PriyanthaAmarasingheTHE ADVENTURER, MOUNTAINEER & VOLUNTOURISM ADVOCATE

Celebrating 25 years of adventure & exploration

Nothing is permanent in life. I know one day I can only leave the history of my life behind. It is therefore important to enrich my mind with the feelings that emerge from being in touch with the beautiful and precious nature of our globe. Therefore I wish to live it well, share it and deliver authentic eye openers for fellow travellers.

Priyantha Amarasinghe

“

02

THE MISSION

THE ADVENTURERPriyantha Amarasinghe is a deeply committed adventurer with many irons in the fire. On one hand he is exploring the wilderness and remote cultures or honing his skills on a lifelong passion for mountaineering. On the other hand his soul reaches out for the less privileged, the HIV/Aids sufferers and disaster-struck children living in poverty, for the world peace and all folks in distress anywhere in the world. All of these facets are integrated into his professional practice.

He has worked on everything in travel from airlines to receptive services, retail travel to wholesale tour operators, destination management to running an own brand of adventures for his exclusive group of travellers. His work appears in every travel and consumer media in North America and aroundthe world, including The Toronto Star, Sunday Times, Travel+Leisure, Outpost, Canadian Travel Press, Travelweek, The Travel Courier, the Rotary International and a host of other channels. Priyantha has won numerous accolades for his work including the respected industry recognitions from Canadian Tourism Commission, The Travel Institute and The Adventure Travel Council.

Priyantha is any adventurer’s ultimate leader, a thorough professional to the core. With more than 100 countries under his belt as an explorer, he is atreasure house of knowledge. For his peers, he is the go-to guy for insider’s information. A brilliant trouble shooter, his unique style in dealing with peopleand the ability to think outside the box runs the gamut from a productive individual to a profound believer of responsible travel. He is a proven talent whose creativity and willingness to roll up the sleeves and get hands dirty are always unique. Expect the unexpected!

03

SPECIALIZATIONSAdventure Travel worldwide Mountaineering expeditions Trekking & walking holidays Voluntourism, eco-tourism, charity and community based travel Cultural, Exploratory & Specialty journeys Product branding, brochure concepts & program development Travel marketing concepts Tour Leading

04

THE NICHE TRAVEL SPECIALISTPriyantha has spent his entire professional life working and travelling extensively in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the Americas and Africa. If you are looking for off the beaten path travel experiences, to enlighten and inspire your soul and connect with the real people in this beautiful planet, then look no further. The niche travel projects Priyantha undertakes are either his favourites or own travel experiences. They come with years of meticulous planning, thorough research and design with an emphasis on client satisfaction, their passions and interests.He wants to share his curiosity and the lust for distant cultures with his clients. His approach to group travel is a far cry from the traditional tour groups. And, they are always intimate and personal. He places an emphasis on one-on-one touch and works tirelessly to go beyond the call of duty to make an impact for everyone involved, be they travelling companions or the local people who benefit from his trips.

05

06

Priyantha has helped me fullfil one of my lifelong dreams to visit Sri Lanka as part of his tsunami charity challenge. We saw a wonderful country and met its friendly people. Above all, he made sure that I met my foster child Ramya and her family in person. An unforgettable day in my life.”

Julie Heyes, CTV Toronto, Canada

“

THE MOUNTAINEERWhy do people climb mountains and what is it that draws thousands up the mountains? For most and for Priyantha it is the pure love of outdoors captivated by the extreme and remote environments and the wilderness. The experience touches everyone differently and everyone comes away having been uniquely changed by the mountains they climb. “ Because they are there! “ was merely the famous answer by Sir Edmond Hillary, the first man ever to conquer the Mt Everest. Mountaineering today is the most recognized sport for the die-hard endurance athlete and thousands have climbed Everest since its first ascent and many other jagged peaks around the globe. Priyantha is an accomplished mountaineer having succeeded in scaling the world peaks in the calibre of Mt Kilimanjaro, Mt Elbrus, Mt Aconcagua, Annapurna, Mt Everest Base Camp and many other adventure challenges. Priyantha’s expedition planning abilities, his mental and spiritual strengths, team leading and project management experience are unique. His ability to assess risks, determine schedules, plan budgets and logistics and above all his passion for mountains and great outdoors, help his clients accomplish the challenges successfully.

07

08

THE VOLUNTOURISM ADVOCATEWhat do you need from a holiday? Giving something back to the world you travel and explore can be a highly rewarding & life changing experience. Priyantha’s trips are not volunteering per se but offer much more than working vacations. His picks are unique and time sensitive. They address some of the most pressing issues facing the world today. In Sri Lanka, he has initiated support for tsunami victims through trekking challenges across the island, in South Africa, he would trek the villages of Zululand in support of HIV/Aids Children, In Nepal, he would take his clients to trek to the Everest Base camp in support of Kathmandu’s orhphan children. And the list goes on.

