Over 40 eager competitors from 7 countries composing of 20 teams were flagged off by cricketer Rangana Herath at Tamarind Tree Hotel in Minuwangoda at the 15th edition of the Lanka TUK-TUK Challenge.
UK-TUK Challenge was organized by Large Minority in partnership with Connaissance de Ceylan.
In this edition, the event explores the wild and less travelled territory in the Southern, Eastern and Central Provinces. The challenge took participants through the towns of Kandy, Mandaramnuwara, Iginiyagala, Arugambay, Tissamaharama, Mirrissa and ending at the Mt Lavinia Hotel for the closing ceremony and festivities on 14 September.
The self-drive Tuk-Tuk Challenge, will give teams an up close and personal experience of some of the most fascinating historical sites and views of this island paradise, all the while raising money for local charities and environmental organisations.
This year Sri Lanka is especially blessed to host two different Lanka Challenge events despite troubled times in April. These events reflect an immense positive image of the destination worldwide. From a statistical perspective the average spending per ‘Adventure Tour traveller’ is around US$ 200 a day compared with your standard traveller who spends around US$ 150 a day. Sri Lankan Airlines was the main sponsor for the event and Connaissance de Ceylan is the official ground handling partner.
Julian Carnall, who is the Co-founder of Large Minority, an Experiential Travel Operator, offering responsible travel experiences in Sri Lanka and Cambodia said; “last year we collected over US$ 8,000 which we used for different charitable projects including donating textbooks, musical instruments and planting more than 200 indigenous trees to offset our carbon emissions. In 2019 we intend to raise even more funds in Sri Lanka to touch many more lives through our sustainable initiatives.”
The Lanka Challenge teams continue to support its local charities; ‘the Red Cross Society of Sri Lanka’ and LORRIS Foundation (‘Land Owners Restore Rainforest in Sri Lanka)’ who receive 10% of each team’s entry fee.
“In addition to this, each team is encouraged to raise at least US$ 500 on their own. The raised funds are then given to their preferred charities,” Julian Carnall said.
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