Tuk tuk’s, tri-shaws, three-wheelers, rickshaws, whatever you chose to call them, are for many a popular daily mode of transport across Sri Lanka. Lanka Challenge 2009 is a new and fresh approach to tourism in Sri Lanka handled by Lets Travel Private Limited and a team of enthusiastic on site organizers. Lets Travel is a niche market Tour Operator catering for alternative tours and provides for people who are up for something other than a conventional holiday.

The challenge has 52 participants from across the globe; Australia,’ Britain, South Africa, Philippines, Kenya, Sweden, Canada, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, France, Singapore, Germany, New Zealand and India. Before beginning the challenge everyone partaking in the Challenge was given a crash course on how to drive a three wheeler. It is a ten day event and the 25 rickshaws are estimated to travel 1,200 kilometres across the island. The teams are made up of two or three people who work together in order to complete the Challenge.

Participants are given a map and a schedule for each leg of the journey. Each day they have to find their own way to that day’s destination, undertaking a number of challenges and optional activities en route. These may be cultural, adventurous, and ecological, some involving the local community. Each team is given points for successful achievement of the leg, the time in which they finished the journey and the successfully completion of the challenges.

The objectives of the Lanka Challenge 2009 are to promote responsible tourism and tourism in general in Sri Lanka, making it a premium destination by offering a different type of holiday. The Challenge is also encouraging ‘green’ or eco friendly tourism.

On being asked if I wanted to accompany the Challenge on one of the legs I jumped at the opportunity, having read a promotional piece on the event a few days earlier which had caught my attention. So at 6.30am on Sunday morning I joined the group of participants and their three wheelers at the starting point at the Hotel Club Dolphin in Waikkal. Despite the heavy rain the mood of all those partaking was optimistic and very upbeat with everyone itching to get on the road.

All those involved were dressed up for the first leg of the Challenge in order to compete for the "Wacky Best" award given to the most innovative and best dressed team. Some of the costumes were hilarious and they were lucky it was such a cool day; otherwise they would have melted on the journey.

The first leg proved the most challenging for many participants as they were still getting a handle on driving a tuk tuk on the busy and hectic Sri Lankan roads. Buses, horns, police stops, running out of petrol, flat tyres, and getting lost were all obstacles faced on the first day. However, after the ten days I have no doubt they could easily take on any three-wheel driver in Colombo. I am afraid to say I took the lazy option and travelled the first leg in a nice air conditioned jeep, but that way I could see the participants going hell for leather down the roads in their tri-shaws. However, I did get a lesson on how to drive a tuk tuk on a very quiet and safe road during the afternoon, which was quite a novel experience once I managed to go a few metres without cutting out. With Sigiriya in the background it was a picture perfect location and loads of fun.

During the afternoon of the first leg there was an optional activity to visit the Jayatilaka family who live in a simple mud hut near Sigiriya. Part of the money from the challenge is going towards a new steel roof for the family’s house. A percentage of the money collected from the Challenge will go towards benefiting local communities who will interact with the participants throughout the ten days. The rickshaws themselves were hired from families for whom the income will be a huge benefit.

So not only is the Lanka Challenge an innovative and original way for these young and enthusiastic participants to spend a holiday, but it also benefits tourism in Sri Lanka as well as local communities across the island. The participants will travel from Waikkal to Sigiriya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Mirissa and finish up in Colombo at Cinnamon Grand on the 14th of September.