Oh… The Tuktuk. A three wheeled, unstable, unreliable glorified lawnmower with no gas gauge, barely suitable for short distances, and certainly not suitable for long ones. And yet, the perfect way to fully immerse yourself in the incredible culture and scenery of Sri Lanka, all while sweating more than you thought humanly possible.
The TukTuk.
Also known as a motorized rickshaw, a Tuktuk is a small, three wheeled motorized vehicle. Given its lack of a fourth wheel, it is significantly less stable than its four wheeled counterparts, and with its lack of automatic gear shifting and unreliable structure, it also requires the driver of this trusty steed a to be extremely vigilant on the road, lest they stall out in the middle of traffic or roll the vehicle.
In Sri Lanka, Tuktuks are abundant. Sri Lanka boasts the most tuktuks per capita of any other country in the world, so while you galavant the mountains and jungles of the country, you can rest assured that if you break down (which you will), there will be someone close by who can assist you to get you and your three wheeled tin can back on your way.
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The people of Sri Lanka made our trip so much more special, going above and beyond to offer directions, helpful tips, and a hand (or shovel) when we hit a bump in the road.
The Rickshaw Run.
I signed up for the (in)famous Rickshaw Run, hosted by the travel group, The Adventurists, as a joke amongst my friends. The Adventurists have sponsored the Rickshaw Run in India since 2006, where teams from all over the world embark in an unsupported adventure across the country in their own glorified lawnmowers.
The goal of the Rickshaw run is clear: “Embrace the adventure… Because we think there’s no greater moment than those seconds as you leap into an abyss of uncertainty and disaster.”
After telling my (horrified) family that I planned to drive a Tuktuk unaccompanied across Sri Lanka, my dad immediately joined my team. For the next year, we joked about our upcoming trip, neither of us truly preparing for the excursion until three months prior to the start date when we finally booked flights.
The day after Christmas arrived, and my dad and I, armed with ungodly amounts of sunscreen and bug spray, boarded our flight to Sri Lanka.
We embarked on the longest flight of my life (12 hours, accompanied by a stopover in Dubai, and then another five hour flight to Sri Lanka). When we finally landed in Sri Lanka, I was jarred out of my jet lag by the intense heat which starkly contrasted the winter storm occurring back home.
We checked into the hotel and readied ourselves to meet the rest of the Rickshaw Runners that evening to kick off the journey prior to test driving the rickshaws the next morning.
Our Highlights.
Udawalawe
Our first stop on our journey was Udawalewe, one of the elephant capitols of Sri Lanka. Here, we visited the largest elephant orphanage in the country. We watched in awe during feeding time while the orphanage keepers opened the gates to let the elephants receive their evening bottles.
Ella
This wonderful town is located at the top of a mountain, and was our first stop in the mountains. We spent the day shopping and exploring the area before hiking to the Nine Arch Bridge, which was about a 20 minute drive to the trailhead.
Nuwara Eliya
We made an unexpected stop at this tiny town nestled in a mountain valley after being trapped in a rain storm and receiving directions from a local. It was one of the most beautiful spots that we visited, and we would have taken the highway right past it, had we not been told by the woman who helped us that it is well worth the stop.
We took a break from the heat and spent two days in the area. The first day, we spent time wandering through the city and exploring the lake.
Early the next morning, we tukked about 45 minutes outside of the city to the Bluefield tea factory for a tour and tasting. We spent the night at another factory up the road and had a delightful stay chatting with the hotel owners and playing board games through yet another rainstorm.
Nuwara Eliya had some of the most stunning views of our entire trip, and is an absolute must see in Sri Lanka.
Ambuluwawa Tower
After leaving Tea Country, we made our way to the notorious Ambuluwawa Tower, which was a day trip that was absolutely not for the faint of heart. We parked our Tuktuks at the base of the mountain, knowing that our tiny engine would not make it to the top. We trekked a grueling hike up to the tower, declining several kind offers from other TukTuk drivers (whose vehicles were stronger than ours), determined to make it to the tower on our own. Upon arriving, we trekked almost to the top, but decided that six inches was not a wide enough staircase for two way traffic, and nearly the top could be close enough.
Pinnawala
Our last stop on this trip was one of my favorites. We stayed at the Elepath Lodge Hotel which overlooks the market street where the elephants of the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage travel twice a day to the river to bathe. Because we were guests at the hotel, we were able to sit in the lobby of the hotel and watch (and be approached by!) the elephants while they made their trek to the river. We highly recommend a visit to this hotel as well as a pit stop at the Elephant Freedom Project in Pinnawala, which encourages the rehabilitation of elephants and helps to educate the public about coexisting with these magnificent animals.
Conclusion: Sweat, Smiles, and Self Discovery
Traveling across the country in a barely drivable, three wheeled lawn mower took us on routes that we never would have traveled had we done our trip the conventional way. From getting stuck in knee-deep mud five minutes after the start and being saved by a helpful local who emerged from the nearby swamp, to losing a tire on our way to Ella, to getting lost in the mountains and having to knock on locals’ doors for directions, we were able to truly interact with the locals and experience the country in a way I wouldn’t have thought possible in such a short trip.
The people of Sri Lanka made our trip so much more special, going above and beyond to offer directions, helpful tips, and a hand (or shovel) when we hit a bump in the road. Had we traveled by car, we certainly would have been able to travel much more comfortably, but had we not run out of gas or lost our tire, we would have missed out on some truly special connections and experiences.
While spending seven days trapped in the back of a Tuktuk certainly isn’t everyone’s definition of fun, this experience has changed the way that I view travel. Rather than planning my future trips down to the minute, I will now and forever schedule in some time to (maybe more conveniently than a rainstorm or mud slick) get lost, and see where the trip can take me, because who knows? You might just stumble across something unforgettable.
