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Special event of experiencing the cultural anthem of Kandy:

Since it’s the month of August, you will have the opportunity to view the annual Esala Perahara also known as the Kandy Perahara which will take place on the streets of the hill country for 10 days which for centuries have followed awe inspiring dances and drawn the religious devotees and tourists to the narrow streets. This is one of the country’s grandest traditional and cultural festivals organized by the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in honor of the Sacred Tooth Relic and gods Natham Vishnu, Kataragama and the goddess Pattini to seek blessings for a good harvest. However, during olden times, the Dalada Perahara was originally called to commemorate the time when Buddha’s sacred tooth relic was first brought to the country from India and allowing devotes to venerate the tooth relic as it was carried through the streets.

cultural and traditional event, we as an organization do not promote this as we do not agree with their ways of treating and using elephants for this event.beautifulEven though this is

 

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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