09

In the Rajasthan desert, Deogarh Village Water Supply project for school children is a brainchild of Priyantha who wanted his clients to not only experience the fascinating sites of India but also help children of the impoverished desert regions.

Mandip Singh - CEO, Ibex Expeditions, India

His unique charity-based adventures are well recognized by the Toronto Rotarians. The Rotarians together with Canadian Landmine Foundation have recently honoured him with a “Service Above Self” award for his voluntourism work in South Africa, Nepal, India and Russia.

Peter Seewald, Fund Raising Manager, Rotary International, Toronto

Priyantha has been a supporter of ACT for years. His Climb Kilimanjaro projects in support of Tanzania’s Masai children are well recognized. He not only guides his clients up Africa’s highest peak but also allocates time to show visitors the real African way of life and donate a significant portion of profits for the welfare of the local communities.

Ishbel Brydon - Patron, Arusha Children’s Trust, Tanzania

10

The Kilimanjaro charity challenge was well organized. As a leader, Priyantha was exceptional. His professionalism was genuinely appreciated and his approachable nature allowed for inclusiveness and group dynamics. He enjoyed excellent rapport with the outfitters and the NGO’s. He had obvious respect and adoration as witnessed at the local school when the smiles light up and the children that swarmed him! The trip transition from “trek mode” to “safari mode” to “the charity mode” were effortless!

Susan McLoughlin -Owner Pathfinder TravelCampbell River, BC, Canada

“

THE PRODUCT DESIGNER & DESTINATION SPECIALIST

For more than 25 years, Priyantha has been a true travel professional in every sense of the word. He brings to the table an abundance of destination knowledge and product design expertise. From his modest and humble beginnings, he has worked his way through the ranks in every segment of the adventure and leisure travel industry. His passion has always been on the creative marketing and design side of the business. His ideas and concepts in creating winning collaterals are widely recognized in the industry. Priyantha is a keen and hard negotiator in his profession where he has always come up with win-win situations for his employers and peers.

11

12

13

THE PRESS COVERAGEPriyantha’s work in adventures and his initiatives on “ Give Back to the Needy” in ethical and sustainable tourism themes attract every major travel, tourism and consumer publications, the charities and NGO’s in North America and around the world.

14

As an avid mountaineer one needs to be committed, dedicated and hard-working to ensure that the clients attain the ultimate goal of “ Reaching the Summit”. Priyantha has been very successful at it and he not only has a regular fan base but also would-be climbers, who need the type of support he offers to get them to the top! For the soft adventurer, he also runs a series of unique journeys. The epic Trans Mongolian, South Africa Zululand treks and the Rajasthan Experience to name a few. “

Phillip Solomon, General Manager, Tourcan Vacations, Toronto, Canada

“

15

THE TESTIMONIALSHis leadership and guidance in three adventures with him has been outstanding. The objectives of the journeys were met and we were always safe. His dedication towards the “well being of neglected children” in the countries visited is paramount and impressive. His people skills are extraordinary and I shall never forget his personal care he gave me when I was suffering from altitude sickness at 17,000ft!” I surely want to take more trips with him anywhere, because they are excellent.

Patrick F. Demeyere, Retired Assoc. Prof., Laurentian University, Sudbury

The Tanzania trip which Priyantha led included adventure and an opportunity to help children. A school in Arusha showed us first hand the building of the new classroom our donation was funding and sat in the desks we purchased, constructed by local craftsmen using local materials. The overall experience, climbing Kilimanjaro and the safari was the most organized vacation I have experienced and I shall never forget. Priyantha’s planning, his informative correspondence to help us plan and his constant concern for our safety and enjoyment made me feel completely safe in a country miles away from home and a culture miles apart from my own.

Marie Adam, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

I dreamed of travelling to the Himalayas. The beauty there stirred my soul. Priyantha’s trip blended three wonderful opportunities: a chance to visit the place of my dreams, a trek up the Everest trail, and most of all, the gift of connecting with the Nepalis. Priyantha helped me climb the mountain of my dream, literally. He planned everything with exceptional organizational skill and every detail was attended to and, extraordinarily, birthday cakes too. The trip included a charitable donation to the homeless in Kathmandu, and Priyantha made sure that we met the children in the orphanage to show where our donation was going. It was physically challenging, but thanks to Priyantha, his wonderful team of sherpas, and the camaraderie of everyone, I not only survived, but celebrated the fulfillment of a dream. I would recommend Priyantha’s talents as an adventure organizer highly. He makes dreams come true.

Laura Boast, Discovery Channel, Toronto, Canada

Priyantha Amarasinghe36 Cloverlawn StreetBrampton, Ontario, CanadaL7A 3X5Phone: 1 - 905 - 846 - 3384E-mail: priyantha@sympatico.caSkype: priyantha1960

FIND ME ON