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MONTHLY NEWS BULLETIN - SEPTEMBER 2019

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Dear Trade Colleagues,

Even though we’ve recently made global headlines for being the world’s best place to travel to, we invite you to experience it for yourself and come to your own conclusions! Enjoy a novel stay full of whimsy at The Owl & the Pussycat Hotel, literally try your hand at crafting the historical Sri Lankan king’s fan at a workshop in the hills, meet a quirky adventure specialist with a green thumb, complete your bird watching list with Kalametiya lagoon’s bird whisperer, and experience ‘Sri Lanka for All’ with bespoke tours for differently-abled travellers!

Of course, you can see what all the fuss is about with a stay at National Geographic’s special mention – Big Game Wilpattu, all Mahoora Camps (awarded the 2019 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence), a safari at Yala National Park – named the 6th best national park in the world, and more! Too much to do on one holiday? Hop on LOT Polish Airlines and pick from the tri-weekly flight programme to Sri Lanka launching in November!

See you at the world’s best place to visit!

Anuruddha Bandara (AB)
Founder
Experiential Journeys



Our Stand on Kandy Esala Perahera

Our Stand on Kandy Esala Perahera The Kandy Esala Perahera is undoubtedly one of the most colourful pageants in all of Asia, showcasing the diversity of culture, tradition, heritage, music and arts. However, if you look past the pageantry and cultural aspects, there lies a deeply troubling component relating to the chained elephants on display. Our policy and stand against animal cruelty applies to this event, and all other events surrounding captive elephants. We wholeheartedly believe all animals should live in their natural habitats, and not in captivity for the sole purpose of exhibition in events and tourist shows....
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Ranga: the Kalametiya lagoon bird whisperer

Ranga: the Kalametiya lagoon bird whisperer Meeting Ranga automatically means you’ll have an incredible birding experience at Kalametiya lagoon! Honing in on his experience as a lagoon fisherman in his teenage years, where every inch of the Kalametiya lagoon was explored, he’s spent the last 11 years introducing birds to guests. Even living with lagoon wildlife, as he resides just a few hundred meters from the lagoon with his wife and daughters, keeps him on his toes with the latest in the bird world. His younger brother assists him in ferrying guests on village-style catamarans, providing a quirky and remarkable birding...
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Design your own traditional ‘sesath’

Design your own traditional ‘sesath’ Sesath or av-atu is a traditional sunshade or a large, round fan that was used in the time of Sri Lankan kings. It was first brought to Sri Lanka from India, with the sapling of the Sacred Bodhi Tree as a shade. Since then, the sesath has become a hand-woven symbol of prosperity and a vibrant relic of history and heritage. Although making the sesath is time consuming and quite difficult, if you’ve got the time and will for it, a traditional village workshop near Kandy lets you try your hand at it using your own...
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The Owl & the Pussycat – a boutique hotel inspired by the 19th century poem

The Owl & the Pussycat – a boutique hotel inspired by the 19th century poem Inspired by an exuberant zest for life and Edward Lear’s poem of the same name, The Owl and The Pussycat hotel in Thalpe whimsically calls out to travellers by the ocean’s edge. Not only are you invited to enjoy fun, romance, food, and dancing in the moonlight... but also delicately-spiced cocktails by the waves, and tropical birdsong mixed with live jazz on weekends! Pack your bags to float away in the sun-lit pool, sip on pre-dinner drinks in the Edward Lear Drawing room, and dine on...
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Frequently Asked Questions

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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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