Sri Lanka Tailor-Made
Sri Lanka has a long history of agriculture which has been developed over a course of 2500 years. This includes ancient irrigation tanks, and plantations and paddy cultivation systems. While this is mainly appreciated by a niche market of agro-tourists, Sri Lanka is an ideal location to experience the agriculture as well as the way of life of the local people of Sri Lanka.
There are different types of agro tourism in Sri Lanka. They mainly focus about educational, recreational and income as well. Here are the main 7 categories of agro tourism in Sri Lanka;
With similarities to the eco-tourism in Sri Lanka, agro-tourism is set apart by attracting tourists to experience agriculture and way of life surrounding it.
A few other experiences you can take back with you while on an agro-tour include;
Growing, harvesting and processing locally grown foods
Cooking local food using local utensils and methods
Experiencing lake fishing
Buying locally produced crafts, clothes, and fresh agriculture products
Most agro-tourism experiences are taken as excursions, for example by taking a village trek in Hiriwaduna. However there are some locations which provide accommodation right in the middle of the paddy fields and villages to give a better experience with the locals.
Popular locations for agro-tourism include the locations in Central, Uva and Southern provinces of the country for paddy cultivation and other cultivations like tea, rubber and coconut. However the hill country is also a top pick for vegetable and dairy farming.
Accommodations are mostly basic, mainly to give guests more experience through the surrounding activities than merely the hotel stay. However there are a few luxury properties that do provide agro tourism experiences, while providing the best accommodation.
Presently, newly built Jetwing Kaduruketha is the popular hotel for agro-tourism is in Sri Lanka. The property occupies a small space in the 60acre land of that is mainly used for cultivation of paddy. This gives guests easy access to experience the culture and daily life of the farming community.
