Fair trade tour to Sri Lanka
| country: | Sri Lanka |
| departures: | please enquire for 2010 dates |
| price: | From £1150 (16 days) excluding flights. Price includes all accommodation & transport all activities & some meals. We can help arrange flights from the UK, estimated flight price £750 |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Sri Lanka is a relatively small country rich in everything from culture to wildlife. Probably known around the world for its beaches and its cricket team, Sri Lanka has so much more to offer. Whether it is history, wildlife or postcard perfect scenery you are sure to find all of this in Sri Lanka.
This tour combines Traidcraft producer visits to Golden Palm and Gospel House with a first-hand insight into the ancient history, culture and people of this fascinating country. We travel from Colombo to Dambulla, and then onto Kandy and Nuwara Eliya visiting amazing ancient cities and temples and through some of Sri Lanka’s most varied and scenic locations. We see wildlife, not least elephants, before our onward journey to Tangalle to see the work being done by Gospel House in the tsunami affected areas of the south-east coast.
This tour combines Traidcraft producer visits to Golden Palm and Gospel House with a first-hand insight into the ancient history, culture and people of this fascinating country. We travel from Colombo to Dambulla, and then onto Kandy and Nuwara Eliya visiting amazing ancient cities and temples and through some of Sri Lanka’s most varied and scenic locations. We see wildlife, not least elephants, before our onward journey to Tangalle to see the work being done by Gospel House in the tsunami affected areas of the south-east coast.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Flights UK to Colombo. |
| Day 2: | Colombo. Over dinner we will have an introduction to Sri Lanka, our itinerary and route for our journey around Sri Lanka. |
| Day 3: | Golden Palm. In Gampaha we visit the woodwork factory of Golden Palm, one of Traidcraft’s suppliers. Here we will have the opportunity to understand their work and to talk to some of the skilled individuals who work in the factory. Ravi, the owner of Golden Palm will host us to a lunch where we will have further opportunities to understand Golden Palm and life in Sri Lanka in a more informal atmosphere. |
| Day 4: | Gospel House. Today we will visit Gospel House, another of Traidcraft’s partners. After a tour of the manufacturing facilities, Shiran and Modustus the two brothers behind Gospel House will host us to lunch, again another chance to chat to producers and ask any questions you may have about their work and how they see fair trade. |
| Day 5: | Sigiriya Rock Fortress. This mighty rock fortress was home to King Kasyapa, one of Sri Lanka’s more flamboyant kings. You may climb this 200m high fortress and witness the sunset from above which is truly breathtaking. |
| Day 6: | Anuradhapura. Now a UNESCO world heritage site, Anuradhapura was the first capital of Sri Lanka and held this position for approx 1300 years (circa 300BC – 1000AD). Among its most famous sights is the Sri Maha Bodhiya, a Bo tree sapling brought from the tree under which the Lord Buddha attained enlightenment. The Abayagiri Stupa at 125m tall is the largest brick monument in the world is also part of this ancient city. |
| Day 7: | Polonnaruwa. The second capital of the Kingdom of Ceylon from the 11th to the 13th Century AD, the most famous site of Polonnaruwa is the Gal Viharaya which consists of Granite statues of Lord Buddha. We will pass through Habarana and take a ride on an elephant, an experience not to be missed. |
| Day 8: | Kandy. We will enjoy the early evening watching a colourful cultural pageant featuring drummers, dancers and firewalking. Our accommodation for the night is at a heritage hotel where Lord Mountbatten used to stay when he visited Kandy. |
| Day 9: | Temple of the Tooth. In the morning we will visit the Peradeniya Gardens which date back to the time of King Vikramabahu III in the 14th century. By far one of the most captivating sections of this garden is the Orchid House housing over 300 varieties of Orchids. After lunch we will visit Dalada Maligawa which houses the famous Temple of the Tooth. |
| Day 10: | Nuwara Eliya. En route to Nuwara Eliya we visit a tea factory and are guided through the process of making tea. Situated at an altitude of 2040m Nuwara Eliya with its characteristic British architecture and climate is very popular with locals who want to escape the heat of Colombo. |
| Day 11: | Uda Walawe National Park. We leave the hill country and travel towards the dry zone. We are now entering prime elephant territory and you may see the occasional elephant munching away by the roadside. We will spend the night close to the Uda Walawe National Park ready for a safari visit tomorrow. |
| Day 12: | Safari. Uda Walawe National Park is famed for its elephant populations which sometimes number over 200 per herd. After the safari we will visit the Elephant Conservation project. These elephants are orphans who are cared for with minimal human contact till they are 6 years old and then released back into the wild. |
| Day 13: | Yala is Sri Lanka’s second largest wildlife park and has the largest population of leopard in Sri Lanka. Yala is famed for its leopard population of 35 and considered to be one of the best places in the world to observe and photograph them. We proceed to the park after a very early breakfast in order to enter the park at the ideal time to see a variety of animals including of course the elusive leopard. |
| Day 14: | Tangalle. Today we’ll have a free day to take in the delights of Tangalle, enjoying a tuk tuk ride to the harbour. |
| Day 15: | Tsunami rehabilitation project. We visit the Gospel House tsunami rehabilitation project where we are able to learn about the various projects being undertaken to improve the destruction caused by the Tsunami in December 2005. This evening we will have a farewell meal in a family home in Colombo, an opportunity to reflect and discuss all that we have discovered in Sri Lanka. |
| Day 16: | Flights Colombo to UK. |
this tourism business was Highly Commended
In our 2005 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards, the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine. The idea behind the Awards is that all types of tourism – from niche to mainstream – can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and local people. how this holiday makes a difference
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If you’re interested in fair trade and are looking for an opportunity to meet the people behind the products then these are the holidays for you. Our philosophy is to create the most enjoyable holiday for our customers while benefiting local people, economy and respecting the environment.
Traidcraft is the UK's leading fair trade organisation engaged in innovative and effective trade, and has been fighting poverty through trade since 1979. They work at the national and international level advocating changes in trade rules to make them work in the interests of the poor and mobilise public opinion to support fairer trade practices. On tour we will witness their work first hand during visits to their craft producers Golden Palm and Gospel House. Gospel House has been supplying Traidcraft since 1980. They provide work for small family businesses in their area and at their wood workshop the priority is to help young people who fail at school. This work experience helps them to make something of their lives. Following the tsunami in 2005, Gospel House is now also working in several affected communities which we will visit. Working with our local partner on fair trade terms, this itinerary offers an opportunity to see first hand how fair trade works and how effective sustainable development projects address current issues in Sri Lanka. Being able to participate and connect with the local culture provides a richer holiday experience. Accompanied by your guide who truly knows the area and is passionate about his country, our guests are able to get more of a feel for the place and the environment. In selecting accommodation in small hotels, private homes and guest houses we make sure that the local communities benefit. By collaborating with locally based people when visiting historical areas we are able to contribute to the regional economy. We provide guests with Travellers’ Codes that encourage the reduction of water usage, systems for collecting, recycling or safe disposal of litter and relevant suggestions to minimize damage to the environment, wildlife and marine ecosystems. All our holidays have a maximum group size of 12 to 14 people minimizing both the social and environmental impact. There is also the option to carbon off-set your flights. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |