The French women’s itinerant adventure trail Raid Amazones 2023 sponsored by SriLankan Airlines, is in progress in Kandy. The participants spent the morning of March 23 canoeing across Lake Victoria. The group continued their adventure on March 24 biking and running an 18-kilometre trail from Rideegama to Delvita.
Raid Amazones is definitely putting the country on the map as a place for adventure sports by choosing Sri Lanka to host the event two years in row. “My experience in Sri Lanka with the 20th Raid Amazones and the excellent feedback received by the participants last year convinced me to hold the 21st edition here,” Alexandre Debanne, President and Co-Founder of Raid Amazones said.
The support from the locals has been astounding and added so much colour to the events. “A village Bikkhu brought the locals kids from all these different faiths and backgrounds to watch the race. It was just amazing to see Sri Lanka’s diversity on display,” Saminda Perera, SriLankan Airlines’ Head of Marketing told the Sunday Observer.
Perera emphasised how events like this can give a huge boost to local economies by opening up more parts of the country to international visitors.
The thrill of adventure is not the only lure of the event. Every adventure-packed morning of the trail is followed by an equally riveting evening for the participants as they get to explore local culture through food, sport and recreation.
Here some of the participants at the Earls Regency hotel which is one of the partner hotels for the event