Sri Lanka tour, off the beaten track

Planet

The Sri Lanka - Off The Beaten Track - The North tour introduces travelers to the culturally rich and environmentally diverse island state of Sri Lanka, with an emphasis on contributing to the local economy and community projects while respecting local traditions and the natural environment. Sri Lankan guides are at the heart of the tour, whether driving visitors around the island, guiding in national parks or introducing visitors to the 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites on this itinerary. Some of the guides come from community-led projects which helps local people gain access to education and employment. The tour stays in family-run guesthouses, the wonderful Mudhouse, Puttalam; a traditionally built retreat of wattle and daub walls and thatched roofs and eats at local restaurants, which not only enables visitors to meet local people and enjoy authentic home cooking, but also contributes directly to the local economy and provides much needed employment.

Travelers are also encouraged to be aware at all times how to create a positive impact on the environment and local people.


Information: Providing suitable, relevant information for our customers; to help them to gain a wider understanding of our style of tourism that focuses on learning, genuine interaction with the local communities, reciprocity and cultural exchange processes. To be aware of the potential impact of tourism on the local society, culture and environment, and to behave and dress appropriately with a respect and appreciation for local customs, mores and traditions and a respect for the ecology of areas visited. Our guides and leaders thus facilitate communication of our values to both travelers and local communities, educating them in sustainable tourism practices

This tour visits many places only recently opened up to tourism and so helps spread the tourist dollar beyond the more well known and popular tourist sites in Sri Lanka.

People

Local products: As much as possible we aim to employ local personnel, (guides, drivers, agents etc), use local restaurants and smaller privately owned accommodation. Customers are also encouraged to buy and use local products and services as much as possible in order to support and stimulate the local economy.

Guides often come from community-led projects which helps local people gain access to education and employment.

Group sizes: By limiting groups to small sizes we aim to reduce the impact on both local communities and the environment whilst allowing for greater genuine interaction with said communities. It also results in a higher guide/customer ratio thus greater facility for supervision and individual assistance and allows us to use smaller hotels and restaurants and employ the services of more genuinely ‘local’ operators perhaps not otherwise well equipped for larger groups.

Destinations: We combine the well known tourist sites with many off-the-beaten-track, rarely visited destinations thus diverting tourist revenue and contact with responsible tourism into areas not usually benefiting as well as providing a more authentic view of the region visited.

Instruction: By explaining our methods and the reasons behind them local agents, guides and hotels are encouraged by us to adopt further responsible tourism practices themselves and guides and drivers are provided with additional training in this respect.