Explore Sri Lanka

Join us on a journey that challenges, inspires, and gives you memories for life!

Explore Sri Lanka is an elective course for those who are curious about the world, enjoy meeting people, and want to learn through experiences. Here we combine a love of travel, cultural encounters, nature, and international engagement – in collaboration with the aid organization FORUT.

Travel, Learn and Experience

We travel to Sri Lanka, an island in the Indian Ocean, often called the Teardrop of India. The country offers a fantastic diversity with lush hills, rainforest, wild elephants, pristine white beaches, and vibrant city life.

Together with FORUT, Åsane Folk High School’s aid partner with long experience in development cooperation in Sri Lanka, we will get to know the situation of children in the country and projects supported with help from Norway. FORUT also works to support people facing difficult life situations as a result of the long-lasting civil war and various natural disasters, and we gain insight into how this work contributes to better living conditions, security, and hope for the future for local communities.

We are warmly welcomed and get close to local culture, everyday life, and traditions, while enjoying the tropical climate with temperatures around 25–30 degrees. Through FORUT we get to visit local projects and meet people working for better living conditions, children’s rights, and sustainable development.

On the trip we will experience the cities of Colombo and Kandy, among other places. We visit Sigiriya Rock, an impressive rock fortress from the 5th century, also known as “Lion Rock.” Here we see unique cave paintings and a fantastic view over Sri Lanka’s jungle.

We also visit a Hindu temple in Jaffna, where we have a close encounter with Hindu faith and everyday life. Along the way we look at similarities and differences between Hinduism and Buddhism, and talk about how religion shapes culture and society in Sri Lanka.

In Kandy we experience traditional Kandyan dance in connection with the Temple of the Tooth – colorful, rhythmic, and full of history. These experiences give us a vivid picture of the country’s religious diversity and rich cultural traditions.

On this trip you will have an experience for life!

Academic Content

Before departure you will receive thorough preparation that gives you both knowledge and confidence before encountering Sri Lanka. We work with cultural understanding and the country’s history, religion and society, as well as sustainability, global challenges, and development work. You also become familiar with FORUT and their work in Sri Lanka, and we emphasize travel training, expectations, and reflection around traveling in a different cultural context.

The goal is to be well prepared, both practically and mentally, so that you get the most out of the experiences. In addition to unique travel impressions, through the preparatory work we want to strengthen understanding of other societies and ways of life, develop cultural understanding, and provide space for personal reflection and growth.

Responsible for the program and teaching is our staff member Angela Vågenes, who has traveled with students to Sri Lanka in previous years.

The travel program requires that you as a student are in reasonably good physical shape, are adaptable, and let yourself be fascinated by encountering the unknown in the form of new people, places, and challenges.

The elective course costs 32,000 NOK and includes:

Round-trip flight to Sri Lanka
Transportation to/from Flesland
Local transport
Accommodation and breakfast
Tour leaders and local guide
Preparation and instruction

In addition there are expenses for vaccines, visa, some meals, and spending money. The trip will last 12–14 days depending on flight times/price.

The elective course “Explore Sri Lanka” has 16 places, and these are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

International Engagement

Åsane Folk High School has a long-standing collaboration with FORUT, which has worked in Sri Lanka for over 40 years. FORUT collaborates with local organizations and knows the country and its challenges and opportunities very well.

Through the elective course you get:

Insight into development work and solidarity in practice
To meet the people behind the projects
Increased understanding of global connections and inequality

These are experiences that often leave a mark far beyond the trip itself.

Apply for a place at school now

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and processed in the order they are received. It is always a good idea to be early.