Vinoli Fernando
Born and raised in Sri Lanka! I previously worked in the banking sector, but I have been firmly grounded in the travel industry for the past six years. It didn’t take long to figure out that my heart was in hospitality. I love to explore, to travel, to meet new people and see the amazing diversity of the world we live in. I have traveled to many countries, including Singapore, Dubai, Thailand, and Cambodia. But my all time favorite will always be my native country Sri Lanka!
My favorite places in Sri Lanka include Horton Plains National Park, the culturally rich Kandy Digana, and the vibrant and historic city of Galle.
What places and activities do you specialize in?
"Sri Lanka. We specialize in cycling tours, taking our guests off the tourist track. It's all about culture, history, food & meeting locals and sharing their lives. "
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"In August 2016. My group of friends and I planned to hike to Kirigalpotta which is the 2nd tallest mountain in Sri Lanka at 2,388 m above sea level, and camp at the Horton Plains National Park overnight.
We took the night mail train from Colombo Fort railway station and by 04:30am we got down from Ohiya railway station. We had a nice local breakfast with ginger tea from a nearby shop and hopped into a tuk-tuk to go up to the Horton Plains National Park entrance. As we started our trek through the park, I was mesmerized by the landscapes around me and of course, I wasn't walking; I was running through the hiking trail :). It was such a breathtaking view up there - those type of sceneries makes me fall in love with this entire world over and over again.
It was drizzling when we came down and we managed to go to our campsite on time to set up our two tents. The wind got worse gradually and proceded to pull apart the roof of one of the tents, so all eight of us had to manage sleeping in one tent.
Before getting dark we started to cook dinner without even thinking about the weather conditions, since we didn't have time to go out of the national park and come back. It started to rain heavily as the wind speed increased. Luckily we still managed to sort out our meal for the night. It was freezing cold and we had to use several blankets and scarfs to sleep, even inside the sleeping beds :).
The next morning, we went outside and found some leopard footprints around the area we cooked dinner, which was the scariest sight/feeling I've ever had."