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Welcome to Different Discovery Tours !
Situated just off the southern tip of the Indian sub-continent, for millennia Sri Lanka has been regarded as special - a jewel in the Indian Ocean. Neither is the description “jewel” merely metaphoric. On the contrary, through one of its ancient names “Seredip”, Sri Lanka gives rise to the English “serendipity”, the happy ability to make joyous discoveries by accident. From time immemorial, the earth of Sri Lanka has yielded gems stones of exceptional quality, prized by all from the great Ming emperors of China to countless other merchants and traders, who have left their own distinctive marks upon the fabric of the country. Such material riches have a resonating echo in an island of outstanding and often wonderfully unspoilt natural beauty - from sparkling seas and endless miles of pristine beaches, to jungle environments rich in wildlife to spectacular mountain scenery. If nature has richly endowed Sri Lanka, Man has complemented such natural endowments with layer upon layer of mythic, cultural, religious and architectural wonders and delights. From amongst these, just a few that may be cited are the mighty fortress rock of Sigiria, the magnificent archeological remains at Anuradhapura and the sublime Buddhist carvings to be found at Polonnaruwa. To all of this, add a graceful people, warm, hospitable and generous, a spicy and delectable indigenous cuisine and an entire spectrum of accommodation for the visitor from simple but clean small hostelries right up to five star hotels, and you have a heady mix calculated to intrigue, entertain, interest and captivate the visitor.
Introduction
Different Discovery Tours is a Sri Lankan "Team" specializing in designing and offering individualised itineraries both to sites of world renown as well to locations within the island, which may be less well known, but which are nevertheless of great interest. In no small part, the attraction may also be precisely because they are often not on the usual “tourist” itineraries. Intrinsic interest may lie in:
• their archeological and historical uniqueness,
• their religious significance,
• the splendour of their scenery,
• their ecological importance,
• or, quite simply, may be down to the fact that they are unusual and exquisite locations in which to “chill out”, relax, and restore the batteries.
Our Team
The Different Discovery Team comprises a small group of innovative travel and hotel personnel with experience both within the country as well as overseas. Team members pride themselves on their competence as “tourist orientated professionals”. Of equal importance, however, is a strong sense of responsibility for conservation and for the cultural integrity of their island and its communities. Team members all speak English competently as a second language, travel regularly, and are thereby able to keep abreast of changing demands within the tailor-made tours sector. As all Different Discovery team members have a personal interest in many of the activities on offer, clients can expect a service which is well informed and highly personal.
Team Leader: Dinesh Sampath
Dinesh has been conducting personal tours throughout the island for more than ten years. He is thoroughly familiar with the geography of Sri Lanka, its sites of unique interest as well as its finest locations for relaxation and holidaying.
Tour Executive: Uditha Liyanage
Uditha is a graduate of the University of Sabaragamuwa, and has a BSc in Tourism Management. He focuses on special interest, wild life and adventure tours.
Tour Executive: Maduka Pamuditha
Maduka is a graduate in Social Sciences with a special interest in cultural and conservation tourism.
Instructor: Rasith Gunaratna
Rasith graduated in Marketing Management, and is particularly interested in camping and in special site tours.
Tour Designer: Inoka Dmayanthi
Inoka completed her degree in Organic Architecture while functioning as an itinerary designer at Green Paradise Tours. She has specialist expertise in eco-tourism and traditional “rustic tour” planning.
Research Executive: Ann Shamen
Ann graduated in Tourism Management in 1999, and worked as a holiday planner while engaging also with our conservation & research.
Acknowledgement
Finally, although not active members of Different Discovery, the team has been fortunate in having had the benefit of encouragement, guidance and material assistance from two UK citizens, Mr. Rupert and Mrs. Elizabeth Wyndham. Mr. Wyndham, now aged 61, is a graduate of the University of Oxford (Oriental Studies) and, before his retirement, held senior management, as well as directorial, posts within major British companies. The Team has benefited from their experience as dedicated travellers to countries across the world, including America, Latin America, Africa, SE Asia, The Far East, Australia, Polynesia and, of course, Europe.
Tours
Leopards and big game safaris. Yala National Park has one of the highest densities of leopards in the world. Yala, therefore, offers amongst the best opportunities in Asia to spot and observe leopards in the wild.
Rainforest educational tours. Full day visit to the Sinharaja Rainforest (a UNESCO world heritage site) to view flocks of indigenous lowland as well as numerous other bird species.
Bird watching tours. Visit Bundala National Park in safari jeeps to view waders and shoreline birds.
Culture in comfort. Explore the ancient archaeology of Sri Lanka at the world renowned ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonaruwa as well as the mighty rock fortress of Sigiriya.
Kandy. Experience the religious and cultural centre of modern Sri Lanka, enjoy the ceremonies performed daily at the celebrated Temple of the Tooth, said to house the last extant relic of the Buddha and stroll along the shores of the lake.
Elephant watching. Visit the Elephant Millennium Foundation and Pinnawela elephant orphanage. Numerous opportunities also exist at a number of sites for elephant riding with experienced mahouts, including jungle and marshland excursions.
Nuwara Eliya. Experience a sense of uplift from the magnificent mountain scenery, entire mountain sides covered with tea plantations, the caressingly gentle micro-climate of “Little England”, the splendid botanical gardens and the magnificent and slightly awe inspiring expanse of the plateau of the Horton Plains National Park and the World’s End, where the plateau comes to a dramatic end with a sheer vertical drop of over 850 metres.
Soft adventure tours. White water rafting in several rapids in the Kelani River.
National parks tours. Sri Lanka has a portfolio of truly spectacular and largely unspoilt national parks. Between them they offer the visitor the chance to experience unforgettable flora and fauna, scenery to take the breath away, marshland and pristine wilderness.
Aurveda. In accordance with the teachings and practice of Aurveda, Sri Lanka’s ancient system of holistic herbal medicine, the body is anointed and massaged using scented curative oils.
Film crews. Understanding and catering for the requirements and logisitics of film crews is a special Green Paradise interest.
Wildlife photography. Sri Lanka offers innumerable opportunities for visitors to create still and moving photographic mementoes which will constitute a lasting record of memorable visits to exotic locations. Green Paradise team members are ever on the watch for such life enhancing moments.
Eco tourism. As would be expected, Green Paradise eco-holidays focus on combining safe and comfortable travel with observing wildlife in natural surroundings.
Relaxation holidays. Different Discovery Tours can arrange a combination of venues and activities that are designed to be centred around the simple enjoyment of a quiet relaxing stay in idyllic seaside and other locations coupled, perhaps, with occasional excursions to interesting local venues within easy reach.
Contact Dinesh: 0094 11 2259311 or 0094 77 6013912
Mail: info@troursrilanka.info |
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5.00 (out of 5)