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Providing a real local experience by carving coconut shells for souvenirs

Coconuts are a local essential commodity in any Sri Lankan kitchen. Almost all our meals have a connection with coconut - whether it’s in the form of using its milk for a curry, oil used for a stir fry or even having grated coconut sprinkled onto certain dishes to make a local version of a salad known as a ‘sambol’, making coconut play a major role in our daily lives. The husk and the shell of a coconut aren’t usually used as often as the insides - especially not in cooking. The husk is used to make coir and fibers for brooms whilst the shells are used to make spoons after some cleaning and polishing of the shells.

When travelling with us, you will have the opportunity to visit a local craftswoman with us who are turning coconut shells into souvenirs. She has wonderful crafting skills and all her products are 100% environmentally friendly which are the end results of her hard work to convert a simple coconut shell into something so beautiful. Our guests can purchase these items from her to take them back home - making them very unique and an interesting souvenir.
 

 

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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