, and meaningful community interaction.
To complement field labor, the experience balances hard work with recreation across the region’s rich landscape. Participants can swim in pristine local rivers, hike to hidden forest waterfalls, explore nature trails, visit nearby villages, spot wildlife, or embark on safaris in neighboring natural areas.
This program is ideal for individuals seeking a deep, direct contribution to rainforest conservation and living landscape regeneration beyond standard tourism.
Volunteering Inquiries & Contact:
Email - sajwijesingha@gmail.com
Phone - 94 777 77 1348
Program at a glance
Why choose us?
- Scientific Restoration:
Uses over 60 native species to recreate functional multi-tiered rainforests, stabilize degraded watersheds, prevent fires, and expand buffer zones near Sinharaja through assisted natural regeneration, GPS mapping, and seed nursery work.
- Global Biodiversity Hotspot:
Located in the Sabaragamuwa region between wet and intermediate zones, restoring critical wildlife corridors for endemic birds, amphibians, leopards, and elephants.
- Community Integration:
Run alongside local residents to merge traditional ecological knowledge with agroforestry (Kithul, Kos), creating long-term benefits for both nature and local livelihoods.
- Grassroots Transparency:
Led by Rainforest Protectors (est. 2011), prioritizing low-impact conservation over commercial volunteer-tourism.
- Immersion & Adventure:
Low-carbon living in mud/bamboo eco-structures with home-cooked meals, river swimming, waterfall hikes, and trail exploration.
Requirements
- Passion for nature, forests, and trees
- Passion for volunteering
- Being extremely positive and open
- Honest two-way communication
Volunteer experience
- 7am : 8am - Wake up & tea
- 8am : 10am - Morning field work (tree planting or invasive removal)
- 10am onwards - Breakfast
- 10am – 1pm - Free time, enjoy the forest stay
- 1pm – 2pm - Lunch
- 2pm – 4pm - Nap/walk to the river/village shopping
- 4pm – 6pm - Evening work with plants and making baby plants (plant nursery)
- 6pm - Free time
- 7pm : 8pm - Dinner
- 8pm : 10pm - Movie night, presentation, group discussion, or bonfire karaoke evening
€50 per week
- Bamboo House: A two-storey eco-structure built from locally sourced bamboo. It offers open elevated views of the canopy, natural ventilation, and an immersive living experience surrounded by forest sights and sounds.
- Mud House: A traditional, earth-built shelter constructed with natural clay and timber. Designed using ancestral building methods, its thick cob walls maintain cool interior temperatures naturally throughout the day.
- Rural House: A simple village-style home that offers basic, comfortable shared indoor rooms. It gives volunteers an authentic feel for traditional Sri Lankan countryside architecture and daily rural living.
3 meals a day
- Water & Nature Walks: Swimming in pristine mountain streams, trekking to hidden forest waterfalls, and hiking scenic trails along the foothills.
- Wildlife & Birdwatching: Spotting endemic bird species, butterflies, amphibians, and small mammals around the forest buffer zones.
- Cultural Immersion: Walking through local villages to observe traditional farming, joining cooks in the kitchen to learn Sri Lankan spice recipes, and engaging with residents.
- Basecamp Relaxation: Unwinding in hammocks, journaling, reading, and joining evening campfire chats and stargazing at the mud or bamboo eco-lodges.
- Nearby Excursions: Taking weekend trips to regional nature reserves, visiting the southern edges of Sinharaja Rainforest, or taking a wildlife safari at Udawalawe National Park.
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