Sri Lanka Grand Tour
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Entrance Fees:
The round ticket purchased to visit the most popular sites is a levy collected by the central cultural fund. This levy is used by the fund to maintain and preserve the existing archaeological ruins, rehabilitate existing ruins and fund archaeological expeditions around the existing cities. Some of the individual fees collected by the smaller temples and sites are channelled through their caretakers to the upkeep of the facilities.
Entrance fees to wildlife parks are used for the maintenance of the parks including border and anti-poaching control and for the funding of various conservation projects like the “Elephant Transit Camp”
Conservation:
The “Uda Walawe Transit Camp” is a true elephant conservation project organized by the Department of Wildlife with the sole intention of caring for orphaned elephants with minimal human contact and releasing them back into the wild when they are weaned. We encourage our guests to make a contribution to this project. We also make contributions to this project from time to time based on revenues.
Respecting of Local Cultures and the Environment:
Sri Lanka is a culturally diverse nation and as such there are cultural sensitivities which are best respected. For this we meet with all our clients on the first day during which we brief them on the common ‘do’s’ and ‘don'ts’. Even while on tour our guide will brief the clients when visiting sites about general etiquette and norms if required.
Some of the parks that are visited on our itineraries are extremely sensitive ecosystems and as such our guides always forewarn clients about littering, smoking etc. We do not allow smoking in the vehicle at any time.
Animal Welfare:
Elephants are used in Sri Lanka as work animals since the time of the ancient kings. Although this practice has now been outlawed the captive elephants can still be legally owned by their mahouts and any calves born in captivity can be used as work animals.
This tour features an elephant ride. The mahouts we work with are kind to the animals and they are not overworked. We encourage our clients to give the elephants a reward of plantains as a reward for the service. The animals are rarely if ever worked beyond 6 – 8 hours and even this includes a rest of at least 30 minutes between rides. The elephant is kept in the shade and always has plenty of water and good nearby. We do not work with any group that mistreats animals.
Game Meat:
Poaching is illegal in Sri Lanka however there are many eateries which sell this type of meat. Commonly poached meat includes wild boar and venison. We do not patronize any restaurants that we know sell game meat of any sort.
Environmental Responsibility at the office:
We realize that saving the environment can make financial sense as well. We have streamlined our operations in our office to an almost paperless office where everything from bookings to faxes are received in soft copy and stored. We only print what is absolutely necessary.
Community
Our itinerary is designed to help the local community wherever possible.
Sri Lanka Holidays Accommodation:
All of the hotels we use for the itinerary are owned by establishments or individual where the owners or shareholders are Sri Lankan or control a large majority.
Sri Lanka Holidays Guides:
Our chauffeur guides are an important part of our team and we consider them our most valuable asset. We pay all our guides a fair price for their work above industry standards. We believe that this would translate to a better service to our clients on the long run. We ensure that all our guides are properly licensed.
Sri Lanka Holidays Restaurants:
We actively promote eating at local restaurants and establishments. We also make it one of our priorities to support the roadside vendors. Wherever possible we aim to stop for sampling of fruits or for a refreshing drink of King Coconut with the intention of supporting the vendors.
Sri Lanka Holidays Activities:
This tour involves visits to a village and a dinner with a Sri Lankan family. Both these activities are designed to encourage interaction between the guests and the locals. This gives our guests an understanding of local life, the history and also what typical days are in a Sri Lankan household.
These types of activities further go towards are commitment to the support of local entrepreneurs and their ventures.
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