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Experience village living with an ‘aachchi and seeya’ in the misty Knuckles Mountain Range

You can now experience true village living courtesy of an elderly couple in their late 60’s, residing in a remote part of the Knuckles Mountain Range. Unspoilt by modern developments, and untouched acres of trees, with no electricity, nor modern day amenities including internet and other luxuries, this is an authentic rural village experience. This village experience allows you to disconnect from the rest of the world, shut down your devices and take a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of our lives. 

Spending the night in the original mud house with the hosts, you will be woken up in the morning to a fresh cup of tea, with the water being boiled from a kettle that is 75 years old. With no cutlery or crockery to dine with, guests will have to use their fingers when eating their traditional Sri Lankan meals cooked on the wood hearth fireplace. We advise our guests to spend a minimum of 2 nights with our local hosts to have a truly rural Sri Lankan experience.

 

Our policy in discouraging Animal Cruelty, Tourist Traps and Staged Tourist Shows

Animals Are Friends Too: Discouraging Animal Cruelty, Tourist Traps and Staged Tourist Shows

We at ExJ stay away from tourism experiences that are staged and involve animal cruelty and shopping traps that are contrived to exploit and deceive clients.

Even though some of the popular ‘attractions’ are not included in our programmes due to the above reasons, we have no objections in our clients making their own arrangements with our Drivers to visit these places.

 

Why we do not promote following attractions

 

Turtle Hatcheries

As this concept has serious negative aspects in terms of conservation, we do not encourage our visitors to patronize the turtle hatcheries, as not all of them are really turtle-friendly. We instead encourage them to observe turtles in their natural habitats.

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

When we became aware that the animal welfare standards there were questionable, we stopped encouraging our clients to visit the orphanage. We are pleased to observe that the Born Free Foundation has now adopted similar measures.

Elephant back rides – Habarana

There’s uncertainty surrounding the attitude of this place towards animal welfare. There may be a few ethical operators, but in general, we are not in agreement with how the place is run. We all would love a photo of us riding an elephant, but is a lifetime of pain caused to these magnificent mammals really worth a few fleeting likes on social media?

Traditional Village Tour with a Canoe Trip and Bullock-Carts – Habarana

This is a tourist trap where a lot of the trip is ‘staged’ for commercial purposes. Such fake touristic experiences will not give our visitors an idea of what life in the country is really like, so join us as we show you the real side of Sri Lanka. And at the end of every vacation, always ask yourself, “Did you feel that your holiday was ethical, eco-friendly, and reduced environmental impacts?”


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