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  • Owner managed Boutique DMC in Sri Lanka.
    A specialist in experiential travel, focusing on Experiences, Encounters and Spaces with character and sustainability.
  • Owner managed Boutique DMC in Sri Lanka.
    A specialist in experiential travel, focusing on Experiences, Encounters and Spaces with character and sustainability.
  • Owner managed Boutique DMC in Sri Lanka.
    A specialist in experiential travel, focusing on Experiences, Encounters and Spaces with character and sustainability.
  • Owner managed Boutique DMC in Sri Lanka.
    A specialist in experiential travel, focusing on Experiences, Encounters and Spaces with character and sustainability.
  • Owner managed Boutique DMC in Sri Lanka.
    A specialist in experiential travel, focusing on Experiences, Encounters and Spaces with character and sustainability.

The Eco Team Group of Companies has decided to work from home (for the corporate office staff) for a period of two weeks with effect from the 17th of March 2020 in order to minimize gatherings and to avoid its staff from utilizing public services including transport services which might pose a health threat to any of our team members.

With regards to the safety and cleanliness of our campsites, all sites are equipped with body temperature measures (also known as IR or infrared thermometers) where all our guests will be tested during their time of check-in. All our tents and rooms are sterilized whilst all our staff have been informed to keep the premises sterilized, keep themselves and especially their hands sanitized as well as the imposing of the ‘one meter’ rule (keep a distance of at least one meter) when talking and interacting with our guests and other staff to ensure everyone’s safety.

 

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Postponement of the Higher Certificate Course

The Academy of Wildlife, Eco & Nature Interpretation has announced that the lectures of the Higher Certificate course has been postponed until further notice due to the coronavirus outbreak. This certification was scheduled to commence its first batch of students at the University of Sri Jayawadenepura on the 14th of March 2020 consisting of 68 students who represent fresh university graduates, naturalists, experts, chauffeur guides and other nature and wildlife enthusiasts from the society.

Meet your local host ‘Upali’ - a local leader of ‘Kalapuraya’; a village of craftsmen

A 59 year old village craftsman named Upali, does brassware with the support of his family and is an active member of the Nattarampola Rural Colonial Industrial Cooperative Society. In addition to his work as a brass craftsman, Upali is also a local tour guide, certified by the Central Province Tourism Department. Even though brasswear is his primary source of income, he also serves as a provincial tour guide lecturer, explaining the local arts and crafts to our valued guests.

Having started his craftsmanship in 1982 soon after having left school, post his advanced level examinations, Upali now holds 38 years of experience in the industry. He has vast knowledge on other crafts in the industry, and assures that our guests will receive the best experience when exploring the village and community with him.
 

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.
 

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Feedback

Great Experience ..!! It's very hard to choose a favorite part.

We enjoyed all of it. The itinerary was very well planned with a lot of activities plus a little bit of downtime as well. All the hotels have been lovely and had a lot of character. The chauffeur guide was excellent, knowledgeable and accommodating especially with our regular requests to find somewhere to stop for short eats.

We would definitely recommend Sri Lanka as a destination for friends and family to visit.

Robyn Semple - Dower | UK
19th April 2018

 

 

Team Behind Exj

 

2018 11 03 2

Anuruddha Bandara

Anuruddha Bandara, also known as AB, is an award-winning entrepreneur who has built a reputation as a niche tourism specialist, explorer, and management trainer.

He has travelled extensively to all parts of Sri Lanka and, impressively, 16% of the globe, including six continents. As Founder/ CEO and Master Crafter of Experiences & Encounters, he has navigated Experiential Journeys, to become the most sought after destination management company in Sri Lanka.

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natasha

Natasha

Natasha or “Natz” in short has been with Exj from 2013 to present handling B2C sales for our Tented Camp products. Prior to rejoining with us again Nathasha served a B2C focused DMC , as the Sales Manager and also as the Reservations Manager for a period of one and a half years. 

A very outgoing and a pleasant personality and she posses a total of six years of experience as a Travel Adviser providing consultation and guidance on destinations, ground arrangements, accommodations and tours for both business travellers and tourists. 

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nish profile

Nish

Nish is an accounting professional who decided to follow her true passion - turning her attention to the tourism industry; particularly interested in sustainable tourism. With more than a decade of experience in the field, Nish is an invaluable member of  Experiential Journeys.

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2018 11 03 1

Haj

Hajreen Juhara, popularly called Haj, is a multi-talented and experienced individual. With a career spanning 21 years in customer care, in Sri Lanka and overseas, Haj understands the capacity of the tourism industry in Sri Lanka as well as the requirements of his clientele, more specifically, when it comes to Meetings / Incentives / Conferences and Events [ MICE]  

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Migara updated

Migara

An IT professional, who eventually found that staring into a screen the whole day, is not what he truly made for. After trying out options in few industries, it didn't take too long for him to find his "perfect fit"; sustainable tourism coupled with customer care.

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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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